Jesus Medina, an IAU Medical student and founder of IFMSA Saint Lucia, leads strategic planning for international representation and medical research collaboration.

Jesus E. Medina, a second-year medical student from the International American University (IAU) College of Medicine has been improving the culture of health in Saint Lucia. Mr. Medina currently holds the position of Medical Researcher for the Arnold P. Gold Foundation which is dedicated to Keeping Healthcare Human. Mr. Medina was born in Lima, Peru and raised in Miami, Florida. He completed a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences and a Masters of Public Health (MPH) at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. He worked as a Scientist for Miami-Dade County before applying to the International American University College of Medicine to pursue a doctoral degree in medicine (M.D.) with a Distinction in Research and a concurrent Doctorate of Public Health (DrPH).

Mr. Medina was elected to the American Public Health Association’s Student Assembly in Washington D.C., where he learned the value of leadership and diversity healthcare. Mr. Medina was invited to the Commissioning and Change of Command for the 19th Surgeon General of the United States Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy in Fort Myer, Virginia, for his exceptional work promoting public health and preventive medicine. Mr. Medina chose IAU College of Medicine after a conversation with his mentors to continue his goals of learning medicine in an institution that bring together bright medical students from all around the world. He believes that an innovative global physician should learn how other cultures around the world perceive medicine to take action on global diseases and prevent disease outbreaks.

It was no surprise to find challenges in learning medicine in the Caribbean, but Mr. Medina believes challenges can become life changing opportunities with the right attitude and vision. Mr. Medina has been working with the International Federation of Medical Students Association’s (IFMSA) Regional Director for the Americas to push local boundaries and connect medical students from the four main medical schools in Saint Lucia with other medical students around the globe. Through IFMSA, medical students become advocates promoting health and educating communities including the larger public. Mr. Medina is expecting to receive approval of candidature at the IFMSA General Assembly Meeting that will be held this March in Montenegro.

The medical curriculum at IAU College of Medicine is intensive, but hard work always pays off. The IAU Executive Dean & Chief Academic Officer Dr. Patrick J. Gannon recently recognized that Mr. Medina has high levels of intellectual curiosity, critical thinking skills, is innovative, self-motivated and shows great promise for future leadership in medicine. Mr. Medina is leaving Saint Lucia in a few months to continue his studies in the United States, but he is leaving a legacy for the next generation of medical students to enjoy opportunities that were unavailable to him. IFMSA Saint Lucia is planning to develop the knowledge, attitude and character of all medical students in Saint Lucia on a personal, social and academic level, but at the end all depends on the ability and willingness of each medical student to be the physician leader of tomorrow.

We are proud of Jesus’s accomplishments and hard work. We wish him continued success in his educational and medical endeavors.