The next generation of physicians and scientists from medical schools across the northeast region shared their student research with top neurosurgeons and neuroscientists at the inaugural Northeast Medical Student Neuroscience Research Symposium held on Wednesday, Dec. 6, at Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset.
The conference was organized by the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell’s student chapter of the American Association for Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and included leading researchers in the field of neural science. Dr. Kevin J. Tracey, president and CEO of The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and executive vice president of research at Northwell Health, delivered the keynote address.
Tracey is a pioneer in the scientific fields of inflammation and bioelectronic medicine, which uses electrical devices rather than drugs to treat disease.
“Encouraging the next generation of physician scientists is essential to producing new discoveries that may help future patients,” said Tracey, Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research, and professor of molecular medicine and neurosurgery at the Zucker School of Medicine. “As with all important advances in science and medicine, sharing ideas and collaborating with each other will help us address new questions and continuously deepen our knowledge.”
Nearly 100 conference attendees, including medical students, residents, medical educators, and health professionals, heard presentations from more than 60 students in various stages of medical education and residency.
Their research posterboards focused on important medical and health subjects, from language center relocation after brain surgery to socioeconomic determinants of neurosurgical outcomes.
Ten medical schools were represented, including Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, NYU Langone, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Stony Brook Renaissance School of Medicine, SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.
Class of 2026 Weil Cornell student Parsa Nilchia presented his research titled “Functional reorganization of the language network in patients with a left-sided brain tumor.”
The study seeks to understand how the language network reorganizes in response to a lesion. “Attending the 2023 Northeast Medical Student Neuroscience Symposium offered an excellent opportunity to present my latest research progress,” said Nilchia, who hails from Achim, Germany. “Being able to network with like-minded peers from nearby peer institutions was immensely valuable. I am confident that these newly formed connections will be the foundation for future research collaborations and friendships.”
The symposium, funded by Northwell Health’s Department of Neurosurgery and the Zucker School of Medicine, offered students an opportunity to showcase their research and glean career advice from neurosurgeons at various career points, including those completing their residencies.
AANS student chapter co-chair Adrian Chen and fellow board members and conference organizers, including fourth-year student Brandon Santhumayor and second-year medical students Evan Cater and Isabelle Pelcher, also believe the inter-school meeting is the first step toward improving communication and collaboration for all students interested in the fields of neurosciences.
“We live in the densest region of medical students in the country – neurosurgery and neurology are well-acquainted communities, and we need to grow as one,” noted Chen, a second-year medical student. “The current scarcity of inter-health system collaboration at the medical student level does not have to be the status quo.”
The Zucker School of Medicine Neurosurgery Program at Hofstra/Northwell is one of the largest neurosurgical residencies in the country, offering residents the opportunity to learn the science and skill of neurosurgery from a talented and diverse faculty. Chen and his team worked closely with Dr. Daniel M. Sciubba, chair of Neurosurgery at Northwell Health, Dr. Griffin R. Baum, AANS chapter advisor and spine neurosurgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital, and Dr. Timothy G. White, chief resident of Neurosurgery at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, to help create an inspiring educational experience for all.
“The symposium is hyper-focused and student-centric, built by medical students for medical students, and serves as a unique opportunity for them to experience a conference focused on their work and accomplishments,” explained White, a Zucker School of Medicine alum, Class of 2017. “The in-person conference allows students individual time with leaders in the field for assessment of their research and direct feedback, which is not something that often occurs at larger national conferences. Students can develop peer-to-peer relationships and interact with field leaders in an intimate setting.”
This networking experience is just what Chen and AANS chapter members planned when they began to think about taking on the enormous task of organizing a symposium for students.
Chen was not only a conference organizer but also a presenter. His research with Dr. Tracey and Dr. Eric Chang, associate professor with the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, focused on light-stimulation of the vagus nerve as a potential treatment for chronic inflammatory diseases.
Chen, who hails from Great Neck, became involved in scientific research as a sophomore in high school when he was accepted into The Feinstein Institutes’ Summer Visiting Scholar Program.
His research continued as an undergraduate at Hofstra University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience as part of Hofstra’s 4 + 4 Program, a highly selective eight-year curriculum that combines undergraduate and medical school education.
“Attending Hofstra University’s 4+4 BS/MD Program gave me the opportunity to approach and work with researchers who knew that I would be a part of the Hofstra/Northwell health system for a very long time,” said Chen. “I am also very thankful that the Zucker School of Medicine’s Office of Medical Student Research encourages and supports students in all research areas.”
Research posters submitted for the conference were grouped into three specialty areas: neurosurgery, neurology, and basic neurosciences. Residents reviewed and ranked each poster and chose the top three overall. The conference concluded with a networking dinner and a poster award presentation.
The winners included posters by students at Weill Cornell Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine and NYU Langone Medical School.
However, having gained knowledge, support, and inspiration from each other, Chen noted that all conference participants were winners, “We must continue to proactively reach out to our future colleagues, teaching and learning from each other – this is what the Northeast Medical Student Neuroscience Research Symposium aims to achieve.”