candidature file for the position of Publications Support Division Director for the term 2011-2012 in IFMSA. It includes, Motivation letter, proposed plan of action and CV.

1. Candidature for
Publications Support
Division Director
Omar H. Safa
2011-2012

2. Candidature For Publications Director
Motivation Letter
Dear IFMSA Friends;
It gives me pleasure and honor to announce my candidature for Publications Support Division
Director for the term 2011-2012. I'm thrilled that I'm taking that step which I consider important for
me on the personal level to apply what I've learned during the last few years to help improving the
place that I belong too, the IFMSA.
My name is Omar Safa, 5th year Medical Student from Egypt; I've started my experience with IFMSA more than
4 years ago when I joined my Local Committee in the first year in the Medical school. Since then I've noticed
that even the greatest projects can turn into a mess without good Publicity and Marketing, I found that
Publicity is one of the major points that affects the decision of a potential partner whether to cooperate with
us or not and consequently affects the quality of our projects and activities. That's when I decided to build on
my previous experience in graphic designing and focus on publications area as I find a lot of potential for
development in this area.
My first official position within my Local Committee was IT, Marketing and Public Relations officer, I have been
responsible for the publicity of all activities that we do; including the production of all publicity materials and
managing media and internet solutions for better exposure for the activities, during this time I came to learn
how publications should be tailored specifically for the audience, I learned that working on publications needs
flexibility to produce what is needed for the audience, I learned how to work in a team with many different
people with different personalities, I came more aware about the importance of capacity building and training
as the only way to ensure sustainability and above all I became sure that to work on something effectively you
should understand it very well and that's why I was really eager to learn everything about IFMSA.
Through my Journey with IFMSA, I've attended nearly all National General Assemblies which gave me the
opportunity to get to know the atmosphere at the national level, the problems the NMO may face and how to
solve them. I've also attended the last 3 GAs the 5th and the 7th EMR Regional Meetings, where I got to know
different people from different NMOs and discuss with them the problems they face and how they solve it,
getting more information about different countries and systems there and how they work. Through these
meetings; I developed a strong concern about publications being one of the most neglected areas for many
NMOs.
And hence my motivation to apply for this position, through my long journey with IFMSA, I've noticed that
most of our effort is put into planning projects and activities, but I believe there is a great potential for
development in the area of publicity; development that will reflect on the whole Federation with better
recognition, more partners and wider influence among our audience.
I understand how IFMSA works; I'm really motivated to give the place that I belong to my effort and time
because in one way or another, this is my home and my family. Keeping that in mind and considering my
experience in this field I do feel that I'm the right person for this position.
Yours truly;
Omar Safa
IFMSA VPE RA for the EMR
Marketing Coordinator of the IFMSA Publications team
2

3. Candidature For Publications Director
Plan of Action
It's a real pleasure for me presenting you my plan of action for the position. I know that putting this plan into
action is dependable on many people and things other than me, and so, this plan is a preliminary one that I'd
like to achieve.
My plan is focused around key things that need most attention in my opinion. These ideas form the key points
for my plan, which are: Continuity of the flow of IFMSA publications, Improvement & Consistency of IFMSA
Publications, Supporting Standing Committees, NMOs and team of officials, Capacity Building and Team Work
within the Team of officials.
1) Continuity of the flow of IFMSA Publications:
One of the major points for any association is to have regular publications, this helps promoting the
Association and sensitizing audience to wait for these publications. It helps building a loyal audience and
promoting the profile of the association. By continuing the flow of IFMSA Publications everybody will know
when to expect a certain publication and it'll allow us to build on the regularity of our publications
marketing and dealing with externals.
Keeping that in mind, I came up with few things to achieve and keep this continuity as listed below.
 Handover:
Handover is the one of the most important things that I'm planning to work on, both Handover
from the current Publications Director which won't be a problem as I've been working closely with
her along the term. And Handover to the Publications Director that will follow me and for this part
I'm planning to prepare a complete set of files dated and organized to be handed to him/her in the
handover.
 MSI [Medical Student International]:
MSI is the major IFMSA publication issued with each GA and following its theme. Regarding MSI I'm
planning to give it some effort to keep the quality of the articles in it and I'll also work on the
aesthetic part of its design to produce a high end publication that we can be proud of.
 e-Vagus:
e-Vagus is the online newsletter of the IFMSA, it's working effectively for me now, and I'm planning
to continue the work that is being done in this regard and in addition to that I'm planning to widen
the scope of that newsletter to include some news from the NMOs and the regional meetings, in
addition to that, I'm planning to make it more frequent to be more efficient for contacting
externals in cooperation with the VPE and the team of officials.
 Publications team:
Following the steps of the current Publications Director, I'm planning to form a team to work on
IFMSA Publications, this is to ensure sustainability and continuity of IFMSA Publications in addition
to the fact that in a team everybody achieves more and that's what we really need in IFMSA now.
2) Improvement and consistency of IFMSA Publications:
Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the IFMSA in AM2011, we come to notice that IFMSA has evolved to be
one of the largest students' organizations in the world, uniting more than 1.000.000 medical students
across the globe. But in the same time we can still have the feeling that when it comes to influence there
are still a great potential for improvement, IFMSA is still not known to all Medical Students, our policy
statements doesn't have the desired effect yet, our projects are not yet publicized in the best way and
3

4. Candidature For Publications Director
finally the reliability and influence of our major publication still can be improved and that's why I believe
that working on this area is will be a major concern for me.
 Quality of the MSI:
The credibility of the publication is judged by the quality of the articles in it and the aesthetics of
the design and layout and regarding this I'm planning to:
1. Keep high quality of the articles published in the MSI, through strict selection and high
standards for selection
2. I'm planning to work with VPE on having partnerships or agreements with other well
renown publications [e.g. Lancet] so that they may assign someone to revise the articles or
they may announce the MSI
3. High end aesthetic approach for the design with respect to the corporate identity, so as to
make the MSI comparable to the best publications in the world
 e-Vagus:
A newsletter as a communication tool is supposed to be regular and to the point with what really
concerns the audience. And regarding the e-Vagus I'm planning to:
1. Make sure that e-Vagus is issued regularly
2. Include the most important information and news, in coordination with the VPE as I believe
that the newsletter is not only supposed to be used in internal communication but also
with external relations
3. Working closely with the VPE on the opportunities to use the newsletter as a marketing
tool
 Consistency of IFMSA Publications:
It's a major factor in the publicity of any association is consistency of its publications in regards to
the messages sent and the design, and in this regard I'm planning to:
1. Unity in Design: in terms of corporate identity ad relating all IFMSA designs to each others
to build the identity and the brand of IFMSA
2. Consistency of the Major messages: in terms of the values that we are spreading and in this
regard I'm planning to revise all the IFMSA publications with the publications team to
ensure that we are reflecting the same values that represent our cultural diversity and
tolerance.
3. Regularity: one item that affects consistence is the regularity of the publications, that's why
I'm planning to work on making most of the publications regular according to pre-set
schedule.
 New technical publications:
This is one of the most important issues for me, as we in the IFMSA do a wide range of activities,
and we usually use external sources to help us planning them, but I think we can make our own
handbooks, manuals for the activities we do, these manuals will help the increasing the quality of
our activities in addition to the fact that they will be a great marketing tool. And to achieve this I'm
planning to work closely with the Standing Committees directors and the Support division directors
on producing these manuals that should be made available online for free (and in coordination with
the VPE I believe we also can sell hard copies during the GAs)
3) Supporting Standing Committees, NMOs and team of officials:
I believe that the major role of a support division director is to provide the needed assistance whenever
needed and in this regard I'm planning to:
4

5. Candidature For Publications Director
 Assist Standing Committee Publications, and make sure they are following the basic rules to keep
the Consistency of IFMSA Publications.
 Provide help and assistance for NMOs publications and encourage more NMOs to issue their own
publications and use them to spread the message and the name of IFMSA
 I'll always be available for the team of officials members whenever they need help or assistance in
my area, this is something essential for me and I'm planning to give it the needed time and effort.
4) Capacity Building:
Focusing on continuity and Sustainability of IFMSA Publications, I believe that Capacity Building is one of
the major important areas for my term and I'm planning to:
1. I'm planning to coordinate with all Standing Committee directors to have a training in their sessions
on publications, how to write what you think about and how to use this to spread your ideas and
beliefs.
2. I'll try my best with the VPE team to organize a media pre-GA either in MM or AM or both, this will
be directed mainly to capacity building and teaching new people how to make the best benefit of
Media for this Federation.
3. I'm planning to work on a manual on the process of making a publication with suggested timelines
and team structures, this is planned to be done with the help of the previous Publications Directors
and the Publications team.
4. I'm also willing to help with as much regional meetings as I can, providing training on Publications
and Media.
5) Team Work within the Team of officials:
Team work contributes to a great extent to the success of large organizations like the IFMSA, and as a
member in the team of officials I'm planning to:
 Communication:
Communication plays a major role within a team, and in regards to this, I'm planning to:
1. Continuous and regular updates on my work:
a. Sending the Publications Agenda as planned to the team of officials, so they know
what is supposed to be done now
b. Status of publications and the process on each of them
c. What is needed from team of officials
2. Active participation in all the online meetings of the team of officials
3. Participating in as many TOMs as I can.
4. Transparency and sharing information and plans, as it's highly needed within a team to
have a common goal.
 Continuous support:
Supporting each other in a team is one of the major points that I'm planning to consider in my
term. I'm planning to keep in touch with all standing committee directors regarding the standing
committee publications to offer the needed help whenever needed.
 Team member:
I've worked in many teams and I consider this as one of my best qualities, I can always adapt to the
team, I do respect different cultures and attitudes and I'm planning to keep this attitude in my work
to keep a positive atmosphere with tolerance and effective feedback for the best interest of the
Federation.
5

6. Candidature For Publications Director
Curriculum Vitae
Personal and contact Information
Name: Omar Hesham Safa
Address: 13 El Nahhas Street, Tanta, Egypt
Date of Birth: 30/10/1989
Nationality: Egyptian
Phone: +20100143724
E-mail: omar.h.safa@gmail.com
NMO: IFMSA-Egypt
Skype account: omar.h.safa
Educational History
 Tanta Medical School. Tanta-Egypt: September ‎ 006‎lltt‎present
2
 Al Ahmadeya Secondary School: September 2003 till July 2006
 Mohammed Fareed Preparatory School: September 2000 till July 2003
 Al-Manarat Primary School, Jeddah, KSA: September 1994 till July 2000
IFMSA Meetings attended (GAs, Pre-GAs and Regional Meetings)
 7th EMR regional meeting, Dubai, United Arab Emirates: 27th to 31st May 2011
 IFMSA 60th General Assembly "March Meeting 2011": Jakarta, Indonesia: 2nd March to 10th March
2011
 Training new Trainers Pre-GA, Jakarta, Indonesia: 28th Febrauary to 1st March 2011
 IFMSA 59th General Assembly "August Meeting 2010": Montreal, Canada: 31st July to 6th August 2010
 Managing Change in Medical Education Pre-GA, Ottawa, Canada: 27th to 31st July 2010
 IFMSA 59th General Assembly "March Meeting 2010": Bangkok, Thailand 7th to 13th March 2010
 Media Pre-GA workshop, Bangkok, Thailand 3rd to 6th March 2010
 5th EMR regional meeting, Hurghada, Egypt: 3rd to 7th February 2009
Positions held within the IFMSA:
 Regional Assistant of the Vice President for External Affairs for the Eastern Mediterranean Region
2010/2011
 SCORP DA for Publications and new technologies 2009-2011
 Editor of the official SCORP newsletter (the SCORPion) since November 2008
Trainings and presentations:
 How to write a professional E-mail
 How to facilitate a meeting
 Fundraising and Grant application writing.
6

7. Candidature For Publications Director
 Negotiation: How to make it work
 Project Management
 Setting Goals
 Corporate Identity (Basic and Advanced)
Trainings attended
 "Publications … All about it" Training during IFMSA August Meeting 2010: 31st July to 6th August 2010
 "Advocacy and Lobbying" Training during IFMSA March Meeting 2010: 7th to 13th March 2010
 "Advocacy" Training: 15th February 2010
 "Conflict Management" Training: 13th February 2010
 "PR and Marketing" Training: 30th October 2009
 "Fund raising techniques" Training During the 5th EMR regional meeting, Hurghada, Egypt: 3rd to 7th
February 2009
 Peer education training about HIV/AIDS: 21st to 23rd December 2008
 "Project Management" Training: 13th October 2008
 Research training program for medical students in the National Research Center (NRC) in Cairo: 30th
July to 7th August 2008
 "Communication Skills" Training: 3rd and 4th February 2008
Meetings and Conferences Attended
 57th Session of the World Health Organizations' Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean:
3rd to 6th October 2010
 National Conference on Enhancing Medical Education related to HIV and AIDS 18th December 2008
 2nd international conference of the Arab Society for Medical Research: 11th to 13th November 2008
 1st international conference of the Arab Society for Medical Research: 7th to 9th November 2006
Publications
 "Health inequality inside a country, what is it? and why is it there?‎ ‎eRtlRi‎elllttR‎le‎leR‎MSI23:
"
March 2011
 "Why Does it Matter?" Review article published in the MSI 22: August 2010
 "What is integrative Medicine?" Review article published in the MSI 21: March 2010
 "Strategies for cancer bladder prevention" Review article published in the Journal of the Arab
Society for Medical Research: November 2008
7

8. Candidature For Publications Director
Experience:
 IFMSA related Activities:
 On Local level:
 Secretary General: September 2009 till present
 IT, Marketing and Public Relations officer January 2009 till September 2009
 On National level through IFMSA-Egypt:
 Head of the Task Force on Bylaws changes and reform January 2011 till June 2011
 Member of the Vice president for External Affairs team since October 2010 till present
 IFMSA-Egypt webmaster since August 2009 http://www.ifmsa-egypt.org
 Editor of "chronicles of IFMSA-Egypt" http://issuu.com/ifmsa-egypt/docs/ifmsa-egypt_chronicles : August
2009
 Development & continuous update of IFMSA-Egypt externals' materials ( B.cards, -shirts, logo..etc) since
January 2009
 Attended 22 national General Assemblies since April 2006
 Other activities:
 Trainer at Empowerment of Youth for Human Rights in Egypt program
 Press Volunteer in TEDxCairo
 Shared in the 2nd international conference of the Arab Society for Medical Research by presenting a paper
entitled “strategies for cancer bladder prevention”
 Designed the logo of Arab literature club in the AUC
Hobbies
 Basket ball  Reading
 poetry  Listening to music
Languages
 Arabic (Native)
 English (Excellent)
Computer Skills
 Efficient using:
 Microsoft office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Publisher)
 Adobe (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Lightroom, Dreamweaver)
 Web designing and development
 Social Media solutions (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin …. Etc) and Web 2.0 environment and applications.
References are available upon request
8