Hello Marianne, for those who don't know you, could you introduce yourself?

Hello, my name is Marianne KERMARC, and I am a^third-year medical student at the Montpellier campus. Before that, I completed a year of PASS, a first year of undergraduate studies, and a second year of undergraduate studies in law at the Faculty of Law and Political Science in Montpellier.

I am president of ADEMMOOS, the Association of Student Representatives for Montpellier-Nîmes in Medicine, Speech Therapy, Orthoptics, Midwifery, and Psychomotricity. I am also responsible for representing Montpellier-Nîmes medical students nationally at the ANEMF (National Association of Medical Students in France). I have been elected to the educational council for the 2024-2026 term, as well as being the representative for the 2023-2028 cohort. Finally, I have been Vice-Dean of Students at the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine since October 2024.

 

What made you want to take on the role of Vice Dean of Students?

Since my second year of medical school, I wanted to get involved in student representation, as I was already very involved in student rights at law school. As a result, I was elected representative of my class at the start of the academic year, with the responsibility of representing students locally. I wanted to go further and represent students at the national level. With this in mind, I applied for the position of Vice President in charge of national representation for Montpellier within ADEMMOOS.

In this role, I had the opportunity to actively participate in ANEMF conferences, where I represented students' interests on a wide range of topics, from the Health Studies Entrance Reform (REES) with the help of the Montpellier Health Tutoring Association (ATSM) to the reform of postgraduate medical studies (R2C), as well as issues such as the fight against sexual and sexist violence (VSS) and, above all, student mental health.

This experience motivated me to facilitate connections between the local and national levels by bringing together students from all departments of the faculty, at both sites. It was with this in mind that I decided to run for the position of Vice Dean of Students at the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine.

How will you balance your duties as Vice Dean with your obligations as a student and your other positions?

For me, the key word for this year will be organization. In order to juggle my various roles, remain attentive to students, and revise my lessons, I am very organized. The advantage is the synergy and overlap between my different roles, which are complementary and therefore easier to balance.

I was able to anticipate this workload by observing Elie GHATTAS, Honorary Vice Dean of Students, whom I followed during his term of office. I saw the workload and the exemplary organization he demonstrated. I am also surrounded by people, notably my co-promotion representative, Kinsy PONIN-GOBALOU, who helps me manage information about the promotion, and my conference partner, the Vice President in charge of national representation at the ACM, Yanis LEMOUCHI.

I also set aside time for myself, with my friends, going out, and spending time with my family, so that I can take a step back and relax, because these are time-consuming jobs that require almost constant monitoring and hypervigilance.

What are your goals and priorities for this term?

My role as Vice Dean of Student Affairs is divided into several main areas, with three primary missions: monitoring the second cohort of students taking the National Exams since the Reform of^{the Second} Cycle of Medical Studies (R2C). Organizing workspaces, association premises, and the space dedicated to students during the renovation of the Arnaud de Villeneuve site. And finally, combating gender-based and sexual violence (VSS), as well as promoting student mental health.

These tasks are carried out in close collaboration with the faculty administration, the various Vice Deans of the faculty, and Dean Isabelle Laffont. Thanks to these exchanges, I am able to represent the students by explaining our needs and expectations.

I also attend various faculty meetings (educational or administrative) and numerous other meetings to gain an overview of the various issues facing the faculty, represent the students, and carry out in-depth work on a number of topics.

As president of ADEMMOOS, I am also responsible for the various events organized by the association and its members. For example, we continued the flu vaccination stand with the Bertrand Buisson Institute and the University Hospital, with the option this year to get vaccinated against COVID-19. As a result, we had almost 120 students come to get vaccinated. We also have "Mars Sensi," which is a month of awareness-raising on certain topics chosen by the Vice President in charge of Well-Being. And finally, in April, we will have the Forum des Futurs Internes (FFI), which is ADEMMOOS's biggest event, and which allows us to present the various specialties to external students.

We also have many other tasks, which are handled by elected officials, often behind the scenes. These are very important tasks, such as this year's acquisition of badges for students on internships at the university hospital, or work on the educational organization of the orthoptics and midwifery department.

 

Can you explain how you plan to promote student mental health within our faculty, as well as the specific measures you intend to implement as an association to support students facing challenges related to their psychological well-being during their university studies?

ADEMMOOS, the association of elected representatives, deals with a wide range of issues, including mental health. It all started with a survey conducted by Théo Lacoste, Vice Dean of Students for 2020-2021, who sounded the alarm. This prompted us and all the faculty associations to support students and offer them several projects that could improve their well-being.

As mentioned above, the Well-Being department organizes numerous events promoting student mental health. This year, they offered other associations the opportunity to take a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training course.

The mental health of health students is paramount in studies that are complicated, but it is also a difficult subject to broach because it is very personal. Beyond the projects set up by the faculty and various associations, I remain a point of reference for students who need someone to talk to. I am available if anyone feels the need to talk, and to refer them to professionals. It is very important to me to remain available and accessible to all students in the faculty who do not know where to turn.

 

To conclude, I would say that the position of Vice Dean of Students is a huge responsibility, but also an incredible opportunity to work on a wide range of issues with different associations and stakeholders within the faculty, and to keep an eye on almost everything that happens in the faculty and its various departments. It also allows me to represent the faculty's students wherever I go and at every event I attend. It is a position for which I am very grateful.