Invited Expert Journal Club: A Novel Surgical Education Conference

Traditional surgical educational formats face growing challenges related to resident engagement, resource demands, and the effective teaching of evidence-based medicine. To address these limitations, the current study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and educational value of the Invited Expert Journal Club (IEJC): a novel, low-resource, resident-centered journal club incorporating virtual participation by early-career to mid-career surgeon-scientists who authored the appraised literature.

This was a cross-sectional qualitative study conducted as a tertiary academic trauma center (2023-2025). Semistructured interviews were conducted with previous conference participants of the IEJC, including residents who had served as presenters, trauma faculty, and authors of the appraised literature - that is, previous invited experts. Participants had attended at least 1 IEJC session within 24 months. Transcripts underwent inductive thematic analysis by 2 coders, with a third serving as a consensus adjudicator.

Five residents, 2 faculty, and 6 invited experts participated. They reported that the IEJC improved residents' critical appraisal skills, research literacy, and public speaking. Faculty and residents valued direct dialogue with authors regarding study methodology, challenges, and clinical applications not captured in manuscripts. Invited experts noted professional benefits, including scholarly dissemination and visibility with minimal time investment. While scheduling remained challenging, the virtual format reduced the logistical and resource burden compared to in-person lectureships. Participants emphasized the IEJC's unique position between traditional journal clubs and grand rounds by fostering interactive, high-yield discussions, while promoting professional development for residents and early-career faculty.

The IEJC represents a feasible, low-resource educational conference model that was perceived by participants as valuable for resident learning and professional engagement. Its resident-centered, author-engaged format facilitated discussion of research methodology, clinical application, and career development. Findings from this qualitative evaluation suggest that the IEJC offers a complementary approach to traditional educational formats by incorporating interactive scholarly discussion, while limiting resource and time demands.