CME Conducted

One hundred thousand. This number—an estimate of the number of medical conferences, workshops, online webinars,and meetings hosted around the globe may not be accurate but is not unrealistic either. Academicians thrive on conferences; researchers eagerly wait for them and professionals working in health-related disciplines consider them an important component of their professional life. John Ioannidis (JAMA 2012; 307:1257-1258) describes their character in his inimitable style: “These events come in all sizes, from relatively small, local gatherings, workshops, and symposia to large international mega-congresses that mobilize tens of thousands of clinicians, researchers, exhibitors, and staff to build small-sized towns for a few days.”

Given the limitations of a small town MGIMS is located at, we focus more on contents than on numbers. Over the years, MGIMS has also hosted numerous conferences that have disseminated and advanced research, provided a platform to young residents to present their work, and offered an opportunity for young faculty members to rub shoulders with well-known researchers in their disciplines. Sure enough, these is more in these conferences than the bulleted power-point presentations: they have helped medical students acquire skills and attitudes, provided hands-on-training to residents, enriched science-driven minds and and also fostered an environment of scientific inquiry and skepticism among neophytes— inspiring and motivating them to wet their feet in medical research.