Hello, Marianne. For those who don't know you, could you please introduce yourself?

Hello, my name is Marianne KERMARC, and I am a^third-year medical student at the Montpellier campus. Prior to that, I completed a year of the PASS program, a first-year law degree (L1), and a second-year law degree (LAS2) at the Faculty of Law and Political Science in Montpellier.

I am the president of ADEMMOOS, the Association of Student Representatives for Montpellier-Nîmes in Medicine, Speech-Language Pathology, Orthoptics, Midwifery, and Psychomotor Therapy. I also represent medical students from Montpellier-Nîmes at the national level through the ANEMF (National Association of Medical Students of France). I was elected to the Academic Council for the 2024–2026 term and serve as the representative for the class of 2023–2028. Finally, I have been the Student Vice Dean of the Montpellier-Nîmes School of Medicine since October 2024.

 

What made you want to run for the position of Student Vice Dean?

Ever since my second year of medical school, I’ve wanted to get involved in student representation, as I was already very active in the law school advocating for student rights. As a result, I was elected class representative at the start of the academic year, with the responsibility of representing students at the local level. I wanted to take it a step further and represent students on a national level. With this in mind, I ran for the position of Vice President for National Representation of 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 Reform of Entry into Health Studies (REES)—with the support of the Montpellier Health Tutoring Association (ATSM), to the reform of the second cycle of medical studies (R2C), as well as issues such as the fight against sexual and gender-based violence (VSS) and, above all, student mental health.

This experience motivated me to help bridge the gap between the local and national levels by bringing together students from all programs across the faculty’s two campuses. It was with this in mind that I decided to run for the position of Student Vice Dean of the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine.

How will you balance your duties as Vice Dean with your responsibilities as a student and your other roles?

For me, the key word for this year will be organization. To be able to juggle my various roles, stay attentive to my students, and prepare my lessons, I’m very organized. The advantage is the synergy and overlap between my different roles, which complement each other and are therefore easier to balance.

I was able to anticipate this workload by observing Elie GHATTAS, Honorary Vice Dean of Student Affairs, whom I worked with during his term. I saw firsthand the workload he handled and the exemplary organization he demonstrated. I am also supported by a team of people, including my co-advisor for the class, Kinsy PONIN-GOBALOU, who helps me manage information related to the class, as well as my conference partner, the Vice President for National Representation at the ACM, Yanis LEMOUCHI.

I also make sure to set aside time for myself, with friends, for outings, and with family so I can step back and take a breather, because these are time-consuming jobs that require almost constant monitoring and hypervigilance.

What are your goals and priorities for this term?

My term as Student Vice Dean is divided into several key areas, with three main priorities: supporting the second cohort of students taking the National Exams since the Reform of^{the Second} Cycle of Medical Studies (R2C); organizing workspaces, club rooms, and student areas during the renovation of the Arnaud de Villeneuve campus; 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 associate deans, and Dean Isabelle Laffont. Through these discussions, I am able to represent the students by articulating our needs and expectations.

I also attend various faculty meetings (both academic and administrative) and numerous other gatherings to gain a comprehensive understanding of the faculty’s various challenges, represent the students’ perspectives, and conduct in-depth work on a range of issues.

As president of ADEMMOOS, I also oversee the various events organized by the association and its members. For example, we continued our flu vaccination clinic in partnership with the Bertrand Buisson Institute and the University Hospital, and this year we also offered Covid-19 vaccinations. As a result, nearly 120 students came to get vaccinated. We also have “Mars Sensi,” which is a month dedicated to raising awareness about specific topics chosen by the Vice President for Well-Being. And finally, in April, we will host the Forum des Futurs Internes (FFI), which is ADEMMOOS’s largest event and provides an opportunity to introduce the various medical specialties to external students.

We also have many other responsibilities, which are handled by elected officials, often behind the scenes. These are very important tasks, such as this year’s procurement of ID badges for students doing internships at the university hospital, or the work on the academic organization of the Department of Orthoptics and Midwifery.

 

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 time at university?

ADEMMOOS, the association of student representatives, addresses a wide range of issues, including mental health. It all began with a survey conducted by the office of Théo LACOSTE, Student Vice-Dean for 2020–2021, which sounded the alarm. This prompted us, along with all the faculty associations, to support students and offer them several initiatives designed to promote their well-being.

As mentioned earlier, the Well-Being Center organizes numerous events focused on student mental health. This year, they offered other student organizations a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training course.

The mental health of health sciences students is of the utmost importance, given the challenges of their studies, but it is also a difficult topic to broach because it is so personal. In addition to the initiatives organized by the faculty and various student organizations, I am here as a point of contact for students who need someone to talk to. I’m available if anyone feels the need to talk, and to refer them to professionals. It’s very important to me to remain available and accessible to all students in the department who might not know where to turn.

 

In conclusion, I would say that the position of Student Vice Dean is a huge responsibility, but also an incredible opportunity to work on a wide range of issues with various student organizations and faculty members, and to keep an eye on almost everything that happens within the faculty and its various programs. It also allows me to represent the students of the faculty wherever I go and at every event I attend. It is a position for which I am very grateful.