Electronic Winter 2023 | Issue 57
IPS Launches Poster Session at Annual Meeting
By: Eliza Hofman, MFA, M3 at Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University
The field of psychiatry is enjoying a post-pandemic renaissance of interest from medical students, and IPS continues to make pathways to bolster Illinois medical students and residents forward.
The idea for a student/resident research poster session at this year’s annual meeting originated at the annual meeting in 2022. The newly-formed IPS Medical Student committee members enthusiastically attended that year’s resident and new-career forum, but they wished for a way to showcase their own work and interests. Then-president Austin Gephart (now a psychiatry intern!) and I drafted a proposal for a medical student/resident research presentation for this year’s meeting, and IPS enthusiastically supported it. What came on the day of the annual meeting manifested what we had imagined: an academically sound exchange of new research and ideas in psychiatry. But what surprised me was that the hour of poster presentation also provided some of the best moments at the conference for networking, mentorship, good will, and connection.
The atmosphere in the poster presentation room was cheerful, supportive, and full of enthusiasm. Medical students and residents stood by their posters, eager to explain their research as the judges and meeting attendees strolled around. People dropped into exciting conversations about the research and also took the opportunity to get to know one another. I was “voluntold” to take photos, and people were full of smiles and laughter as I good-naturedly forced them to pose. Friendly competition amongst the presenters inspired judges to add “Honorable Mentions” as choosing winners proved too difficult with so much excellent work. Overall, people enjoyed being together and sharing their interest and love of psychiatry.
One of my goals as Co-Vice Chair of the IPS Medical Student Committee involves fostering relationships with my future colleagues so that I have a broad network of trusted support in this challenging field of medicine. I also hope to bring current and future psychiatrists together to understand each other’s strengths so that we can provide optimal care to patients.
The poster presentation session created an atmosphere in which these relationships could foster and grow. I look forward to more medical student and resident participation at our annual events with gratitude for the continued support of IPS.