Maximizing the Academic Conference Experience: Tips for Your Career Toolkit

Abstract

Why Go to an Academic Meeting?Career success can be launched via academic conferences. Effective conference participation can lead to achievement of professional objectives, such as acquiring new knowledge or skills, finding external mentorship, meeting topic experts, disseminating data, developing cross-institutional collaborations, and establishing a national reputation. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] However, for trainees and junior faculty struggling to start a practice, define an academic niche, and balance myriad responsibilities, attending an academic meeting may seem unnecessary and even untenable. This Perspectives article offers a 3-phase framework describing strategies for optimizing the in-person or virtual academic conference experience:(1) preconference preparation; (2) active engagement during the meeting; and (3) post-meeting action steps (FIGURE).

Conferencing and Presentation Strategies for Young Academics in the Global Landscape

“…By sharing research findings or dissecting clinical cases, both researchers and clinicians can obtain constructive feedback, enhance their understanding, and garner acknowledgment [6]. Such interactions may sow the seeds for future collaborations or employment prospects [7].…”

“…By sharing research findings or dissecting clinical cases, both researchers and clinicians can obtain constructive feedback, enhance their understanding, and garner acknowledgment [6]. Such interactions may sow the seeds for future collaborations or employment prospects [7].Undeniably, the prospect of attending international conferences can be intimidating and financially burdensome, particularly for young medical practitioners. Therefore, it is essential to explore funding opportunities, such as scholarships or travel grants, and plan ahead to maximize the utilization of conference resources [8].…”

Educational Impact of a Research and Mentoring Symposium Emphasizing Formative Feedback for Medical Students and Early Career Doctors in Africa

“…12 Conferences furnish opportunities to meet external collaborators and mentors, which holds particular value for trainees lacking institutional research support. 13 Trainee-targeted conferences are broadly available in high-income countries – one study identified 27 student/trainee medical conferences in a 4-month period in the United Kingdom alone. 14 Systematic data on African conferences are lacking, but conference access is anecdotally much more limited for African trainees.…”