Building a Global Online Neuroradiology Community: The Cortex Club Experience
Dhairya A Lakhani1, Vidhi Dhaduk2, Andrew Klein2
1Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, Morgantown, WV; Department of Radiology (A.K., D.O., M.A.), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI; Department of Radiology (A.S.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Neuroradiology Department (L.P.), Pediatric Neuroradiology Section, Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy and Department of Radiology (R.V.), University Hospitals of Leicester, Leicester, UK. dhairyalakhani@gmail.com.
Background:
The Cortex Club is a global online neuroradiology community that connects trainees, junior faculty, and experienced educators through a public-facing website and a dedicated WhatsApp group. This article describes how a geographically distributed online community can complement traditional neuroradiology education and scholarship through case-based discussion, peer-to-peer teaching pearls, informal journal discussion, webinars, leadership opportunities, and multinational research collaboration.
Methods:
The authors, core members of The Cortex Club, prepared this descriptive, experience-based report drawing on direct operational experience and review of the community's activities and participation records. We summarize the community's structure, principal educational and scholarly activities, practical lessons, governance considerations, and limitations. As of June 11, 2026, the community included 461 members across 27 countries and 15 time zones and had accumulated 290 shared cases, 55 teaching pearls, 92 discussed papers, 120 webinars or case-based sessions, and 23 conference sessions. These counts reflect participation and engagement rather than formally measured educational, diagnostic, or professional outcomes.
Key Message:
A responsibly governed online community may broaden access to cases, expertise, peer learning, leadership opportunities, and multinational collaboration, complementing rather than replacing institutional education and formal clinical consultation. Clear privacy expectations and appropriate moderation are essential, and educational effectiveness and broader professional impact require formal future evaluation.
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