128 - The Future Leaders in Brain Injury Conference: Effects on Awareness and Career Interest Among Undergraduates and Medical Students

Objectives: To show the impact of a national, virtual conference for undergraduates and medical students on awareness of and interest in careers in the Brain Injury field.

Design: The Future Leaders in Brain Injury Conference is a free, virtual educational event which was created to address gaps in knowledge of careers in Brain Injury among undergraduates and medical students in the US. The 2023 conference included lectures and panel discussions with physicians, allied health professionals, and individuals with brain injury and concluded with one-on-one mentoring sessions with professionals in the field. Participants were asked to complete a survey assessing their knowledge of and interest in the field before and after the conference.

Results: Of the 143 participants who attended the event, 94 completed both assessments. 76.6% of participants were undergraduates, with the majority (68.1%) majoring in biology or neuroscience. 85.1% were planning to pursue a career in medicine. Before attending the conference, only 42.6% of participants rated their understanding of brain-injury related professions as good, very good, or excellent. This improved to 97.9% after the conference. Following the conference, a greater proportion of participants were able to identify Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) as a medical specialty involved in the care of patients with brain injuries (45.7% vs. 12.8%; P< 0.0001), and a greater proportion expressed interest in pursuing a career in PM&R (19.1% vs. 8.5%; P=0.006).

Conclusions: This type of educational event provides an opportunity for students to learn more about careers in the Brain Injury field, and in particular increases awareness of and interest in the specialty of PM&R among undergraduates and medical students.