Student Activities
MSA (LAU Medical Students’ Association)
The Medical Students Association is an LAU student club that personifies the humanitarian spirit of the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine. The MSA organizes a variety of outreach, educational, and fundraising activities throughout the year. These events bring together the community of faculty, staff, and students from LAU’s medical school and medical centers, at the same time raising money to benefit the community at large.
All LAU medical students are eligible to join the MSA and take part in activities. The MSA is overseen by a board of eleven students, elected yearly by their classmates. In addition to a club president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary, the MSA Board includes the heads of several committees: the External Affairs, Social, USMLE, Awareness, MedNashra, DMD, and Media Committees. A faculty member from the School of Medicine serves as official club advisor and provides guidance for the organization.
Check out our activities and events on the MSA Facebook page or contact us.
Major events sponsored and organized by the MSA
- Annual Fundraising Christmas Concert: Both the musical performers and the audience at this lively event are drawn from the school of medicine student body, residents, faculty, staff, and family members. In recent years these well-attended concerts have raised funds to support a free clinic located at LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital, and a mobile clinic that travels to regions of Lebanon where there are limited resources for healthcare.
- Annual Fundraising Gala: This formal event brings together members of the school of medicine and hospital communities in a festive venue outside of campus, and gives the MSA an opportunity to showcase the past year’s achievements. Proceeds from the Gala dinner support the MSA’s charitable endeavors.
- National Health Day: This comprehensive health screening takes place simultaneously in several underserved areas of Lebanon. MSA officers and members carry out the planning, organizing, recruiting, publicizing, and procuring of resources for the event. A medical check-up and screening tests, along with information about health promotion and disease prevention, are offered free of charge to each participant. Students, residents, attending physicians, and local volunteers all contribute to this large-scale effort to benefit the community, with senior personnel providing supervision to ensure a high standard of care.
- Social Awareness Events: These activities, which generally take place on campus, serve to raise awareness about issues that may affect the physical or mental health of our community.
- Diagnostic Medicine Day: DMD is a fun and friendly competition, founded and organized by the LAU MSA. All medical schools in Lebanon are invited to contribute teams of students to join this annual event. Each team is tasked with solving the same medical case based on history, physical findings, and laboratory tests, in a limited period of time and within a limited virtual budget. The sole informational resource available to contestants is a specific textbook, and no technological assistance is allowed (no internet!).
- MedNashra: Medical interviews conducted by first- and second-year medical students are posted on our social media platforms, to provide the community with insights into common diseases and medical misconceptions in a format that is easy to understand.
- USMLE Preparation: Second-year medical students provide regular USMLE-based review sessions to students in the first and second medical years who are preparing for international exams.
LeMSIC (Lebanese Medical Students’ International Committee)
The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) is a student-run organization that represents, connects, and engages medical students around the globe. Founded in 1951, the IFSMA currently holds 139 National Member Organizations (NMO) from more than 130 countries and areas, with over one million students represented worldwide. IFMSA is recognized by the World Health Organization and the World Medical Association.
In 1964, the Lebanese Medical Students’ International Committee was founded and joined IFMSA as an active national member organization. LeMSIC is an independent, student-run, nonpolitical, non-governmental (registration number 1195), and not-for-profit organization that has worked toward embracing hundreds of medical students in its various fields of work. From empowering medical students, introducing them to global, reproductive, and sexual health to providing them with exchange opportunities.
LAU LeMSIC is an official student club at the university. It is also a unique resource that allows LAU medical students to collaborate on meaningful national projects and experience life abroad through professional or research exchange offered by IFMSA. Through LAU LeMSIC, participating members have the opportunity to expand their knowledge, broaden their perspectives, and develop long-lasting relationships with medical students from around the world.
Since many LeMSIC members were forced to cancel their SCOPE/SCORE exchange contracts due to the financial crisis in Lebanon (2019-present), we joined Med-Ex, an initiative by LeMSIC to open new national opportunities for medical students all over Lebanon. Our LAUMC- Saint-John hospital, is hosting local medical students for a one-month observership during the summer.
The LAU LeMSIC local committee is headed by a Local Director who coordinates the work of members and standing committees and collaborates with other local committees as well as the team of officials. At LAU, we have six standing committees: professional exchange (SCOPE), research exchange (SCORE), public health (SCOPH), sexual and reproductive health and rights including HIV and AIDS (SCORA), medical education (SCOME), and human rights and peace (SCORP). Each standing committee has a local officer and an assistant local officer elected annually to organize events within LAU and participate in national events organized by the national standing committee. The LAU LeMSIC team receives support from a designated faculty advisor at the LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine.
Check out our activities and events on the LeMSIC:
- Instagram page: @lemsic.lebanon
- Facebook page: @LeMSIC
- Linkedin page: Lebanese Medical Students’ International Committee (LeMSIC)
- Twitter: @LeMSICLebanon
- Website: lemsic.org
Or Contact us via email: ld.lau@lemsic.org
“Joining LeMSIC was full of opportunities and values. It is a good asset in which we learn, experience growth, and make connections. In LeMSIC, there is a huge privilege for us as medical students to fully serve our community. Bridging between medical school and outside life is a skill we learned, and here we are, ready to apply.”
Jana Moukahal
LeMSIC – LAU Local Director – 2022/2023
Assistant Local Director – 2021/2022
“Through LeMSIC, I spent four enriching weeks at a reputable hospital in France, shadowing physicians, interacting with professionals and patients, discovering the renowned healthcare system, and exploring innovative modalities of care. This also allowed me to connect with medical students from around the world, discover new cultures, and grow on a personal and professional level. Overall, the experience was life-changing!”
Jean-Paul Khairallah
LeMSIC National Public Health Officer – 2022/2023
Assistant Local Public Health Officer – 2021/2022