Advancing learning equity through virtual radiology grand rounds.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Radiology
• Virtual Learning

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid shifts to virtual learning environments in medical education.
• Departmental grand rounds lectures in radiology were significantly impacted by this transition.
• Open access virtual grand rounds programs emerged as a key educational modality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of an open-access virtual grand rounds program in radiology.
• To test the hypothesis that virtual grand rounds enhance learning equity by increasing access beyond the institution.
• To evaluate the program's contribution to global medical education.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study analyzed 22 open-access virtual grand rounds lectures presented via videoconferencing.
• Registrant data, including geographical location, institutional affiliation, and medical specialty, were collected.
• Geographical diversity of attendees was the primary outcome measure, assessed using descriptive statistics.

Main Results:

• Attendees represented 75 academic and 27 non-academic institutions.
• Participants were located across 32 states, 88 cities, and 9 countries.
• Twenty-seven distinct medical specialties were represented among the attendees.

Conclusions:

• The virtual radiology grand rounds program provides free, open-access educational content globally.
• The program demonstrates a significant reach, contributing to learning equity and international inclusion.
• Organizers should consider virtual options for grand rounds to facilitate knowledge sharing.