#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.
The 6th chapter of our journey marks our profound gratitude towards the tireless efforts of the medical and scientific community during these two years of global pandemic. Due to the immense progress of research and to the common effort of the whole planet, returning to a normal life in such a short time was possible. So, it only felt natural to aspire to ease the access to research for the future generation of physicians.
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.

Visit our Science Fair, interact with students with similar 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 “Medical Students’ Society of Bucharest” , also known as SSM or 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 organised manner and, most importantly, due to the need for rigorous scientific documentation in an age when Romanian medical literature was at its very beginnings.
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 comprised, at first, 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 consisting 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 was not legally dissolved.
The Now
The Society was reestablished on the 1st of January 1990, organising 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, organising 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). MSSB 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 organises 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!