Interview with Student Vice Dean Juan PUJOL

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

The role of Vice Dean is, first and foremost, an additional commitment that complements my role as President of ADEMMOOS. Indeed, as president of our faculty’s sole student representative association, I occupy—thanks to my fellow executive board members and elected representatives—a central position at the intersection of all graduating classes and all medical and paramedical programs within the faculty. So first and foremost, there is this personal desire of mine to build on the work of my colleagues by fostering better communication among the various stakeholders in what I call “the student representation chain.” I often say, as I did this year to the classes I visited during their back-to-school lectures: “It all starts with you!”; “Each and every one of you is an active participant in your own education.” or “Our university cannot function without you, just as you cannot grow without it.” I therefore felt this need to ensure continuity, whether in the present with the work I have outlined to you, or as an extension of the past to ensure stability—a fundamental characteristic of an institution. It was this institutional aspect of the Vice Dean’s role that immediately “resonated” with me. 

Around the same time, I felt a desire to innovate—in a reasonable way—and to contribute my part to the 806-year history of the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine. In fact, I am the first student Vice-Dean from the Midwifery program in our faculty’s history. A first for Montpellier, if not on a larger scale. This brings me to my second source of motivation: interprofessionality.

Many students and professionals view the wide range and diversity of disciplines as an administrative or practical burden. I only partially agree with this view, because for me, the benefits of interdisciplinarity far outweigh any other challenges. In other words, and generally speaking, I want to turn constraints into opportunities to provide students with a faculty and educational offerings that reflect their needs, in response to the challenges they face and will face. 

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

Just a few seconds ago, we were talking about constraints. Mine aren’t related to my job, but simply to the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day! 

More seriously, I firmly believe that the key to personal success lies in part with others; in other words, together we will achieve great and meaningful things during this 2025–2026 term through strong teamwork and coordination. Personal organization is obviously fundamental, but I also think about others, their capabilities, and their commitments. It will therefore be a matter of distributing the workload among the various elements of the student representation chain I mentioned to you. This brings us back to the idea of the richness that comes from the collective, allowing for better representation of the actions carried out at the UFR level. 

This question is all the more relevant given that I am a midwifery student. In addition to coursework, there are clinical rotations, which are particularly numerous in the third year. My approach, therefore, is to set priorities: my academic success on the one hand, my institutional responsibilities as Vice Dean and President on the other, and my role as a young student. I will not prioritize one of these three goals but will balance them all, as I know full well that they are interconnected. As I often tell my friends who ask me this question—and whom I thank immensely for their concern and their “serene worry” regarding the life that is becoming mine this year: “The simple fact of living my life is already a source of considerable fulfillment, growing year by year. So there’s no question of me worrying; instead, I’ll keep my head held high and move forward.” Finally, yes, my family and friends are the source of much of my daily happiness. I consider myself deeply privileged to be part of this environment, which I find more than conducive to student engagement, personal development, and fulfillment.

What are your goals and priorities for this term?

The 2025–2026 academic year is a pivotal one in several respects. First, from an educational standpoint, clinical rotations will be one of my top priorities, whether they take place at Montpellier University Hospital or at various external clinical sites. Student well-being and the quality of clinical training received are top priorities, as medicine is best learned at the patient’s bedside. The R2C is also a matter of concern, both in terms of the local implementation of the reform and the logistical aspects of administering the exams. On both of these points, substantial work will be required, alongside local adaptation to regulatory requirements. 

At our Montpellier campus, we have been experiencing a building crisis for several years. Remedial measures are currently being developed and will eventually improve building accessibility for students, both at the Arnaud de Villeneuve Health Campus and in the Historic Building. 

At the Nîmes branch, I aim to maintain this spirit of collaboration across campuses and promote equality among them to ensure the highest quality education throughout the entire faculty. With the help of various community and institutional partners, I will establish a more attentive dialogue with the Nîmes community and, to the extent possible, address the needs of this branch. 

For the entire department, I have three key objectives. The first is student well-being and the fight against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Well-being is a prerequisite for a quality education. It is therefore essential to promote it and take preventive action for all students, across all class years. The second is to foster closer ties between the university and its students. As mentioned earlier, a faculty without students can do nothing, and vice versa. This brings us to the final objective: student representation. Giving voice to the 14,000 students of the UFR is no easy task, but it is greatly facilitated by close cooperation with all stakeholders in the student representation chain, particularly student representatives. In 2026, a new group of student representatives will be elected to represent every student in the faculty’s decision-making bodies. My goal is to coordinate and support these representatives, highlight their work, and, by extension, amplify the voice of every single student in our faculty. 

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?

Promoting students' mental health is one of my priorities. Here, too, it requires a collective effort combined with ongoing, up-to-date work. 

From an organizational perspective, I will implement initiatives to enhance mental health training for students through Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) courses, Sentinelle training, and other programs. The expansion and dissemination of the Gélules software is also a key resource for reporting adverse events. It is always easier to share a burden than to carry it alone; that is my mission: to always be open, available, and accessible to students. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, student mental health is a collective effort. As part of my duties as associate dean, I will strive to be a source of proactive ideas for the administrative teams in order to create a harmonious partnership between students and the faculty regarding mental health. 

A final word…

In conclusion, we still face many challenges. Nevertheless, this is precisely what makes student engagement so meaningful. Serving as Vice Dean is no small matter, and I have been reminded of this every day since the start of my term. Yet it is also a source of opportunities, diversity, and connections that shape a student’s life and bear fruit. For all of this, I am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me by the UFR and all the students, through their elected representatives, in carrying out this mandate. 

Alone we go faster, together we go further! Thank you!