Submit Your Research to a Conference
Written by Alisa Malyavko
Research conferences are a daunting new experience for many medical students. Some students may be coming into medical school with years of research experience, while others may just be getting started, however, in the back of everyone’s mind is the future of their work. Conferences are a great way to showcase your research as well as make new connections, hear lectures from renowned individuals, and participate in hands-on workshops. When looking for a conference to submit to, talking to those who you closely work with is a good place to start. Individuals who have been working with the research group for longer may know of yearly conferences that the group submits projects to. However, looking for a conference to submit to can still be challenging whether you are getting help or searching on your own.
Each conference will have guidelines on their website for how to format the work you submit, when the various deadlines are, and where the conference will be taking place. Depending on which projects from your research group are accepted, you may be going to the conference with others, or you could be going alone. There are registration fees associated with attending conferences, however, fees are usually reduced for medical students and your school may have funds to cover some or all of the fees.
I have compiled a brief list of research conferences geared toward medical student research as well as national-level conferences that medical students, residents, and physicians can submit to.
Research Conferences Geared toward Medical Students
1. Eastern Atlantic Student Research Forum (EASRF)
a. EASRF is an international research symposium held at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida. EASRF selects medical, graduate, MD/Ph.D. students and resident physicians from the US, Canada, Europe, Central, and South America to present their research. Individuals are selected to present basic science and clinical research in the biomedical field. More information can be found here: https://med.miami.edu/research/esrf
2. PODER research symposium at the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) National Conference
a. The LMSA established the LMSA National Conference and Northeast Regional Conference to increase the number of Latina/o/x, Hispanic, and Spanish Origin+ individuals in medicine as well as promote culturally relevant healthcare. During this conference period, LMSA created the PODER research symposium to Promote Opportunities for Development and Empowerment of Research among students who are members of LMSA. More information can be found here: https://national.lmsa.net/programming/nc2022/
3. Medical Student Orthopedic Symposium (MSOS)
a. MSOS is a conference designed by medical students and residents to provide a space for students interested in orthopedic surgery to showcase their research as well as learn more about the field from program directors and residents. The first annual MSOS conference will be held virtually on April 10th, 2022. More information about this conference can be found here: https://www.msosortho.com/
4. Pediatric Research Forum for Medical Students
a. This research forum is open to all medical students and takes place alongside the annual meeting of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. This forum is a space for students to present oral and poster presentations on basic science, case reports/series, and clinical research. More information about the research forum can be found here: https://research.pediatrics.med.ufl.edu/news-events/pediatric-medical-student-research-forum/
Other conferences and meetings that medical students can partake in can be found here: https://www.mdlinx.com/medical-student/conference.cfm.
National Conferences
Several national conferences occur throughout the year for all medical specialties. Although this is not an extensive list, I have provided names and links to some of the well-known conferences in various medical specialties below.
Anesthesia
1. American Society of Anesthesiologists: https://www.asahq.org/annualmeeting
Dermatology
1. American Academy of Dermatology Association: https://www.aad.org/member/meetings-education/am22
Emergency Medicine
1. Society for Academic Emergency Medicine: https://www.saem.org/meetings-and-events/meetings-and-events
Family Medicine
1. American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) National Conference: https://www.aafp.org/events/national-conference/2022.htmlInternal Medicine
General Surgery
1. American College of Surgeons (ACS): https://www.facs.org/education/meetings/surgeons-engineers/call-for-abstracts
2. Association for Surgical Education (ASE): https://www.surgicaleducation.com/call-for-abstracts/
Internal Medicine
1. American College of Physician’s Internal Medicine Meeting: https://annualmeeting.acponline.org/educational-program/abstract-competition
OB/GYN
1. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology: https://www.acog.org/education-and-events/meetings/acog-annual-clinical-and-scientific-meeting
Orthopedic Surgery
1. Eastern Orthopaedic Association (EOA): https://www.eoa-assn.org/
2. American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS): https://www.aaos.org/annual/
3. Mid-America Orthopedic Association (MAOA): https://www.maoa.org/annual-meetings
4. American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKAS): https://meeting.aahks.org/
Plastic Surgery
1. The American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS): https://www.breastsurgeons.org/meeting/2022/
2. American Association of Plastic Surgeons (AAPS): https://meeting.aaps1921.org/
3. Plastic Surgery Research Conference (PS-RC): https://ps-rc.org/meeting/Abstract-Submission/
PM&R
1. American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: https://www.aapmr.org/education/annual-assembly
Psychiatry
1. American Psychiatric Association Conference: https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/meetings/annual-meeting
If you are interested in quality improvement, check out these conferences opportunities from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement: http://www.ihi.org/education/conferences/Pages/default.aspx
Know about other conferences accepting submissions from medical students? Send us a message on the “contact us” page for consideration to include the conference on this list.
