2019 SIGN MeetingPhiladelphia, PA
Today’s Agenda
• Welcome
• SIGN Revamp Overview
• Chapter Presentations
• Workshopping
• Takeaways
• Photo
SIGN Chapter at Weill Cornell
History of SIGN• Has existed for over 20 years
• International and national chapters
• Revamped for 2018 with a relaunch via Hilton Grant work and UES
So what’s new?• Core content lecture series with materials
• Featured SIGN Chapters
• New funding structure
• New logo and assets
• Updated format/content on the website
• Registration requirements• 143 Chapters
• 13 countries
Chapter Engagement
Core Content Areas
• As of now, we have four core content topics and materials for chapters to use:• What is Neurology? – Clinical Career in Neurology
• What’s New in Neurology? – Recent Discoveries
• Careers in Neurology – Lifestyles in Neurology Careers
• Advocacy – Community Engagement and Advocacy
• Library expansion over time
Future Directions
• Additional content lectures
• Video Library
• Visiting Legend and/or Consulting Services
• Revamping NeuroSAE Medical Student Edition
• Engaging chapters regionally and internationally
SIGN Chapter SharingLearn about great events put on by SIGN Chapters
• Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM)
• Inter-SIGN Initiative
Getting your head around it: Tips and tricks to planning an
inter-regional eventLauren Bojarski, OMS-IV
The Plan
• Mission statement for the year:• Education
• Community
• Volunteer
• Awareness
• Collaboration
Amazement Square
Lumbar Puncture Lab
Brain Bee
And others
• Neurology program director meet and greet
• Ping Pong with the elderly
• Initiated “Adopt a Senior” program
• ESBAR practice with nursing students
• “Locked Up” room with faculty neurologist
University of Kentucky Collaboration
• Networking• AAN Conference
• Not just physicians!• Other students
• Fellows, residents
• Nurse practitioners, Physician assistants
• Reps
• Director of Education, Jodie Weber
• Find people willing to help out
University of Kentucky Collaboration
• Correspondence• Don’t be afraid to take
initiative
• If they don’t reply, make sure to follow up
• Reintroduce yourself via email after you leave the AAN conference so that they have your email
• Plan it out• Reach out well in advance of
your expected time frame
• Brainstorm ideas that work well for and will benefit both programs• Neurolocalization lecture
• Resident Q and A about residency (with emphasis on Neurology)
• Be willing to communicate via phone, email, or if possible in person
• This will take a while to work out the kinks
University of Kentucky Collaboration
• Introduce• Don’t hesitate to introduce
faculty members at your school• Introduced Jodie to Neurology
professors at LUCOM
• She introduced me to program directors, associate professors, etc.
• Important to leave a legacy• When you graduate, they still
have contacts in case they want to do things in the future
• May have resources you don’t know about
• Confirm• Follow up with both
programs involved to make sure things will go according to plan
University of Kentucky Collaboration
• Dr. Guduru gave a live-streamed neurolocalization lecture that telecasted with our SIGN chapter• Recording benefitted those who could not attend live (like me,
who was in a different time zone)
• Opportunity to re-watch before neurology rotations
• Invitations to join practical updates, online conferences for CME credit, etc.
• Future talk about residents live-streaming their Q and A session at the end of the school year
• Research on “neurophobia”: its effects and remedies
Tips and tricks
• NETWORK NETWORK NETWOK
• Don’t be afraid to ask: the least they can do is say no
• Be friendly but don’t pester
• Know your limits
• Leave your legacy
• Be the kind of student you (as a future physician) would want to work with: be humble, motivated, kind, and hard-working
Acknowledgements
• SIGN 2018-19 VP at LUCOM Kirsten Consing
• Dr. Carl Hoegerl and Dr. Charlie Joseph, SIGN Advisors and Faculty Neurologists
• Jodie Weber, Director of Neurology Education at University of Kentucky• I.e. “Queen of the World”
Good luck and enjoy the conference!
Coordinating a New Conference
-
Evan Kolesnick
OMS-II, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM)
A Little About PCOM SIGN
● Organized and hosted First Philadelphia Regional Interinstitutional Neurology/Neurosurgery Conference (it’s a working title)
● Ran Giant Inflatable Brain Exhibit at The Philadelphia Science Festival at The Franklin Institute
● Coordinated PCOM Annual Neurosurgery Symposium
● Created first neurocritical care simulation
● Hosted >10 physician speakers for extracurricular talks and journal clubs
● Attended Penrose Elementary School career day to teach kids in K-8th grade about the brain and careers in science
● Volunteered at The Walk to End Alzheimer’s, PCOM Wellness Festival, People’s Emergency Food Cupboard and MANNA
A Little About PCOM SIGN
Plan Big From the Start
● Surround yourself with enthusiastic people● Crowdsource ideas from board members
○ New board member applications asking for programming ideas
○ Bimonthly meetings to discuss progress○ Informal board events to develop rapport
● Know your audience○ Ask non board members what they expect from the
organization○ Don’t be afraid to try something novel; even if it isn’t a
total success, people will be grateful you listened
Communication is Key
● Send weekly - biweekly emails to board members addressing upcoming endeavors○ Always ask for feedback and delegate appropriately
● Start a GroupMe or other chat group for ease● Be transparent within the community
○ Post on social media before events○ Make spreadsheets to assess interest and offer
incentives (ie. feeding people)○ Utilize the listserv to make dues paying members (if
your chapter has them) feel appreciated
Planning a Conference
● Establish goals○ Who would you like to attend?
■ Local chapters■ Other campuses of your institution
○ Where can the event be held?■ The less planning invited chapters have to do, the higher
likelihood of success; propose a venue or offer to host!
○ How do you intend to finance it?■ Alumni office if speakers will be alums■ AAN yearly financial aid
○ What is it you’d like to accomplish at the event?
Finding Other Chapter Leaders
● Have board members reach out to contacts● Use the SIGN national facebook group ● Contact your regional AAN representative for
leadership information
Note: this step and picking a date could take months, plan far in advance
Expect to Run the Show
● Draft an email outlining your plan and emphasizing why it should excite other leaders○ Send this message individually to start a dialogue
● Follow up if needed ○ Pro tip: med students don’t always respond right away
and emails more than 2 days old might as well be in a black hole - wait a week and write again politely
● Don’t become frustrated if other leaders become busy or choose not to respond
Picking a Date
● Ask for M1/M2 exam schedules and when dedicated study periods are
● Generate a doodle to pick dates that work best for the most parties
● Chase down folks who are holding up the process - many aren’t doing it intentionally and will be grateful you addressed them individually
Budgeting for the Event
● Expect to feed people if you’re hosting○ Offer options that appeal to people with dietary
restrictions
● Get small gifts for visiting speakers - keep in mind professionals are doing you a great favor and it never hurts to make strong contacts○ Gift cards, school apparel, customized mugs, etc.
● Consider the small details○ Parking passes, table cloths, name tags, etc.
Planning Speakers
● Either plan within a theme (ie. talks about epilepsy), and/or suggest a diversity of topics to include multiple interests○ eg. having MD, DO and PhD speakers so everyone
feels represented○ Ask for other chapters to bring speakers if needed
● Email or call professionals personally, show you are familiar with their work
● Propose a clear plan○ How many speakers will there be, what time will they
be speaking etc.
Greeting/Set Up
● DELEGATE● Have members available to greet visiting students● Make sure food is ready for when the guests arrive
○ Save all receipts for record if you’re being reimbursed by the AAN!
● Take pictures○ Contact your school’s social media department, many
will have professional photographers, instagrams etc.
● Do your best to personally meet everyone!
Oh We Fancy
Talks
● Make sure to have a room booked ahead of time● Offer to personally introduce speakers you
brought, ask visiting students to introduce their speakers○ Include biographical information; where they got their
degrees, what their personal research is in etc.
● Thank attendees for taking time out of their busy schedule to help you make your event successful
Aftermath
● Send thank you messages to speakers● Congratulate other chapter representatives (and
your own board members) on your collaborative success - recognize those who really stepped up to assist○ Don’t hesitate to include leaders who couldn’t make it
in the end, hopefully the event won’t be a one time occasion
● Learn from your experiences and recommend improvements for next time
Feel free to reach out if you have questions or would like a copy of the powerpoint.
Thank you for your attention!
Fella Chennou1, Samuel Grandmaison1, Jimmy Li1, Maria Alexandra Rosca1, Brenda Deschesnes1, Elisabeth Meloche1, Anis Assad1, Eleyine Zarour1, Amytice Mirchi1,
Thierry Levesque1, Shriya Deshmukh2, Etienne Léveillé2, Sarah Bouhadoun2, Stephanie DeGasperis3, Stephane Michael4
1University of Montreal Faculty of Medicine, QC 2McGill University Faculty of Medicine, QC 3University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, ON 4University of Sherbrooke Faculty of
Medicine, QC, Canada
TODAY’S MENU
• About SIGN at University of Montreal
• What is the Student Neurology Symposium (SNS)?
• SNS 2019:
• The planning process
• The event
• The outcomes
• Since 2012
• Executive Committee: 10 members
• Activities:
• Lunch-conferences
• Shadowing opportunities
• Networking evening with residents
• Student Neurology Symposium
SIGN AT UofM
• Bilingual, inter-institutional, annual event
• Full day of lectures and clinical skills workshops in the field of the neurology
• Launched in 2013 by SIGNs of Quebec’s Universities
• Hosted by a different university every year
WHAT IS SNS?
• Organized by:
• University of Montreal
• McGill University
• University of Sherbrooke
• Laval University
• University of Ottawa (2019)
TODAY’S MENU
• Hosted by University of Montreal
• Organizing committee: 15 medical students
• Mostly students from the host university
• 1-2 representatives from each university
SNS 2019
• The organizing team:
• Communication:
• Facebook group
• Meetings on Google Hangouts
• Coordination:
• Google Drive
SNS 2019
Tasks
1. Set a plan
SNS 2019
1. Set a plan:
• Goals?
• Topics for lectures and clinical skills workshops?
• Estimated budget?
• 4500-5000 CAD
SNS 2019
Tasks
April 13, 2019 Pavillon Jean Coutu2. Secure date and location
1. Set a plan
3. Contact potential speakers / program directors
4. Establish a schedule
5. Logistics: location of material, audiovisual equipment, food
6. Find sponsors !!!
SNS 2019
SPONSORS
THE EVENT
Schedule Pt. 1
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
Parallel talks
• Acute infectious meningoencephalitis: diagnostic and therapeutic management (French)
• Artificial intelligence to predict Alzheimer’s disease (English)
• Deep brain stimulation (French)
• Multiple sclerosis: current progress and future challenges (English)
10:30
-
11:15
11:30
-
12:15
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
Schedule Pt. 2
THE EVENT
• Quiz: 20-25 challenging clinical cases
• Team of 4 students/university
• Winning team: 25 CAD gift card/student
NeuroBowl
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
NeuroBowl
Winning team of SNS 2019?
THE EVENT
Cocktail with program directors/representatives
University of Montreal
Neurology
Pediatric neurology
Neurosurgery
McGill University
Neurology
Pediatric neurology
Neurosurgery
Laval University
Neurology
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
Poster Session
• 5 judges (neurology residents)
• Prizes for best posters:
• First place: 30 CAD gift card
• Second place: 20 CAD gift card
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
THE EVENT
Strengths Suggestions
Feedback from attendees
Level of organization
Professionalism
Topics of talks and workshops
Make clinical workshops more interactive
Separate poster session and cocktail
OUTCOMES
42%
26%
14%
13%
3%1% 1%
University of Montreal
University of Ottawa
McGill University
Université de Sherbrooke
University of Toronto
University of Alberta
McMaster University
Distribution of attendees according to university
OUTCOMES
8%
18%
50%
18%
3%3%
Pre-Med
First Year
Second Year
Third Year
Fourth Year
Other
Distribution of attendees according to year of study
OUTCOMES
OUTCOMES
STUDENT NEUROLOGY SYMPOSIUM 2020
WHAT’S NEXT?
Dre. Claudia Chevrefils
Dr. Daniel Roy
Dr. Jack Antel
Dr. Guillaume Sébire
Dre. Marie-Pierre Fournier-Gosselin
Dr. Ange Diouf
Dr. Bastien Rioux
Dre. Claudie Gauvreau
Dr. Joël Neves-Briard
Dr. Maxime Massarotto
Dre. Catherine Pepin
Dr. Fraser Moore
Dr. Jeffrey Atkinson
Dr. Mathieu Laroche
Dr. Nicolas Jodoin
Dr. Sébastien Perreault
Acknowledgements
THE END!
THANK YOU
Workshopping EventsUse the guides to work with your tablemates to
explore possible regional/inter-institutional events.
SIGN Photo