Written by Ms. Gabrielle Grixti and Ms. Daniela Chatlani (SCOME Team)
On the 20th of February, SCOME, the Medical Education Standing Committee within MMSA, organised their annual Research Conference. Over 100 members of MMSA were present, showing enthusiasm for their own search for research!
There were various sessions within this conference, delivered by a series of professionals. The first speaker was Prof. Julian Mamo, who gave a short introduction as to what research really is, and then gave a very interactive session regarding Case-Control Studies. He encouraged all the students to find their own personal area of interest within the medical field and start their own research projects, to start branching out into the world of research.
Dr. Beatrice Farrugia then spoke about what Qualitative analysis is within research, by giving us a series of examples and sharing with us novel studies. Following this, there was an interactive workshop conducted by Dr. Alexander Clayman, who explained what Ecological studies are. He then provided the students with a series of case studies, to analyse the best research techniques which should be used if they were conducting the research study.
The Minima Medica magazine
One of the highlights of SCOME’s Research Conference was the official launch of the Minima Medica magazine.
Minima Medica is MMSA’s research journal, which was revived this year, the last edition being that of 2016. This magazine acts as an opportunity for medical students to start branching out into the vast field of research. The magazine consists of both literature reviews and clinical cases.
This magazine will be published on HyDi to be made available for all university students to access. Having Minima on HyDi makes it recognisable for the FY program, which is excellent for the students who took part.
The editors of Minima described the lengthy process of the magazine. Every author who wrote an article for Minima gave a short 5-minute presentation describing the research that they conducted, how they wrote their paper, and why they choose that field, to engage the rest of the students present. The students also had the opportunity to ask the authors questions about their work.
To access our Minima Medica 2020 Magazine, click here.
Congratulations go to the writers for their dedication:
- Ms. Charmaine Cordina
- Mr. Miguel Vella
- Dr. Kimberly Hallett
- Ms. Gabriella Debono
- Ms. Hannah Xuereb
- Mr. Adam Al Gededi
- Mr. Mark Miruzzi.
A SCOME and SCORE collaboration
During the Research Conference, there was also a collaboration of SCOME with the Exchanges-Out Team regarding Research Exchange (SCORE) opportunities for medical students. Students who have gone on exchanges in the past few years shared their experiences to encourage students to go on such a great learning experience. Finally, the Intercalated Year was discussed by Mr. Peter Sciberras, where he shared exactly what this additional year as part of the medical course entails, and shared his own experience, about how this year provided him with the opportunity to conduct his own professional research in Malta.
The conference was a great success, and we hope that all those who attended were inspired and encouraged to become more involved in research throughout their years as medical students and their professional lives. Research truly is a tight rope walk, but no rewarding challenge is ever easy.
