As the IPPNW Medical Student Coordinator at the Central Office, I help to coordinate the day-to-day communication of the many international IPPNW medical student members. In joining the IPPNW student movement, many IPPNW Medical Students hope to get involved in student run projects within the federation. Students who join the IPPNW medical student movement are enthusiastic to organize and educate their peers around the elimination of nuclear weapons and the devastating public health consequences produced by war and conflict throughout the world. When students contact the Central Office asking how they can get involved in an IPPNW student run project focused on the elimination of nuclear weapons – the NWIP project is a great place for me to refer new students who want to become more active within the movement.

One of the great aspects of the NWIP project is its training and dialogue component. NWIP students not only get a comprehensive overview of disarmament issues (which is extremely helpful for those new to the field) but they also learn the delicate balance involved in participating in international peer dialogues about this very complicated issue. Once members learn the basics of nuclear disarmament and are proficient in the dialogue technique, students oftentimes participate in the life changing experience of joining one of IPPNW’s international delegations to one of the Nuclear Weapons States. These international delegations are comprised of both physicians and students who utilize their newly acquired skills in dialogue technique to meet with student peers or Decision makers themselves. NWIP is a great place for students who are new to IPPNW to get involved in an entirely student run project. The core value being that there is less of an intimidation factor about the daunting issue of Nuclear Weapons when you are dialoguing amongst peers. In my opinion, this is why the NWIP project is one of IPPNW’s Medical Student Movements’ most active student projects.