The AMA Research Challenge—the largest event of its kind—offers medical students, residents, fellows, and IMGs the opportunity to showcase their scholarly pursuits in front of some of the brightest minds in medicine.
For those considering participating in the largest national, multispecialty research event for medical students and residents with a $10,000 grand prize—the abstract submission deadline is July 16, 2025. In advance of that date, here are some key reasons you should submit your work for the chance to participate, according to past research challenge finalists.
Strengthen your CV
The research challenge is a poster board competition at heart. Getting recognized as a semifinalist or finalist can be a solid bullet point on your resume or CV as you enter practice or apply for residency or fellowship positions.
A 2022 graduate of Harvard Medical School and now a pediatric resident, Priya Shah, MD, was a finalist in the 2021 AMA Research Challenge for her research on trauma-informed care education. The work came up often during residency program interviews.
“People were really interested in this topic. I was able to create a novel curriculum that was student-run,” said Dr. Shah, a pediatrics PGY-3 in Philadelphia.
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Get feedback from leaders in the field
If you progress far enough in the AMA Research Challenge, you have the potential to present to some of the leading researchers in medicine during the final round. The final round takes place virtually.
Dr. Shah found those interactions invaluable.
“One of the best parts of taking part in research is sharing your ideas, designs and outcomes with others,” she said. “And hearing their feedback—what they liked and what they thought could be improved upon—that is a really valuable part of the process.”
The AMA Succeeding in Medical School series offers tips and other guidance on a wide range of critical topics, including preparing for the USMLE and COMLEX exams, navigating clinical rotations, publishing scientific research, and maintaining optimal health and wellness.
Your research can evolve
The AMA Research Challenge takes place in a poster-presentation format, but projects can evolve. Dr. Shah found medical students and faculty members interested in continuing the curriculum and research project at Harvard after she left.
Since the AMA Research Challenge, “I’ve been able to consolidate that whole process to be able to write up my project and share about my experience,” she said. “The goal of that is to be able to share the materials with a wider group so that hopefully this curriculum can be implemented at other institutions as well.”
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Strengthen your presentation skills
At each stage of the AMA Research Challenge, participants are required to make a brief video that goes along with their poster. That allows participants to hone their presentation skills in a way that could be useful down the road in a format such as grand rounds.
Ayush Kumar, an MD-PhD student at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, won the 2024 AMA Research Challenge for his work focused on triple-negative breast cancer. He believes that the experience of presenting will translate to other, less academic arenas.
"One of the biggest things in research is learning to communicate something very complicated in a way that’s easily digestible to others,” he said. “That has translated into my ability to be an advocate for patients and explain medical treatments in a way they can understand."
A big potential payday
The winning project in the 2024 AMA Research Challenge will be awarded a $10,000 grand prize, presented by Laurel Road.
Learn about past AMA Research Challenge winners:
- 2020: Posters on ventilators, e-cigarettes land top honors.
- 2021: Moraxella catarrhalis project lands grand prize.
- 2022: Top prize-winning research offers clues on infertility biomarkers.
- 2023: Research on bile duct cancer detection earns first place nod.
- 2024: MD-PhD student’s breast cancer research wins $10,000 prize
