IPPNW World Congress Helsinki 2006

Poster Competition 2006

In Beijing, we held a small (but well-received) poster exhibition, which had students from all over the world create and display posters that artistically demonstrated the topics that were important to them. I liked the idea of having a similar event in the run up to next year's World Congress and had an idea for a possible theme. All over the world, medical students and doctors alike look up to certain individuals who pioneered the field of socially responsible medicine - doctors for peace.

We frequently cite Albert Schweitzer or Rudolf Virchow in German IPPNW, for exmaple and similar role models exist in every other country. I think that displaying short documentary poster boards from all over the world, giving visitors an idea about the wide spectrum of medical engagement in the past would really send a strong message. We could include historic figures like Schweitzer, but also current activists like Bernard Lown or Evgeny Chazov, who truly changed the world for the better (that's three doctors right there who all received the Nobel Peace Prize!) Afterwards, all of the presentations could be digitalized and put on the website as an international gallery of medical activism. What a great message to future generations of medical students...

Please send us your ideas to ippnw@web.de and don't hesitate to contact us with questions or comments.

We look forward to hearing from you...