When HAM introduced a poster competition at the 109th Annual Clinical Day, the goal was to create a new opportunity for medical learners and emerging researchers to share their work with the broader physician community.
The response exceeded our expectations.
More than 60 abstracts were submitted, with 10 selected for presentation at Clinical Day. The inaugural poster program brought research into the centre of the in-person conference, giving presenters an opportunity to discuss their work directly with physicians and other healthcare professionals attending from across Hamilton and beyond.
For HAM, the poster program was also about creating stronger connections between different stages of the medical community. Clinical Day has traditionally focused on practical, current education for practising clinicians. Adding research presentations created a place within that program for learners and emerging researchers to contribute to the conversation as well.
The program attracted particularly strong participation from McMaster medical students, with nine of the finalists coming from McMaster's Undergraduate Medical Education program.
That kind of participation is important to HAM. Connecting physicians shouldn't begin once someone enters independent practice. Creating opportunities for medical students and residents to participate in HAM programs, meet practising physicians and contribute to Hamilton's medical community is an important part of building those relationships earlier in their careers.
Following the response to the inaugural competition, poster presentations will return for the 110th Annual Clinical Day on January 27, 2027.