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Background: In a competitive landscape for neurosurgical residency admission, research productivity is increasingly important. Medical school applicants to neurosurgery report high numbers of "scholarly products" as published by the National Residency Match Program. Despite increased student involvement in research and productivity, to the best of our knowledge, no previous reported studies have examined student perspectives on their involvement in neurosurgical research. Methods: For 2 consecutive years (February 2019 and February 2020), medical students (n = 55) from around the United States presented original research at the Student Neurosurgical Research Conference. Participants were administered a mixed-method survey designed to assess experiences and perspectives on engaging in neurosurgical research. Survey responses were analyzed independently by two researchers to assess for common themes and perspectives. Results: Medical students engaged in all types of research work across nearly every neurosurgical subfield with "Basic/Bench Lab work" (38.5%) and "Chart Review" (23.1%) representing the majority of projects. Students commonly cited "curiosity/interest," and "residency application competitiveness" as main reasons for participation in research. About 66% of respondents reported experiencing anxiety/concern about research productivity "often" or "very often." Thematic analysis revealed that sources of research-related stress were (1) having enough publications to match into residency, and (2) having enough time in medical school to engage in research. Conclusion: Medical students engaging in neurosurgical research are highly motivated students driven by scientific curiosity and pressure to prepare for competitive residency applications. Students experience anxiety due to time constraints in medical curricula and increasing demands for scholarly productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical students interested in neurosurgery are increasingly involved in research, and research conferences have proven valuable for developing medical research experience and exposure. A research conference was designed for medical students interested in neurosurgery to present research. Our team designed an annual research conference at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in conjunction with the Neurosurgery and Neurology Departments. In February 2019, we hosted the first Student Neurosurgical and Neurological Research Conference (SNRC), the first national research conference, to our knowledge, designed for medical students to present neurosurgical research in the United States. The conference consisted of student poster/oral presentations, keynote speeches from clinical faculty, and surgical skills workstations. In February 2020, we hosted the second SNRC. After each conference, participants (n = 55) completed a survey to assess student perspectives of the conference. Fifty-five medical students from around the nation attended the conferences to present their research. One hundred percent of participants affirmed that the conference fulfilled their primary reason for attending, which for most (54.5%) was the opportunity to present research. Thematic analysis revealed that students especially appreciated the "lower stress environment" and "opportunity to get feedback on their research." Notably, 97.6% of students felt the conference strengthened or increased their interest in neurosurgery. Participants felt that the SNRC was a valuable opportunity to present research in an environment conducive for practice and improvement. Research conferences primarily for medical students may support the development of young researchers while increasing and strengthening interest in the field of neurosurgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]