Chaandni Balachandran

Paediatrics: Conference Chair

Hi everyone, I’m Chaandni and I’d love to be your Conference Chair!

I’ve really enjoyed being involved in Paedsoc: this year as both Playteam leader, and Conference sub-committee member.

If elected, some ideas I’d love to explore in the conference include:

global challenges in child health
social issues (such as homelessness, substance abuse)
learning difficulties

Liaising with relevant charities and child healthcare practitioners abroad would be a great way to expand our conference and bring awareness to these areas. I’d also like to introduce panels with opportunities for Q&As in an ‘MDT style’ with child healthcare practitioners from different disciplines e.g paediatric surgery, mental health, social work. I’m committed to improving engagement from students and doctors alike by having dedicated time for networking during the conference and through hands-on workshops.

Being on the subcommittee allowed me to understand how the conference is run and to build up contacts for next year! As ICSM Vision's Roadshow Chair I have collaborated with schools and charities to organise events for aspiring medical students. This has given me key organisational and time-management skills vital in the role of conference chair. As director of my A Cappella group for the past two years, I have extensive leadership experience and am well placed to lead the Paediatrics subcommittee. In these roles I have coordinated large scale events and worked extensively with the union. My skills, experience, and passion for paediatrics would allow me to create a successful conference so please vote for me!