Addressing Low Scholarly Output in Residency With a Resident-Led Society for Innovation and Research

Research in residency develops skills essential for the practice of medicine with many benefits for residents, residency programs, the community of medicine, and patients. However, resident participation in research and innovation remains limited, with barriers that are difficult to address without significant overhead or changes to curriculum.

In September 2021, the Society for Innovation and Research (SIR), a resident-led organization dedicated to promoting and supporting resident achievement in research and innovation, was founded. Using only 1 hour of protected didactic time a month, SIR workshops provide critical mentoring and feedback to make resident research a success, with education on various topics of interest to residents. In addition, SIR celebrates and publicizes resident research success and lays the groundwork for interested residents to participate in innovation.

The authors assessed for any increase in resident research productivity by analyzing PubMed-indexed publications for 11 semesters from fall 2018 to fall 2023. After the launch of SIR, the mean (SD) total number of publications increased from 5.3 (2.4) to 13.3 (1.6) ( P = .01), the total mean (SD) number of residents publishing increased from 3.7 (1.3) to 10.0 (1.2) ( P = .009), and the mean (SD) total number of coauthored articles increased from 0.1 (0.3) to 2.8 (1.3) ( P = .007).

The skill set acquired from participation in research during residency is more critical than ever in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. SIR initiatives are generalizable to most residency programs in most specialties and require little overhead in terms of physical space, digital resources, and staffing. The authors are currently exploring expanding the SIR program to other residencies at U.S. institutions and have set up processes for the mantle of SIR leadership to be passed down among the pathology resident body.