Virtual event
The AMA Research Challenge virtual poster symposium and semifinals, held Oct. 22-23, 2025, featured research from nearly 1,000 medical students, residents and international medical graduates (IMGs) from across hundreds of medical schools and health care institutions.
A special thank you to all presenters and attendees for making this year’s event a record success!
2025 finalists
Congratulations to the five finalists who received top scores during the semifinals, advancing them to the final round!
Bijoya Basu
Third year medical student
- Poster: A hormone circuit from fat to hippocampus drives a novel, druggable anxiety pathway (PDF)
- Topic: Basic Science
- Medical institution: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Tiffany Bellomo, MD
Resident, vascular surgery
- Poster: Lipoprotein(a) is a Prognostic Marker of Extracoronary Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease Progression (PDF)
- Topic: Clinical and Translational research
- Medical institution: Massachusetts General Hospital
Karishma Popli, MD, MBE
Chief resident, adult neurology
- Poster: Development, Implementation and Evaluation of a Novel Neuropalliative Care Education Curriculum (PDF)
- Topic: Medical Education
- Medical institution: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Addison Shenk
Fourth year medical student
- Poster: Hands-On Naloxone Training: Advancing Curriculum and Assessment Through Simulated Manikins Learning (PDF)
- Topic: Medical Education
- School: Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Anthony Wong
Fourth year medical student
- Poster: Machine Learning-Guided Design of Next-Generation Triple Agonist Peptide Therapeutics for Metabolic Disease (PDF)
- Topic: Basic Science
- Medical institution: Carle Illinois College of Medicine
About
The AMA Research Challenge is the largest national, multi-specialty medical research conference for medical students, residents and IMGs to showcase and present research.
In 2025, 1,400 abstracts were submitted across six topic areas and 1,000 abstracts with qualifying scores were accepted to the virtual poster symposium and semifinals which took place Oct. 22-23, 2025. Of the qualifying abstracts, 60 with the highest scores were accepted to compete in the semifinals. At the conclusion of the virtual event, the top five scored semifinalists will advance to the final round where a panel of judges will determine the winner of the 2025 AMA Research Challenge grand prize of $10,000, presented by Laurel Road.
Download the 2025 official participant directory (PDF).
Submit an abstract
The call for abstracts is now open for the 2026 AMA Research Challenge! The submission deadline is July 16, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Central.
Submit an abstract to:
- Showcase your research for a chance to win $10,000, presented by Laurel Road
- Gain research and presentation skills to enhance your CV
- Discover what judges look for in a poster and presentation
Abstracts will be considered in various topics including:
- Basic science
- Clinical and translational research
- Clinical vignettes
- Health systems science
- Medical education
- Public health and health policy
Abstract submission resources
- 2026 official rules (PDF)
- 2026 participant FAQs (PDF)
- Abstract topics and descriptions (PDF)
- Abstract template (DOCX)
- Abstract template—Clinical vignettes (DOCX)
- Abstract scoring criteria (PDF)
Abstract submission criteria
- AMA member exclusive benefit—join or renew by the submission deadline for your abstract to be considered.
- The abstract must be submitted using an approved template. An abstract submitted without the approved template will not be considered.
- The abstract must be submitted without pictures, graphs or citations/references.
- The abstract must not exceed 400 words. The word count does not include the abstract title, page numbering or any ancillary entrant information.
- The abstract must be the lead author’s original work and not published elsewhere as of the submission deadline.
Visit the winning posters page (members only) to review a medical poster example from past winners and find out what impressed the judges and tips on increasing your chances of submitting a winning entry.
Email [email protected] for any questions.
$10,000 grand prize
Laurel Road is sponsoring the grand prize of $10,000 for the winner of the AMA Research Challenge. Laurel Road is not involved in the judging or scoring process to select the winner. Payment of the grand prize will be directly from Laurel Road. Read the official rules (PDF) for terms and conditions.
- 2025 by the numbers
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- Previous AMA Research Challenge winners
2024 winner
Ayush Kumar, a third-year medical student from the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, was the winner of the 2024 AMA Research Challenge and was awarded the grand prize of $10,000, presented by Laurel Road.
Watch the video and learn more about the finalists.
2023 winner
Jesse Kirkpatrick, a third-year medical student from Harvard School of Medicine, was the winner of the 2023 AMA Research Challenge and was awarded the grand prize of $10,000, presented by Laurel Road.
Watch the video and learn more about the finalists.
2020-2022 winners
Read about the AMA Research Challenge winners from 2022, 2021 and 2020.
- Key dates
Call for abstracts: The 2025 abstract deadline has now passed. Details regarding the 2026 AMA Research Challenge will be announced this fall.
Poster Symposium and semifinals acceptance notification: By Sept. 8, 2025
Virtual Poster Symposium and semifinals: Oct. 22-23, 2025
Final rounds: February 2026. Additional details will be posted once available.- Additional Research Challenge resources
- Ed Hub®: AMA Research Education Series (members only)
- Research Challenge FAQs
- Research Challenge by the numbers
- Research Challenge winning posters (members only)
- How to get started in research
- Latest news on research, the latest trends and more.
If you have any questions about the AMA Research Challenge, mail [email protected].
How to prepare an abstract
Hear from a resident expert on what judges look for in an abstract.
How to prepare and present a virtual research poster for medical conference
Learn key elements for building a digital poster and how to keep your audience engaged.
