Four students from the Faculty of Medicine (FK) of Universitas Indonesia (UI) won First Place in the Scientific Poster Presentation category, in the East Asian Medical Students’ Conference (EAMSC) 2025 event organized by the Asian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA) International in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The four FKUI students consisted of Tradygta Chantya Raissa Natanggi; William Matthew; Clara Inggrid Rouli Tambunan; and Josh Nathaniel Jowono.
In this competition, the FKUI Student Team presented a scientific work titled “Rinse to Relief: Meta-Analysis on the Efficacy of Saline Irrigation to Improve Nasal Symptoms in Children with Allergic Rhinitis.” As one of the Team members, Josh said, “The theme raised at this conference is climate change. Therefore, we created a scientific poster that discusses the impact of climate change on health. This is our first experience in making a scientific poster.”
Josh further said that the research conducted focused on the use of the saline irrigation method, which is washing or cleaning mucus in the nose with a salt solution (saline). This method is a solution to overcome allergic rhinitis or inflammation of the nasal cavity due to allergic reactions that often occur in children.
“From our study, it was found that this irrigation method is effective as a complement to the treatment of allergic rhinitis which is getting worse amidst increasing levels of air pollution,” said William. He added that he and his team hope that the results of the study can be useful in helping parents to be able to relieve symptoms of allergic rhinitis in children with the saline irrigation method as an additional corticosteroid medication prescribed by a doctor.
In addition, William also said that in participating in this competition, he and his team had made quite a long preparation. Previously, the FKUI Team had participated in a conference in Egypt and won 2nd place in the AMSA Indonesia Pre-Conference Competition. This victory then led them to represent Indonesia at the international level. During the preparation, the FKUI Team also received training and evaluation from AMSA Indonesia.
“We had the opportunity to meet delegates from various countries, learn from the judges, and enjoy the beauty of Egypt with new friends. Even though this is a competition, the friendly atmosphere is still felt, without excessive competition,” said Clara.
In line with Clara, Tradygta also expressed her gratitude and pride for their achievements. “Participating in EAMSC 2025 in Egypt is an experience we will never forget. Although this is our first competition experience, we are very grateful to be awarded the victory. Thank you to everyone who has supported us,” said Tradygta.
The EASMC 2025: Egypt competition, which was held on January 15-19, 2025, was attended by participants from various countries, such as Mongolia, Taiwan, Thailand, Macau, and Iran. The FKUI student team successfully entered as eight finalists who had the opportunity to present their work in front of experienced judges in the fields of research and environmental health.
The Dean of FKUI, Prof. Dr. dr. Ari Fahrial Syam, Sp.PD-KGEH., MMB., also expressed his appreciation for the brilliant achievements achieved by the FKUI student team. “We are very proud of the extraordinary achievements made by FKUI students in the international arena. This achievement is proof that FKUI students are able to compete in the international arena and contribute to the world of medical research. Hopefully, this achievement can inspire other students to continue to excel and make Indonesia proud at the global level,” said Prof. Ari.
