Kevin Alvaro Handoko is the 2021-2022 IFMSA SCORE Director and spoke about “Fostering a Culture of Open Education: A Medical Student-Led Strategy” at Open Ed 2021. The International Federation of Medical Students’ Association (IFMSA) has over 100 members and works on policy documents. One policy document that was adopted in 2020 was the Open Science Policy Document. Open Science and access are priorities for IFMSA. The group has supported efforts such as Open Access Week with campaigns, webinars, and infographics. They not only promote understanding but also have themed webinars. Handoko spoke about having members create materials to inform and advocate for open access. Handoko also explained that IFMSA creates Open Educational Resources and Educational Activities such as the IFMSA Training Manuals. One OER IFMSA has shared is on “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Exchanges.” The IFMSA has an OER Research Resource Database that is used by members. The group has worked on programming to educate medical students on Open Science through regional meetings and general assemblies. The IFMSA is also one of the student-driven groups that engage in conferences on open science and the open movement. One activity the IFMSA is doing is the development of an Open Science Educational Activity Toolkit that I am interested in! Handoko shared data on how national and international medical associations are launching and sustaining efforts to inform about Open Science and engage stakeholders. Handoko ended by mentioning how medical education is integrating open science education as part of the curriculum. This session was the second one, I believe, I watch about the IFMSA. I am curious about the toolkits they have developed and their awareness campaigns. It may be that their resources could be helpful to us as there are some similarities with medical education.
