SSRFC Operating Committee Elections

SSRFC Operating Committee

The Operating Committee represents the active student leadership of the Society of Student-Run Free Clinics. The committee executes the day-to-day operations of the organization and plays a major role in setting the tone and direction of the organization. The positions below are available for ambitious students from any health profession who want to make a difference for student-run free clinics nation-wide.

All positions require nomination and self-nomination is encouraged. The nominating period for the 2024-2025 Operating Committee will run from June 17th, 2024 to October 19, 2024. Nomination prior to arriving at the meeting is strongly encouraged as there will be very limited time at the conference to promote your candidacy. With your nomination, you will submit a photo in electronic form along with your vision and past experience with similar roles. The profiles will also be made available directly to voting representatives of each clinic at the conference. Individuals may only be nominated for a single position and are ineligible for any position he or she has held for 2 years.

The election will occur following the Election Meeting on Saturday, October 19, 2024. At the Election Meeting, candidates will each be provided a short time (~1-2 minutes) to speak about their background and their vision for the position. While attendance by candidates is not required, it is strongly encouraged. Voting will be done by 2 voting representatives from each Active Member Academic Institution. Voting Representatives are allowed to be nominees, but are not required to be. Please refer to the election rules for more specific details on elections, voting representatives, and operating committee positions. 

Click here to fill out the 2024 Operation Committee Nomination Form!

National President (1 person)

Duties: As National President, you are “the face of the SSRFC.”  Duties include setting the strategic direction of the organization as part of the Board of Directors, overseeing the Operating Committee, answering or redirecting all emails to the SSRFC email account, being available for news interviews, and developing partnerships or fiscal relationships for the organization. This is a two-year position with the first year spent as “National President-Elect” to train under the current National President. The following year you would serve as the National President.

Requirements:  

  1. Previous conference attendance preferred
  2. Ability to attend the National Conference for the two years following the election
  3. Hours required: 2-3 hr/wk during light months (Oct-Feb), 4-10 hr/wk during busy months (Mar-Sep)

Conference Coordinator (1 person)

Duties: As Conference Coordinator, you are in charge of planning and organizing the SSRFC conference. If you like creating events that positively affect hundreds of students simultaneously, this position is for you. We are in need of visionaries with a strong work ethic to establish SSRFC as a premiere independent student-run conference nationally. This is a two-year position with the first year spent as “Conference Coordinator-elect” to train under the current Conference Coordinator. The following year, you would serve as Conference Coordinator.

Requirements:

  1. Previous conference attendance preferred
  2. Ability to attend the National Conference for the two years following election
  3. Hours required: 1 hr/wk during light months (Oct-Feb), 6-10 hr/wk during busy months (Mar-Sep)

Finance Chair (1 person)

Duties: As Finance Chair, you secure future funding and track current finances of the SSRFC. You will consult with others on the Operating Committee to prioritize spending and plan for future financial needs. You will also help set funding priorities and lead grant and fundraising efforts. This is a two-year position with the first year spent as “Finance Chair-elect” to train under the current Finance Chair. The following year you would serve as Finance Chair. This position does not require prior finance experience, but strong communication skills and a willingness to learn are important.

Requirements:

  1. Ability to attend the National Conference for the two years following election
  2. Hours required: 5 hr/month

Research/Publications Chairs (Up to 2 people)

Duties: As Research/publications chairs, you are charged with national research initiatives for student-run clinics. Historically, this has included multi-institutional research projects and a database of projects. This position often works closely with the Conference Coordinator and the Journal of Student-run Clinics editors to promote research-related initiatives.

Requirements:

  1. Ability to attend the following year’s National Conference
  2. Hours required: 5-10 hr/month

Communications Chair (1 person)

Duties:  As Communications Chair, you are the creative director of communication for the SSRFC.  In this role, you will not only direct the content, look and feel of SSRFC communications, but will work to build a stronger community among student-run free clinics. As communications chair, you will work with the National Coordinator to develop news briefs and answer media requests. In the coming year, you will likely focus on promoting new initiatives including the Journal of Student-Run Clinics, the new conference format and maintenance of a new national database of student-run clinics.

Requirements:

  1. Ability to attend the following year’s National Conference
  2. Hours required: 3-8 hr/month

Technology/Webmaster Chairs (Up to 2 people)

Duties: As Technology/webmaster chairs, you will maintain the SSRFC website and are in charge of improving and maintaining the SSRFC listserv and working on the new student-run clinic database. The website is an important public face of the organization and functions not only to communicate vital information, but to project the value of the organization. You will support the rest of the operating committee with their technology needs. In the coming year, you will likely focus on integrating new tools, such as the forum, student-run clinic database and conference registration, into the existing SSRFC website.  IT experience is helpful and encouraged but not required as long as you have a willingness to learn.

Requirements:

  1. Ability to attend the following year’s National Conference
  2. Hours required: 4-8 hr/month

2024-2025 Operating Committee Nominations:

Sohawm Sengupta

Research & Publications Chair Nominee

What is your vision for the position?

In this role, I aim to foster multi-institutional and interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance the quality and impact of research regarding student-run clinics with a focus on addressing healthcare disparities and inequities nationwide. I hope to facilitate spotlighting incredible interventions that positively impact health outcomes in communities while nurturing the research skills of future physicians with a passion for spearheading these achievements. I plan to develop new partnerships with medical schools and free clinics across the country to create a more robust network of student-run clinics to increase partnerships between programs, creating more impactful projects that address pressing healthcare challenges faced by the underserved.

 

I hope to support student-run clinics in becoming the leaders in producing community-based research by partnering SSRFC members with mentors and organizing platforms for sharing research ideas, protocols, and guidance on research projects. I envision creating a central research hub for students that emphasizes collaboration and goal-directed progression toward conducting impactful research that can be replicated in communities across the country. By cultivating a welcoming environment for students to learn and grow as both researchers and clinic leaders, I plan to create a space where students can produce quality research that can spark meaningful change that improves health outcomes.

What prior experience do you have?

I previously served as an intern with a national non-profit, United Against Inequities in Disease, overseeing and editing submissions for the Journal of Health Equity. I learned how to effectively support individuals looking to disseminate their research by streamlining submission processes and providing clear guidelines that worked to improve the quality and organization of submissions. This opportunity sparked my interest in facilitating organized research as I currently serve as a Vice President for the Research Know-How for Medical Students Interest Group at my medical school. This role has taught me how to make research more accessible to students who may feel intimidated by the process. With an emphasis on supporting students who may find it difficult to begin conducting research, this experience has provided me with the tools that would make me successful in expanding the outreach of SSRFC-related research projects even further.

As a coordinator for a student-run free clinic, I have gotten an opportunity to better understand the impact that can be made on individuals in the community through providing patient-tailored care. Beyond just seeing patients and treating them, there are numerous ways in which we can support them through intentional preventative care and focused post-visit follow-up. I have been able to work with patients directly to better understand ways to support them, which has furthered my desire to generate better supportive care through research-driven interventions. With this combination of prior experiences, I can help create a strong research network to promote national research initiatives for student-run clinics.