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Ask the Program Director
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A Q&A with a residency program director
by
Omer Awan, MD, MPH, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today
April 22, 2025 • 4 min read
Omer Awan is vice chair and associate program director for the diagnostic radiology residency at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. He has expertise in radiology, education, and public health. Follow
Welcome to “Ask the Program Director,” a column from MedPage Today where your most pressing questions about residency — from the application process to life as a resident — are asked and answered.
Dear residency program director,
One of my co-residents was just telling me about a cardiology meeting she attended, and it sounded fascinating! She returned to rotations with a renewed sense of passion. I’ve been so busy I haven’t made it a priority to travel and attend any professional meetings. Is it something I should be prioritizing? What do you see as the primary benefit? And if I do attend, how can I make the most of it?
Dear resident:
Thank you for your important question. As a program director, I have found some residents eager to attend professional conferences while others tend to shy away from them.
But these meetings can be an excellent tool for personal and professional development, enhancing a resident’s knowledge, networking opportunities, and ultimately career trajectory. Let me explain.
Professional conferences can augment your ability to become a more competent physician. In residency, you are usually exposed to the same set of core faculty and teachers. While they are likely excellent teachers, residency inherently limits your scope of learning with respect to the types of teaching you get. By attending conferences, you are exposed to more educators and physicians in a unique environment, which can enhance your understanding of topics in your specialty and equip you with new ways of thinking about certain diseases or approaches to care.
In addition, national meetings provide exposure to the latest advancements in research, technology, and clinical practice. These cutting-edge innovations can inspire your own research and spark ideas for questions you want to explore. This happened to me time and time again when I was a resident. I remember perusing different posters and abstracts that planted the seeds of ideas for real research projects. In this way, conferences enhance intellectual curiosity and develop the spirit of lifelong learning, which are pivotal in becoming a successful physician.
Attending in-person conferences also offers opportunities for networking. These meetings bring together the brightest minds in the field — residents, fellows, educators, clinicians, researchers, and industry leaders — providing a touchpoint with potential new mentors. I cannot tell you how many mentors I have met while attending conferences — and many of them are still my mentors to this day. They have given me the chance to publish papers with them and to get involved in national committees, and some have even connected me with jobs. Meeting and speaking with new people, even if it is just over coffee, can open doors that you never thought possible.
Role-modeling is another benefit of attending conferences. Keynote addresses and panel discussions often feature thought leaders and other experts. These speakers provide insights that help shape the future of the field. This can be very inspiring for residents, providing motivation for pursuing a similar career path. Residents can begin to envision the kind of physician they want to become and the sub-areas of medicine they want to pursue.
So, how do you make the most of a professional conference? Conferences can be overwhelming, particularly for residents who are attending for the first time. One of the most important things is to plan ahead — I am a huge fan of checking out the meeting agenda ahead of time and planning which sessions I want to go to. Doing this will allow you to keep your meeting agenda focused, and ensures you don’t miss the talks that you feel you will get the most out of.
But try to avoid jam-packing your agenda with talks, so that you have time to network and meet other residents, fellows, teachers, and mentors. I’d even go as far as to recommend that you prioritize meeting people over attending a particular talk. Lectures and content will always be available, but your chance to actually talk to a thought leader or future mentor may not. If there is someone you absolutely want to meet, it may be worthwhile to reach out to them before the event to have a time and place set for your conversation. The more prepared you are, the more you will get out of the meeting.
Finally, don’t forget to have fun! The daily grind and long hours of residency can be taxing on the body, and traveling to different cities for conferences can be exciting and relaxing. Don’t forget to sight-see, enjoy good food, and check out the attractions in the city.
I hope I was able to convince you that attending national conferences will do you and your career well.
Are you a medical student or resident? Please comment below or email us at perspectives@medpagetoday.com with other questions you’d like to have answered by a residency program director.
