Southeastern Medical Scientist Symposium

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SUMMARY The Southeastern Medical Scientist Symposium (SEMSS) was established in 2010 by students from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Emory University, and Vanderbilt University Medical Scientist Training Programs (MSTPs). The three programs have co-hosted the symposium with the location rotating among Birmingham, Atlanta, and Nashville. The objective of the symposium is to encourage a collaborative and interdisciplinary educational environment within the Southeast region of the United States. This student- organized symposium seeks to foster connections between the MD/PhD students at multiple institutions across the Southeast, exposing students to trends, challenges, and opportunities inherent in careers of academic physicians. Future SEMSS meetings will continue to rotate locations between Birmingham, Atlanta, and Nashville in order to optimize regional student participation. The program of each SEMSS will continue a highly effective format, including keynote speaker presentations, multiple topic-specific breakout sessions, student research oral and poster sessions, and social events. The breakout sessions are divided into sessions of interest to undergraduates, medical students, and MD/PhD students. The target audience for the SEMSS is MD/PhD students in training programs in the southeast and residents/fellows, MD students, and undergraduate students at southeastern institutions who have an interest in future careers as physician-scientists. Another important purpose of this symposium is to expose undergraduate students to physician-scientist trainees and faculty in order to foster excitement about careers in academic medicine and increase the pipeline of future physician- scientists. We have focused on providing travel awards to female, URM, and students from institutions without MD/PhD programs in order to diversify the pipeline of future physician-scientists. Greater than 60% of students who have previously been awarded a travel award are currently in graduate training programs, with 19% in MD/PhD programs and another 20% in medical schools currently. This successful outcome of travel awardees emphasizes the impact and continued need of the SEMSS. Additionally, with COVID-19 pandemic drastically limiting exposure of undergraduates to physician scientist careers and limiting opportunities of MD/PhD students to present their research and network with other physician scientists, future in-person SEMSS meetings are critical to providing a venue for the continued development of future physician-scientists.