The “Medical Students’ Society of Bucharest” , also known as SSMB, is the oldest and largest students’ society in Romania. The Society was founded on January 13th, 1875, six years after the foundation of the Faculty of Medicine in Bucharest, out of the students’ need and willingness to support each other, to exchange ideas in an organized manner and, most importantly, due to the need for rigorous scientific documentation in an age when Romanian medical literature was at its very beginnings.
#IMSCB
The IMSCB, short for the International Medical Students’ Congress of Bucharest, is one of the greatest events to happen every year at the beginning of winter, within the walls of our university – Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy.
Our Congress has its own history, a unique story about resilience, passion and perspective that we are glad to share with you!
As medical students intrigued by the never-ending beauty of curiosity and innovation in healthcare, we have confronted ourselves with plenty of obstacles throughout our path in the scientific world. Ambition and the conviction that we can be the change that the world needs have led us to pursue our dreams despite every closed door.
Nevertheless, we believe that young talents and bright minds should be encouraged to showcase their take on various scientific topics and to explore their out of the ordinary ideas. So, this year, we are aiming to provide an environment where research opportunities are more accessible and where activating in science can become a normality, not a particularity.
This is how the idea of the Science Fair arose – the opportunity to converse with some of Romania’s finest researchers and the students they work with so you can fully wrap your mind around what lab work as a student entails. Moreover, we would like to present some of the finest international scholarships and science contests, so as to fully immerse you in the world of science.
Visit our Science Fair, interact with students that share the same passions and a high level of curiosity, bond with physicians and professors strongly involved in research and discover the opportunity that best suits you to start your road in the research world!
The Idea
The advocate of this idea was Nicolae Manolescu, then a student, who was to become an illustrious professor of ophthalmology at the Faculty of Medicine in Bucharest.
The Beginning
The Medical Students’ Society was formed, at first, of ten founding members. According to the articles of association, the Society comprised active, corresponding and honorific members. Notable honorific members of the society were: Carol Davila, Nicolae Manolescu, Nicolae Kretzulescu, Constantin Cantacuzino, Alexandru Obregia, Mina Minovici, Theodor Ionescu, Ernest Juvara and many others.
During the meeting on March 9th, 1875, Nicolae Manolescu presented his dissertation on “Cholera”, thus inaugurating a series of Society conferences; these would form the basis on which the whole edifice of scientific activity within the society was built.
The History
In January 1881, the members of the society edited the first issue of the ‘Hospital’ journal, a journal that consisted of scientific addresses, appearing monthly and with a subscription-based distribution. It was the first scientific journal edited in Romania.
A key element in the development of the Society was the library from a few issues of ‘Archives Physiologiques’, by the end of the year 1900, it had evolved into an exquisite library, owned by the Society.
In 1896 (21 years after its foundation), the Society was awarded the title of Moral and Legal Person by law, voted by the Romanian Parliament, and was promoted by King Carol I, in approval and appreciation of its activity.
In 1933, the Society achieved the first international student exchange: thus, through the Polish-Romanian Association of Warsaw, the exchange of five Romanian students with 5 Polish students was obtained.
The Society’s activity was suspended during the Second World War, but was not resumed after the end of the war, although the Society itself – was not legally dissolved.
The Now
The Society was reestablished on the 1st of January 1990, organizing and managing countless activities to support both medical students and the society. Its members have taken actions to help orphans, to aid those infected with HIV, raising public awareness about health problems such as diabetes insipidus, tuberculosis, organizing blood donation campaigns and others. The scientific activities consist of numerous projects, conferences and workshops designed for students.
The Society is a founding member of the “Romanian Federation of Medical Students’ Associations” and, through the national association, member of the “International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations” (IFMSA). SSMB is also a founding member of the Romanian Students’ Union. These two are some of the greatest national federations in the country, with a strong social impact. In cooperation with other student societies, especially through these federations, the Society organizes numerous joint programmes and events and also continues the tradition in terms of student exchanges.
If you want to know more in depth information about our Society, please check our Wikipedia page!
