Radiology Interest Group X Power Research Workshop: Engaging Medical Students in Radiology Research and Mentorship

Purpose: Since 2022, the Radiology Interest Group (RIG) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center has hosted an annual Power Research Workshop to introduce medical students to radiology, foster mentorship with faculty, and develop research skills. Students are paired with radiology faculty and assigned clinical cases for submission to the American College of Radiology Case in Point database. This study evaluates workshop outcomes, including case completion, scholarly output, match results, and the potential benefit of resident mentorship.

Methods/Materials: A retrospective review of the 2023–2025 workshops collected data on student and faculty participation, case subspecialty, case status (submitted vs. incomplete), and matched specialty for students completing the Match (2023–2024 cohorts). Assigned cases spanned multiple diagnostic radiology subspecialties and interventional radiology.

Results: Across three years, 43 students and 20 faculty participated, with 10 faculty contributing multiple years, yielding an approximate 2:1 student–faculty ratio. Of 53 assigned cases, 29 (53%) were completed and submitted. Among submitted cases, 9 were published, 9 were accepted pending publication, and 1 was rejected. Twenty-four cases (45%) were not completed. Among students who completed the Match, 60% matched into diagnostic or interventional radiology.

Conclusions: The workshop serves as an early pipeline initiative, often providing students their first structured exposure to radiology faculty and scholarly work. Participants include both students exploring radiology and those strengthening residency applications. Research productivity remains an important differentiator in the Match; nationally, the mean number of abstracts, presentations, and publications among matched U.S. MD seniors in diagnostic radiology increased from 8.0 in 2022 to 12.0 in 2024 [1,2]. Incomplete cases likely reflect early program development and follow-through challenges. Future plans include integrating radiology residents as near-peer mentors to improve accountability and completion rates, consistent with prior models demonstrating an 83% completion rate and multiple scholarly outputs [3].