History

The Australian Medical Students’ Association Global Health Committee (AGH) is a committee of the Australian Medical Students’ Association, comprising of one representative from every Global Health Group across Australian medical schools. It aims to provide an integrated national forum in which medical students can effectively participate in global health issues.

Early Stages

At medical schools across Australia, students have long been engaged in global health. Prior to 2004 students had been engaged through elective programs, fundraising initiatives, advocacy campaigns and many more innovative activities. At many medical schools students had come together to form special interest groups.

By 2004 a national conversation had begun about ‘developing world medicine.’ Medical students wanted to explore how they could further enhance their understanding and involvement in the issues surrounding health in the developing world.

In July 2005 the inaugural Developing World Conference was conference was held, to transform this talk into action. The conference was co-convened by the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales under the guiding theme of ‘Taking the First Step.’ It received overwhelming student support, with 700 expressions of interest far exceeding the aim for 200 delegates. The conference further fuelled the growing awareness of health equity, and laid the foundation for the next step.

Strength in Unity

The student groups throughout Australia decided to combine their resources in pursuit of health for all and together formed the AMSA Developing World Group.

Laying the Foundations

Since this first meeting, the AMSA Developing World Group has been renamed several times, first to the the AMSA International Health Network and in 2007, to the AMSA Global Health Network (GHN), prior to accepting its present name of the AMSA Global Health Committee. The Developing World Conference has similarly been renamed to the Global Health Conference (GHC), and student groups are now called Global Health Groups (GHGs). The term ‘global health’ seeks to highlight the health-related issues that transcend national boundaries to shape health in both the developing and developed world, including social, environmental, economic, political and cultural forces.

Looking to the Future

At the July 2011 AGH Council, the AGH took its next steps towards becoming a key body in the fight for global health equality among Australian medical students.  The AGH adopted its present name to reflect constitutional and structural changes as well as its close bond with its parent, AMSA and AMSA Global.  

The structure of the AGH is as follows:

• Representative Committee, composed of elected representatives from each GHG
• Executive Committee, consisting of individuals elected by the Representative Committee who oversee the day to day running of the AGH.
• The Executive Committee is comprised of the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Publicity Officer, Policy Officer, Campaigns Officer, Projects Officer and Partnership Officer

The AGH’s key activities include: supporting GHGs (GHGs); publication of Vector, the GHN magazine; national advocacy on global health issues; and coordination of National Projects.

You can find out much more about the AGH and how you can become involved in global health on this website.

          ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’- Mahatma Ghandi