Kubiszewski Kacper, Gulani Aaishwariya, Sutter Kelly, Sarmiento Bernard, Ghattas Yasmine S, Mathai Reanne, Simms-Cendan Judith S
Medical School, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, USA.
Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, USA.
Cureus. 2022 Jun 2;14(6):e25601. doi: 10.7759/cureus.25601. eCollection 2022 Jun.
The COVID-19 pandemic has halted many large gatherings, and research conferences are no exception. Large conferences, once attended in-person, have primarily switched to a virtual format, utilizing online platforms. Every January, Medical Students Providing Across Continents (MedPACt), the University of Central Florida College of Medicine's global health interest group, hosts a student-run Global Health Conference that features a keynote speaker, discussion panel, and research presentations, and workshops for participants to engage in. Though planning this event is always challenging, organizing the 2021 conference was particularly strenuous as accommodations had to be made to optimize the conference to fit a never-attempted virtual format. This drastic shift warrants further investigation into the efficacy and audience engagement of the virtual format. Using a post-conference survey with specific questions geared towards each component of the conference along with registration data, the virtual conference in 2021 was compared to the in-person conference in 2020. This study found that the virtual format was comparably efficacious in creating relevant and global health-oriented programming for the 2020 in-person conference. Additionally, the 2021 virtual conference received more registrants and cost less to plan, meaning the virtual model is a cost-effective way to deliver quality conference content.
新冠疫情使得许多大型聚会被迫取消，学术研讨会也不例外。曾经需要亲临现场参加的大型会议，如今主要转向了线上模式，借助在线平台举行。每年一月，中佛罗里达大学医学院全球健康兴趣小组“医学生跨洲服务组织”（MedPACt）都会举办一场由学生主导的全球健康研讨会，活动设有主题演讲、讨论小组、研究报告环节，还为参与者安排了工作坊。尽管筹备这项活动一直颇具挑战性，但组织2021年的研讨会尤为艰难，因为必须做出调整，以便将研讨会优化为前所未有的线上模式。这一巨大转变促使人们进一步探究线上模式的效果以及与观众的互动情况。通过会后问卷调查，针对研讨会的各个环节设置特定问题，并结合注册数据，将2021年的线上研讨会与2020年的线下研讨会进行了对比。研究发现，线上模式在为2020年线下研讨会打造相关且以全球健康为导向的活动安排方面同样有效。此外，2021年的线上研讨会吸引了更多注册者，且筹备成本更低，这意味着线上模式是一种既能提供高质量会议内容又具成本效益的方式。
