Conference

The IJMS World Conference of Medical Student Research

Medical education depends on the foundation of scientific evidence in order to ensure the provision of the best, most up-to-date, training. Expectedly, physicians with a scientific background continually remain vital to the advancement of medicine.1 Therefore, the inculturation of research in physicians at their initial formative stages, can significantly bridge the gap between research and clinical practice.2 A recent survey among medical students found an overall poor scientific grasp but positive attitudes towards research. Some barriers identified in this survey included time-consuming school tasks and a lack of proper support for conducting studies.3 Consequently, the observed positive attitude towards research holds little significance without an appropriate training system or platform where medical students can engage actively in research.

The International Journal of Medical Students (IJMS) has existed uninterrupted for more than a decade with its primary aim to serve as the main research-driven global facilitator for early-career scientists in medicine. This expands beyond the scope of manuscript publication to the empowerment of medical students in research while also providing a platform for them to display their work.4

Keeping alive the spirit of promoting medical student research worldwide, the IJMS has decided to organize the IJMS World Conference of Medical Student Research, which will be held online annually on the last Saturday of October. Here, medical students and recent graduates (up to 3 years after graduation) can present their scientific work in front of an international audience.

The conference organizing committee strongly believes in the importance of medical students and recently graduated physicians in medical research. The IJMS aims to utilize this upcoming conference to provide opportunities to increase the visibility of early-career researchers through peer evaluation of their work.4

The primary target audience of the conference is medical students and early-career scientists. To pursue inclusivity, there will not be a specific conference topic. Instead, participants from all research areas are invited to submit their abstracts and showcase their work to a global and diverse audience.5 A panel of experienced peer-reviewers will review all the abstracts and timely notify applicants of the result of their submission. Authors of accepted abstracts will have the opportunity to present their work in the form of an oral presentation, which will be evaluated by an international panel of judges. All accepted conference abstracts will be featured in the Supplement of IJMS and different awards will be distributed among the participants (i.e., top 10, most voted presentation, etc.).

As medical students gather together and share their research experiences, the hope is that there will be increased engagement in research among early-career scientists and a new step towards the global empowerment of medical students with research skills and competence. To the best of our knowledge, no medical student international research conferences are organized and run by a student-led international medical journal; the upcoming conference aims to change that narrative.

References

  1. Moraes D, Jotz M, Menegazzo W, Menegazzo M, Veloso S, Christ Machry M, et al. Interest In research among medical students: Challenges for the undergraduate education. Rev Assoc Médica Bras. 2016;62:652-8.
  2. Mallonee S, Fowler C, Istre GR. Bridging the gap between research and practice: a continuing challenge. Inj Prev. 2006;12(6):357-9.
  3. Assar A, Matar SG, Hasabo EA, Elsayed SM, Zaazouee MS, Hamdallah A, et al. Knowledge, attitudes, practices and perceived barriers towards research in undergraduate medical students of six Arab countries. BMC Med Educ. 2022;22(1):44-55.
  4. Liblik K, Garcia-Espinosa P, Nahian A, Chatterjee S, Găman MA, Egan C, et al. Medical Student Research Journals: The International Journal of Medical Students (IJMS) Legacy. Int J Med Stud. 2022;10(1):9-14.
  5. Manan MR, Liblik K, Barrera FJ, Egan C, Puyana JC, Bonilla-Escobar FJ. Thinking Globally in the Pursuit of Individual Identity: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the International Journal of Medical Students (IJMS). Int J Med Stud. 2022;10(2):112-4.

Extracted from: Mujanovic A, Kipkorir V, Mercalli C, Dhali A, Shah P, Velandia C, et al. The IJMS World Conference of Medical Student Research and an Overview of the IJMS Volume 10 Issue 2. Int J Med Stud. 2022 Apr-Jun;10(2):115-8. https://ijms.info/IJMS/article/view/1580

Published online: June 30th, 2022

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