Abstract Details

Title Mind Over Manuscript: Impact of a Medical Student-Led Neurology Journal Club

Topic ��ɫ��, Research, and Methodology

Presentation(s) P3 - Poster Session 3 (5:00 PM-6:00 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 15-007

Objective To evaluate the impact of a medical student-led neurology journal club.

Background “Neurophobia,” the fear of neurology rooted in the perceived complexity of neuroanatomy and the divide between basic science and clinical practice, is widely documented among medical trainees and poses significant barriers to confidence and interest in the field. Journal clubs represent a promising intervention by strengthening critical reading skills and linking research to clinical care. However, studies on neurology-specific journal clubs are scarce and lack rigorous pre- and post-evaluations. To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically assess the impact of a student-led neurology journal club on learning and career interest.

Design/Methods All students at New York Medical College (NYMC) were invited to participate in voluntary journal club sessions hosted by the NYMC Student Interest Group in Neurology. Optional, anonymized pre- and post-session surveys were administered. Data analysis was performed using matched responses and aggregate responses.

Results Across five unique journal club sessions, 25 students completed the pre-survey and 19 completed the post-survey, with 12 matched responses. Paired analyses demonstrated significant improvements in understanding the session topic (+0.9, p = 0.009), statistical rationale (+0.9, p = 0.001), and identifying paper strengths and limitations (+0.6, p = 0.012). Confidence in discussing research findings (+0.6, p = 0.046) and familiarity with neurology subspecialties (+0.6, p = 0.012) also increased, with moderate-to-large effect sizes (d = 0.6-1.4). Clinical students showed consistently positive outcomes, while preclinical improvements were more variable. Overall, our study highlights improved research literacy and stronger engagement with neurology literature.

Conclusions Our findings demonstrate a benefit in incorporating student-led neurology journal clubs into undergraduate medical education. By connecting preclinical concepts with clinical applications and increasing engagement with neurology literature, this model may help address neurophobia and strengthen the neurology pipeline.

Authors/Disclosures
Audrey Huang PRESENTER	Miss Huang has nothing to disclose.
Steven Everett	Mr. Everett has nothing to disclose.
Kelly Fisher	Miss Fisher has nothing to disclose.
Hemangi Rajpal	Ms. Rajpal has nothing to disclose.
Sahdev S. Baweja	Mr. Baweja has nothing to disclose.
Michelle You	Ms. You has nothing to disclose.
Tracey A. Milligan, MD, FAAN	Dr. Milligan has received publishing royalties from a publication relating to health care.

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