A pilot study: research poster presentations as an educational tool for undergraduate epidemiology students

Raywat Deonandan, James Gomes, Eric Lavigne, Thy Dinh, Robert Blanchard

Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Abstract: Students in a fourth year epidemiology course were surveyed after participating in a formal Science Research Day in which they presented original research, in poster form, to be judged by scientists from the community. Of 276 participating students, 80 (29%) responded to the study survey. As a result, 19% of respondents were more likely to pursue a career in science, and 27.5% were more likely to pursue a career in epidemiology. Only one respondent reported being less likely to pursue a science career, while seven were less likely to pursue epidemiology. A majority of respondents felt that the poster experience was on par with, or superior to, a comparable research paper, in terms of both educational appeal and enjoyment. Mandatory, formal poster presentations are an innovative format for teaching advanced health sciences, and may more accurately reflect the realities of a science career than do more traditional educational formats.

Keywords: epidemiology, education, undergraduate, research–teaching nexus