Passion –> Ideas –> Projects

This Regional Meeting was special for me because I had the chance to be the SCOPH supports person. I helped Juan Sebastian, the Regional Assistant, in the planning of the public health sessions, and had the pleasure to deliver 4 sessions: the introduction to SCOPH, non-communicable diseases, communication & external representation and children’s health. While talking about NCDs and the health of “little humans”, we had great discussions about the social determinants of health or, as I like to call them, the risk factors of the risk factors, and agreed that it is important to tackle them as future health professionals. During this week, I learned a lot. I learned on how to construct a session, how to catch people’s attention and interest and how to keep really tired people awake! I also learned during Juan Sebastian’s, Bruna’s, Lemniz’ and Reba’s sessions, during the conferences on mental health and during PAHO’s presentation on the impact of ethnicity on health. Finally, I learned from all the passionate participants that I met in Asuncion. I come back with 1001 ideas in mind, like a “Quexico” project on mental health, the desire to organize a PHLT (public health leadership training) in Quebec and to start a NCDs prevention project in Montreal. I can’t wait for what’s next.