SIGN Chapter Toolkit

Find resources for your chapter, including:

• Core Materials: The main set of materials your chapter needs to be successful.
• Logo and Assets: Look the part by using the SIGN logo and templates for all materials your chapter creates.
• Ready-to-use Activities: From panel discussions to movie screenings, check out these tried and true activities with your SIGN chapter.
• Additional Resources: From getting reimbursed to finding other SIGN chapters on social media, we have the resources you need!

Core materials 

SIGN Calendar Year + Example Activity Calendar

Year Overview

• August 1: New chapter year begins
  • After August 1, 2024, chapters should renew or register their status for the 2024-2025 chapter year. 
  • Reimbursement request limits reset on this date and are based on your chapter activities per the previous (2023-2024) end-of-year form.
• Beginning of the year:
  • Hold recruitment events.
  • Chapters are encouraged to cover core curricula for new members. See templates for inspiration.
• Mid-year:
  • Common to have leadership turnover as semesters change - faculty advisor and prior leadership must ensure new leadership has access to relevant documents and contact info and update their contact information on the chapter map if needed.
  • Remember to submit for reimbursement if eligible and relevant
• Late year:
  • Consider participating in Brain Awareness Week
  • Consider holding a session on residency advice and the match process.
  • Prepare for the upcoming year. Planning can be easier before next year begins.

Popular Activities and Events

Below is a non-exhaustive list of activities and events to consider:

• Procedures or technologies workshop (e.g lumbar punctures, neuroimaging, neuro exam)
• Neuroscience/course review sessions
• Faculty talk or lunch and learn (subjects can include subspecialties, careers, and special topics).
• Match or residency AMA panel
• Institutional networking or tours of important campus locations
• Advocacy or community events
• Recruitment and welcome events
• Watch parties
• Reception/symposium/forum participation—attending regional conferences or organizing your own 
• Games and trivia
• Collaborations with other interest groups on campus and other SIGN chapters

Core-content Lecture Series

Each SIGN chapter should plan to present the following topics during the academic year. The goal is to engage students that may not be sure about a career in neurology and expose them to relevant content. 

SIGN Logo and Branded Assets

Find all of the SIGN logo assets you may want to use for your chapter. Be sure to take a look at the Identity Guide first to understand the various items and how to use them. 

Ready-to-use Activities

The following activities have been created for SIGN chapters to easily use throughout the year.

Virtual SIGN Resources

Find activities and suggestions for member engagement and education, community outreach, and mentorship events that work well in online or hybrid settings.

Neurology Residency Panel Discussion

A neurology residency panel discussion takes advantage of recently matched medical students in neurology. This panel discussion allows students the opportunity to get insight into why other students selected neurology, to hear about the logistics of the residency application process, to learn more about interviews for neurology residency, and to consider the factors that played the largest role in creating the rank list and selecting a specific program.

Logistics

Plan this event within 2-3 weeks after Match Day. Contact the Office of Student Affairs or similar group at your medical school to get a list of the 4th year medical students who have matched into neurology programs (you may also want to include some pediatric neurology matched students).

Invite them to participate in a one hour panel discussion that the SIGN student leadership can facilitate. 3-5 students are best for the panel with one moderator (typically a SIGN group officer).

Plan for a one hour meeting, following the agenda below.

Remember to keep track of attendance.

Ask the panel if they would be willing to share their emails for follow up questions and provide this to meeting participants.

Example Agenda (approximately 1 hour):

• (3-5 minutes) Welcome to the program with a brief overview of SIGN and additional upcoming programming, and introduction of panel members
• (6-10 minutes) Each panel member then does a two minute overview of why they chose the specialty
• (15 minutes) Questions from the moderator:
  • Example Discussion Questions:
    • What medical school experiences helped you to decide to become a neurologist?
    • Should I be participating in specific activities to improve my ERAS application?
    • What types of residency program features are important? (ex: patient diversity, breath of clinical cases, independence, research opportunities)
    • Is the size of the program important?
    • How do you determine if there is good faculty support at a program?
• (20 minutes) Questions from the audience
• (10 minutes) Final words from the panel and wrap up

Created by Anna Hohler, MD - Boston University

Journal Club

Journal clubs are a useful way to discuss relevant and new literature in a field. In general, participating in a journal club involves identifying an appropriate article, and discussing its methods, results, impact, and limitations. The purpose of the journal club is to review new or important literature, and to gain a better understanding of how research has been conducted. While journal clubs can be fun and informal, the person leading the journal club should try to use a systematic approach to the identification and assessment of an article.

Logistics

A journal club can be run in most spaces on campus, but is best if the room used facilitates group discussion. Start by selecting an article in a topic of neurology that interests you. The selected article should be primary literature, rather than a review article; articles to consider include: (1) disease changing historic treatment trials (e.g. original phase III trial of tPA for ischemic stroke; (2) new treatment or intervention in a field; or (3) important observational/natural history study.

Next, identify one student in the group to lead the discussion (role described below). You should also find a resident or faculty member to help lead the discussion—preferably with expertise in the topic you’ll be discussing!

Send the article to the group at least 2-3 days before the journal club, so everyone has a chance to read it. Make sure all group members know that they should be reviewing and thinking critically about the article prior to coming to the journal club. Encourage group members to come to the discussion with questions about the article to discuss.

Plan for a one hour meeting, following the agenda below.

Remember to keep track of attendance.

The student selected to lead the journal club is expected to be “most expert” on the article and should use the Article Assessment Form provided to help with the critical assessment. This person should also create 2-4 critical questions to address after the discussion of the article.

Example Agenda:

• (3-5 minutes) Welcome to the program with a brief overview of SIGN, additional upcoming programming, and introduction of the student discussion leader
• (2-3 minutes) Student discussion leader gives a brief description of why the article was selected
• (20-30 minutes) Summary of the article, led by the student discussion leader, based on questions answered on the Article Assessment Form. Encourage input from the entire group:
  • Introduction: Highlight why the research was conducted and the main questions being answered
  • Methods: Describe the study design, population, variables, outcome measures and statistical methods. Mention limitations and potential sources of bias in the study design or population studied.
  • Results: Discuss the study results and their significance (statistical and clinical significance). Mention if the results and intervention are generalizable.
  • Discussion and Conclusions: Summarize the conclusions, discuss whether the results support these, discuss the potential impact of the study on clinical practice, and mention any additional limitations of the study.
• (10 minutes) Discussion of critical questions created by student leader and other group members
  • Use this Article Assessment Form as a starting guide
• (5-10 minutes) Additional thoughts, comments, and discussion from all group members
• (2-3 minutes) Brief summary and wrap up

Created by Christopher Tarolli, MD - University of Rochester 

Movie Screening or Watch Party

A movie screening or watch party can be a fun way to interact with fellow students with an interest in neurology. The activity also allows students to examine how neurology is portrayed in pop culture and the public perception of the field. You could also watch a recorded or live-streamed Annual Meeting or other neurological society (e.g. your state society, a subspecialty society, or the Child Neurological Society) meeting session together.

Logistics

A movie screening or watch party can be done in a small format on campus (most lecture halls will have this capability) or you can look into renting out a local movie theater during off hours. This will allow for an introduction and a discussion after the movie. Try to coordinate treats to have during the movie like popcorn and candy.

Remember to keep track of attendance.

Try to coordinate with a neurologist on faculty to help to lead the discussion afterward and talk about their work if feasible. 

Watch Party Example Agenda (approximately 2 hours):

• (3-5 minutes) Welcome to the program with a brief overview of SIGN and additional upcoming programming
• (50 minutes) Watch party - Diagnosis
• (20 minutes) Guided Discussion or Neurologist speaks about their work
  • Child Neurology spotlight - discuss Season 1 episodes 2 or 4 with a pediatric neurologist!
• (20 minutes) Open Discussion
• (10 minutes) Wrap up

Movie Screening Example Agenda (approximately 3 hours):

• (3-5 minutes) Welcome to the program with a brief overview of SIGN and additional upcoming programming
• (122 minutes) Movie screening – Concussion
• (20 minutes) Guided Discussion or Neurologist speaks about their work
  • Example Discussion Questions:
    • What were some of the struggles that Dr. Bennet Omalu faced in reporting his findings?
    • Why do you think he was met with such disdain for his work?
    • Should Dr. Omalu have tried to go about his discovery reporting a different way?
    • What lessons do we learn about science versus big business?
    • Do big businesses use race or gender as a means of discrimination in scientific discovery?
    • What lessons do we learn about work/life balance from this film? What impact did Dr. Omalu’s work have on his wife and his colleagues?
• (20 minutes) Open Discussion
• (10 minutes) Closing remarks and wrap-up

Created by Anna Hohler, MD - Boston University

Additional Resources

• Reimbursement: For the 2023-2024 chapter year, only active US and Canada-based chapters are eligible for reimbursement. Learn more.

• Learn about where SIGN has been, where it's going, and gain key insight from SIGN leaders. View the presentation from the 2023 Annual Meeting SIGN Meeting.
• Check out our medical student resources, including short-form videos, case studies, podcasts, and exam review materials.
• Learn more about anti-racism as a professional competency through our free, self-paced Anti-racism Education Program. Consider starting a book club or conversation group to discuss and reflect together as you work through one of the four modules.
• Chapter leaders, there is a Facebook group for you! You will need to request to join. Updates and helpful information about scholarships and resources are often posted here. Sharing chapter activities and photos is highly encouraged!
• Let your chapter know about AAN membership, which is free for medical students and allows them to apply for AAN scholarships, access the Medical Student Synapse Community, and more.