Academic Training in Undergraduate Medicine (ATRIUM) are pleased to announce our 10th National Undergraduate Conference: Tomorrow’s doctor: clinician, teacher or scientist?

This year’s theme will explore the evolving role of doctors. With the permeation of academia into clinical medicine, we are likely to see growing involvement of all physicians (not just clinical academics) in research, teaching and leadership roles in addition to their clinical duties. It is important that our future doctors are encouraged to acquire the requisite knowledge and practical skills to adapt to these changing needs.

Through a series of talks from renowned academics from diverse specialties, we hope to showcase how careers in clinical medicine can be combined with research, education and other interests. This will be complemented by our themed workshops, wherein students can participate in discussions about various facets of research and education. Last but by no means least, we would like to invite medical students to present the outcomes of their own research projects at a National level.

Aims and Objectives

  • To provide medical students with an insight into what a career in clinical academia might entail, and to provide a space for students to network with clinical academics
  • To facilitate practical engagement with various aspects of academic medicine through themed workshops
  • To provide a platform for students who have undertaken research during their undergraduate medical/biomedical science degrees to present their work to be judged by a critical audience.

Fee, Date and Venue

  • Date : 3rd February 2018, Saturday
  • Venue : University of Edinburgh Medical School, The Chancellor's Building, 49 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4SB.
  • Conference Fee: £5.00 (before 1159 hrs GMT on Friday 8th December 2017); £10.00 (after 1200 hrs GMT on Friday 8th December 2017)
  • Deadline for Abstract Submissions : Friday 22nd December 2017 .
  • No of Places Available : 150
  • Registration Closes: 1200 hrs GMT on Monday 29th January 2018.
  • Target Audience : Undergraduate Medical Students. Non-medical students are also welcome to attend and submit an abstract for consideration.

Abstract Submissions

Abstracts are now being accepted for the ATRIUM's 10th National Undergraduate Conference.

Submissions can be made via this link: https://atriumconference18.wufoo.co.uk/forms/z5arl1d0hbmd5f/

Abstract submission will close at 2359 hrs on Friday 22nd December 2017.

Eligibility

We accept abstracts pertaining to research in any field of medicine and/or the biomedical sciences conducted at an undergraduate level. This includes (but is not limited to) dissertations, summer projects and SSC projects. We also welcome abstracts from students currently enrolled on an MSc or MRes, so long as the work being presented was undertaken during an undergraduate programme of study.

Abstract Submission Guidelines

  • Please submit all abstracts via our online submissions form.
  • Please provide us with a short working title for your abstract.
  • The abstract body should be no longer than 300 words, and preferably be structured as: Introduction, Methods, Results and Conclusion.
  • A maximum of one reference is permitted (within the 300 word limit)

Abstract Scoring and Prizes

Abstracts will be assessed based on their scientific rigor and interest/impact. To make the scoring process as objective as possible, abstracts are marked against pre-set criteria by current AFP trainees. The top scoring abstracts will be selected for oral presentation. Candidates will be intimated of the outcome in early January 2018.

Prizes will be awarded for the best presentations in both oral and poster categories on the day of the conference.

Workshop Preferences

This year, ATRIUM are delighted to announce a series of exciting academic medicine-themed workshops designed to equip delegates with a range of practical and transferable skills.

Delegates will attend a total of two workshops. Please select your preferred workshop in each session. If you have no preferences, please select “No preference” and you will be randomly allocated to a workshop on the day.

Please note that although we will do our very best to take your preference into account, we cannot guarantee allocation to your workshop of choice.

Workshop Session 1

A. Making sense of numbers in clinical research – Dr. David Chinn

Ever wondered what that odds ratio and p-value really mean? How significant really is “statistically significant”? And more importantly, does it translate to clinical significance? Dr. Chinn breaks down these crucial concepts in an easy-to-understand presentation.*

B. Getting involved with medical education – Dr. Janet Skinner

Teaching is an integral aspect of being a doctor. Dr. Skinner explores the concept of medical education in this interactive and engaging workshop.

Workshop Session 2

A. Writing up and getting your work published – Dr. David Chinn

The road from formulating a research question to getting your results in print can be a long and arduous one. Dr. Chinn provides some helpful tips and tricks to navigate the publication process, from choosing a journal to preparing your manuscript.

B. Introduction to systematic reviews – Dr. Susan Shenkin

Systematic reviews are increasingly recognised as the “gold standard” for evidence synthesis in healthcare. But why are reviews needed and what is it that makes an effective review? Dr. Shenkin answers these questions and many more in a whistle-stop introduction to the subject.

*No prior knowledge of statistics required. Note that the focus is on interpreting rather than generating the results of a statistical analysis.

Programme

Time Programee
09:00 - 09:30 Registration
09:30 - 10:15 Talk:Regenerative Neurology
Professor Siddharthan Chandran
10:15 - 11:00 Talk:Academic General Practice: a career for frustrated specialists?
Dr. Luke Daines
11:00 - 11:45 Coffee & Poster session 1
11:45 - 11:55 Student Oral Presentation: Prognostic ability of the FOUR score assessment of consciousness: a systematic review
Billy Foo
11:55 - 12:05 Student Oral Presentation: Associations of dietary and plasma vitamin C with skeletal muscle mass in the EPIC-Norfolk cohort of older individuals
Lucy Lewis
12:05 - 12:15 Student Oral Presentation: An assessment of long-term outcomes following surgery for Cauda Equina Syndrome
James Hazelwood
12:15 - 13:00 Talk: Preventing self-poisoning - turning an undergraduate project into a lifetime's work
Professor Michael Eddleston
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch & Poster Session 2
14:00 - 15:00 Workshop 1 (choice between two sessions)
A. "To teach is to learn twice – making the most of clinical teaching opportunities" – Dr Janet Skinner
B. “Making sense of numbers in clinical research” – Dr David Chinn
15:00 - 16:00 Workshop 2 (choice between two sessions)
A. “How to answer clinical questions using systematic reviews”– Dr Susan Shenkin & Dr Rebecca Woodfield
B. “Critical Appraisal and Getting Your Work Published” – Dr David Chinn
16:00 - 16:30 Panel discussion and Q&A: “The Academic Foundation Programme”
16:30 - 16:40 Prize giving & Closing remarks

Organising Committee

  • ATRIUM Conference Organisers:
    Maithili Mehta, 5th year medical student
    Alasdair Summers, 6th year medical student

  • ATRIUM President:
    David Henshall, 5th year medical student

  • ATRIUM Vice President:
    Marc Walton, 4th year medical student

Faculty and Speakers

  • Professor Siddharthan Chandran
    MacDonald Professor of Neurology, University of Edinburgh
    Director, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences
    Director, Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research
    Director, Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic

  • Professor Michael Eddleston
    Professor and Personal Chair of Clinical Toxicology, University of Edinburgh
    Director and Consultant Physician, National Poisons Information Service - Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh

  • Dr. Luke Daines
    Academic Fellow in General Practice, Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics

Faculty and Speakers

  • Dr David Chinn
    Senior Research Advisor and R&D Coordinator, NHS Fife

  • Dr Janet Skinner
    Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
    Director of Clincial Skills & Theme head for Emergency Care and Clinical Skills,
    Centre for Medical Education, University of Edinburgh

  • Dr Susan Shenkin
    Senior Clinical Lecturer & Honorary Consultant in Geriatric Medicine,
    Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
© Doctors Academy 2017.