IFMSA Liaison Ofcer for Public Health Issues 2013-2014

Altagracia Mares de Len, MD

Candidature for
Altagracia Mares de Len, MD
Motivation Letter
July 1st, 2013
Dear IFMSA members,
My name is Altagracia Mares and I am your current Global Health Equity Initiative (GHEI)
Coordinator. It is with immense pleasure that I present to you my candidature for Laison
Ofcer for Public Health Issues for the term 2013-2014.
I recently nished medical school at the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Len in Monterrey,
Mexico and I am currently doing my social service year in the Department of Public Health
and Epidemiology of the University Hospital Dr. Jos Eleuterio Gonzalez. For the past years,
public health has been close to my heart and part of my daily learning and work, pro-
gresively as a medical student, local public health ofcer, hospital intern and now as SCOPH
Regional Assistant, Development Assistant for the Americas region and GHEI coordinator.
Being part of IFMSA has allowed me to realize the possibilities for change we can create
through capacity building, leadership and collaboration with governmental and non-
governmental public health organizations. This has strengthened my commitment to con-
tinue tackling challenges in global health and above all has motivated my efforts to take one
step further and commit myself to work for the federation as Liaison Ofcer for Public Health
Issues.
The privilege and responsability IFMSA has when working with public health organizations
expands the commitment of not only networking medical students to be meaningfully
involved in all aspects of public health, from health promotion to global health governance,
but also to connect them with external public health organizations for capacity building
purposes and the interchange of best practices.
IFMSA brings together present and future young health leaders from many different back-
grounds to collectively assure the conditions in which people can be healthy. Working along-
side world-changers determined to make the future healthier has inspired me and made me
reafrm that there is a signicant untapped public health potential in our federation and that
medical students can play a vital role.
You are assured that the same passion, commitment, energy and vision that I have given to
the IFMSA Global Health Equity Initiative, SCOPH, the PAMSA region and other working
groups, will also be devoted to serve you and the Federation to strengthen our current public
health partnerships and reach out for more collaborations and benets for IFMSA and its
members.
I would feel highly honored to be entrusted by you to be elected as Liaison Ofcer for Public
Health Issues. I look forward to addressing any queries on my application.
Sincerely,
Altagracia Mares
Altagracia Mares de Len, MD
Plan of Action
Public Health is YOUR health, it is OUR health. It is a collective action that involves a variety
of community organizations, agencies, groups, and individuals in order to create the condi-
tions in which people can be healthy.
My set of proposals to achieve that collective action between the Federation and its mem-
bers with other Public Health organizations is based in three building blocks that will provide
efciency, effectiveness and sustainability as well as lay a foundation for inclusive and solid
external representation.
#1 Assessment of current IFMSA Public Health Partnerships and establishment of guidelines
for future partnerships
Pe-evaluaIe Ihe currehI public healIh eIerhal parIherships as parI oI Ihe ohgoihg
reform process of IFMSA.
Do a IederaIioh-wide survey Io see whaI do NPO's, LPO's ahd oIher members IhaI
work with public health matters actually want and need from external partners. The
result of this survey will direct the further steps to reach out for more benets from
current partners and/or to establish new collaborations with other partners.
TogeIher wiIh Ihe SCOPH-D, Ihe SCOPH dream Ieam, FMSA VPE ahd oIher LOs,
develop guidelines for the establishment of new public health partnerships, based on
Ihe FMSA sIraIegic prioriIies, Ihe SCOPH sIraIegic plah ahd Ihe heeds oI SCOPHiahs,
with a special emphasis on capacity building for our Federation.
Assesment of
IFNSA Public
Bealth
paitneiships
Restiuctuiing
Impioveu IFNSA
exteinal
iepiesentation
Altagracia Mares de Len, MD
Plan of Action
#2 Re-structuring
Develop IogeIher wiIh Ihe SCOPH dream Ieam ahd SCOPHiahs a sIraIegic plah Ior
Ihe commiIIee highlighIihg esIablished FMSA prioriIies.
DecehIralizaIioh oI public healIh parIherships. Accordihg Io Ihe resulIs obIaihed
Ihrough Ihe survey mehIiohed ih block #1, iI hecessary reach ouI Ior more public
healIh parIhers ih oIher FMSA regiohs.
Work closely wiIh SCOPH Pegiohal AssisIahIs Io coordihaIe ihviIaIiohs oI Public
HealIh eIerhal parIhers Io regiohal meeIihgs.
Provide supporI Io NMOs IhaI desire Io collaboraIe wiIh Iheir haIiohal Public HealIh
AssociaIiohs.
TogeIher wiIh Ihe LO Io WHO supporI FMSA regiohs ahd NMOs Io esIablish lihkages
wiIh WHO regiohal oIIces ahd Io sIreamlihe Iheir haIiohal/regiohal world healIh day
campaighs wiIh WHO ahd oIher PH parIhers' programs.
TogeIher wiIh Ihe VPE ahd oIher LOs, develop ah orgahizaIioh Iorm Io provide a
quick overview oI all Ihe relaIiohs maihIaihed wiIh Ihe orgahizaIioh ahd a hisIorical
brieI oh whaI has happehed wiIh each ohe oI Ihe currehI parIherships. This documehI
could be shared wheh makihg calls Ior delegaIes Io meeIihgs ih order Ior Ihem Io
have a beIIer uhdersIahdihg oI IhaI speciIc parIhership sIaIus, as recommehded by
Ihe Task Force oh EIerhal PepresehIaIioh.
#3 Improved IFMSA visibility and external representation
hcrease Ihe presehce oI NMOs aI ihIerhaIiohal public healIh meeIihgs happehihg ih
Iheir regiohs ahd couhIries. This will IaciliIaIe Iollow-up acIiviIies ahd promoIe
susIaihabiliIy oI Ihe work dohe by FMSA delegaIiohs beIore ahd aIIer Ihe meeIihgs.
TogeIher wiIh FMSA TSDD ahd FMSA VPE, collaboraIe ih orgahizihg Traihihgs oh
EIerhal PepresehIaIioh Io Iorm Ihe maIerial/khowledge heeded Ior capaciIy buildihg.
Make use oI Ihe Mahual oh EIerhal PepresehIaIioh creaIed by Ihe Iask Iorce oh
eIerhal represehIaIioh, disIribuIihg iI Io all ihdividual members IhaI represehI Ihe
FMSA oh ah ihIerhaIiohal level. The purpose is Io ehsure IhaI all perIihehI
ihIormaIioh IhaI would ehhahce ahd sIreamlihe EIerhal represehIaIioh is packaged
IogeIher ih ah easy Io access IormaI.

Peach ouI Ior FMSA memberships Io Public HealIh |ourhals ahd promoIe Ihe
publicaIioh oI Ihe work (advocacy, campaighs, policy ahd opihioh) oI NPOs ahd
SCOPHiahs.
Altagracia Mares de Len, MD
Curriculum Vitae
Personal Details
Birth date: March 22nd, 1988
Nationality: Mexican
E-mail: alta.mares@me.com
Tel: +52 18115719651
Languages:
- Spanish: Native speaker
- English: Full professional competency
- French: Basic skills
Academic experience
Medicine
2013-2014 Social service in the Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University Hospital
Dr. Jos Eleuterio Gonzalez
Epidemiological suveillance of the University Hospital, tertiary hospital. Daily and weekly reports
of relevant infectuos diseases (TB, HIV/AIDS, dengue, inuenza AH1N1, Hepatitis C, etc).
Epidemiology course design and 130 hours as teacher in the form of lectures and small working
group facilitation.
2006-2013 Medical Doctor, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
2007- 2010 Anatomy instructor, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
290 hours as teacher of anatomy in the form of lectures, writing exam questions and grading
exams.
08/2011 Global Health Challenges Course, Copenhagen School Of Global Health

Research
2013-current
Topic of interest: Health workforce education for health equity. Integration of medical students
and young physicians to the universal health care system Seguro Popular.
International Federation of Medical Students Associations
2012-current Coordinator, IFMSA Global Health Equity Initiative
2012-current Development Assistant for National Member Organizations of the panamerican region
2012-current SCOPH Regional Assistant for the panamerican region
2011-2012 Regional Coordinator for the Small Working Group on Health Inequities
2011-2012 Assistant director of the National Public Health Ofcer of IFMSA Mexico
2010-2011 Local Public Health Ofcer (coordinator of 15 local projects)
2012 Translation ENGLISH-SPANISH World Federation of Public Health Associations webpage

Policy Work
10/2011 Co-editor of declaration Medical students perspective on the Rio Declaration,
World Conference on Social Determinants of Health
09/2012 Co-editor of the IFMSA intervention on Non-communicable diseases, WHO PAHO Meeting
03/2013 Co-editor of the Major Groups intervention on Sustainable development goals, United Nations
1st Open Working Group Meeting
07/2013 Co-editor of the IFMSA Policy Statement on Human Resources for Health (proposal)

Altagracia Mares de Len, MD
Curriculum Vitae
National and International Meetings attended
2007 XXIV National Congress of Biomedical research, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
2009 XXV National Congress of Biomedical research, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
2011 XXVI National Congress of Biomedical research, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
10/2011 World Conference on Social Determinants of Health (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
09/2012 28th Pan American Health Organization Conference (Washington,USA)
09/2012 Wellness Week Policy Forum, World Bank (Washington,USA)
09/2012 UN Civil Society Dialogue on Post-2015 Development process. (New York, USA)
10/2012 XCIII Mexican Association of Medical Education Meeting Medical education Evaluation.
(Monterrey, Mexico)
10/2012 American Medical Students Association, Empowering Future Health Leaders (Texas, USA)
03/2013 1st Open Working Group Meeting on Sustainable Developmnet Goals (New York,USA)
IFMSA National and International Meetings Attended
2010-2012 5 IFMSA Mexico National Assemblies
2011-2013 4 IFMSA General Assemblies
2012 IFMSA Asia Pacic Regional Meeting
2013 IFMSA Americas Regional Meeting

Speaking and Training Engagements
- Co-ordinator and trainer Public Health Committee sessions, 3 IFMSA National Assembly 2011-2012
- Support person and trainer Public Health Committee sessions, IFMSA General Assembly 2012 Accra, Ghana
- PreGA Workshop Co-Coordinator Universal Health Care, IFMSA General Assembly 2012 Mumbai, India
- AMSA-Philippines-MSSR Global Health Series: Speaker Health System and Medical Education in Mexico
University of the Philippines August 29- 2012
- PreAPRM Training New Trainers Co-coordinator, IFMSA Asia Pacic Regional Meeting 2012 Malaysia
- Speaker Youth perspective of the Latin American Health Systems Forum: Global Health, Why should we
matter?, National University of Malaysia, 2012
- Trainer, IFMSA Asia Pacic Regional Meeting Public Health and Medical Education Sessions, Health in the
Asia-Pacic
- PreRM Coordinator Global Health Equity and Health Systems, IFMSA PAMSA RM 2013, El Salvador
- Co-ordinator Public Health sessions, IFMSA Americas region El Salvador, 2013
- PreGA Workshop Co-coordinator Closing the GAP in our generation Reducing health inequities through
actions on social determinants of health, IFMSA General Assembly USA 2013
- Support Person and trainer Public Health sessions, IFMSA General Assembly USA 2013
- Panelist Health and the Post-2015 agenda, IFMSA General Assembly USA 2013
- Speaker El Mxico que queremos, un Mxico saludable, S Lder Annual Conference, Mexico 2013
- OC member IFMSA Pre-WHA workshop Negotiating for better global health, Geneve 2013
Upcoming
- PreGA Workshop Co-coordinator A new generation of global health workers and health beyond 2015, IFMSA
General Assembly 2013 Chile
- International Peer Education Training Co-coordinator, IFMSA Mexico National Assembly, September 2013
- Workshop Coordinator Integrating Global Health: Education, research, infrastructure and social justice, XXVII
National Congress of Biomedical Research, Mexico, October 2013
- Co-coordinator Side Event (proposal), Third Forum on Human Resources for Health, Global Health Workforce
Alliance, November 2013, Brazil.
- Co-coordinator Side Event (proposal), Prince Mahidol Conference, January 2014, Thailand.



Curriculum Vitae
Altagracia Mares de Len, MD
Publications
Students' perspective on rooting out causes of health injustice
Ramon Lorenzo Luis Guinto,Daniel Yore,Nilofer Khan Habibullah, Altagracia Mares de Leon, Taavi Tillman, Alex
Elliott-Green, Unni Gopinathan, The Lancet - 20 October 2011 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61628-0

Mexican Health Prole
Altagracia Mares de Len
SCOPH Newsletter - May 2012
La Salud que Unica
Altagracia Mares de Len
Libreva Magazine - January 2013

Curriculum Vitae