SIGN Medical Students Plan International Events, Make ‘Priceless’ Connections

June 28, 2024

Student Interest Group in Neurology (SIGN) chapters around the world connect and strengthen student-led educational programming. If you’re a medical student whose school doesn’t already have a SIGN chapter, there are plenty of benefits to starting one. 

“Neurology is such an important area, clinically and scientifically,” said Jacob Umans, co-president of the Johns Hopkins University SIGN chapter along with Abby Atkinson, Philip Huang, and Shuait Nair. “Just having the chance to network, befriend more people, and just learn more is a really great way to start thinking about how I want to build my own career as a neurologist.”

SIGN introduces medical students to neurology by connecting them with fellow students with similar interests. Chapters plan a vast array of events, including discussions with neurologists, patient presentations, and skills workshops, and participate in clinical, research, and service activities.

The AAN administers SIGN and provides a wide range of resources for chapters, including SIGN-specific scholarships, webinars, a toolkit, and—for US and Canada chapters—reimbursement for event-related expenses. Like all eligible medical students, SIGN members can join the AAN at no cost and receive additional benefits like free virtual Annual Meeting registration, discounted in-person event registration, and numerous resources.

SIGN programming is entirely determined by chapters, with members often coming up with innovative ways to help other students connect with neurology. The chapter of SIGN at Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, for instance, organized its second International Cerrahpasa Neuroscience Days event in partnership with the Johns Hopkins chapter. The two-day event drew hundreds of virtual and in-person participants, who listened to speakers representing various prominent institutes in neurology and neuroscience. In-person offerings included hands-on workshops, and presentations followed the event’s theme of “The Contrast Between Neurodevelopment and Neurodegeneration.”

“Ever since I joined our society, we have been working on creating events that brought together experts in the fields of neuroscience, neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry with people passionate about those fields,” said Feyzi Kerem Okur, who leads the chapter’s organizational department. “But up until this year, we mainly had two types of events: Virtual events with speakers from all around the world and in-person events that hosted speakers from Türkiye.”

Okur said the chapter had the idea to combine the two event types and make the second Cerrahpasa Neuroscience Days an “international, in-person conference that would reach a global audience.” That meant broadcasting everything live—something the chapter already had experience with from past events—and connecting with international partners. They ultimately connected with the Johns Hopkins chapter, which handled some logistical tasks, provided support funding and organized two virtual workshops on telemedicine and global neurology.

 “The event was a success both as a realization of our goals and as an international partnership that demonstrated how valuable platforms like the AAN can be for students such as ourselves,” Okur said. “Our guest speakers gave captivating speeches which benefited hundreds of people. We received a great amount of positive feedback from our participants afterwards.”

He added that the event helped students make “priceless” connections with experienced professors. For students thinking about organizing events, he recommended starting small if needed, planning ahead while preparing for challenges, and avoiding getting overwhelmed at the beginning. Overall, however, he said creating the event was a rewarding process and a positive experience that will stick with him for a long time.

Okur worked with chapter president İpek Pervaz, who said SIGN plays a crucial role in helping students choose neurology as their specialty in the wide field of medicine. Helping to organize events helped her and her fellow members develop leadership and problem-solving skills,

“One of the most challenging aspects of being a medical student is having to decide on a career path that will shape the rest of your life, all while grappling with an overwhelming course load about trying to understand everything about the human body,” she said. “With so many areas to specialize in, the many years of intense medical education serve only as a foundation for a lifelong path of further learning.”

Pervaz, a member of the chapter for the past three years, said SIGN helped her discover her interests and provide a clearer direction for her career and scientific pursuits. It also provided a opportunity for self-directed learning and a way to add scientific discussion to her daily life.

“Learning is inherently an interactive process, and being part of such a group is one of the best ways to start engaging in this dynamic educational journey,” Pervaz said.

Another impressive collaborative event is the University of Rochester chapter’s regional symposium, which connects medical students at the University of Rochester, SUNY Buffalo, and SUNY Upstate Medical University and allows them to hear from a variety of neurologists. At some of its events, the chapter boasts participation by up to a quarter of the school’s medical students.

“I think a lot of people, when they come to medical school, haven’t interacted with a neurologist,” said University of Rochester SIGN co-president Erin Hendry, who leads the chapter with fellow co-presidents Sydney Peters and Caleb Mahlen. “Seeing someone who looks like you or comes from the same background as you who succeeded as a neurologist is really impactful because it allows you to imagine what you could do, what your life could be like. Like, ‘There’s room for me at the table.’”

Hendry said Peters did the bulk of the planning for the latest symposium, starting in October and then working for months in coordination with other chapters to put on the symposium in early 2024. It draws a large number of students and connects them with different aspects of the field—Hendry said one benefit of the event is that participants can hear from neurologists with various subspecialties and interests that might not be represented at their home institutions.

For students who are starting or renewing a SIGN chapter, Hendry recommended getting started by reaching out to the AAN. She also noted that the groups benefit both members and their fellow students.

“Through SIGN, I’ve been able to travel to national conferences,” she said. “I’ve been able to meet more attendings and get a better understanding of what a career in neurology looks like. I got involved as a leader because I wanted to give back and get other students interested in neurology—get people interested in it who weren’t necessarily thinking about it at first.”