International Medical Student Research Conference (IMRC) 2025

Medical research and innovation are essential to improving the quality of health systems and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Providing medical students with opportunities to learn the research process, present their work, and exchange knowledge internationally is therefore important for strengthening their academic capacity and preparing them for future medical practice. The International Medical Student Research Conference (IMRC 2025) was organized by Phramongkutklao College of Medicine in collaboration with a network of Thai medical schools and international partners. Held under the theme “Sustainable Healthcare: Integrating Medical Innovations for Sustainable Development Goals,” the conference provided a platform for disseminating research findings, exploring trends in medical innovation, and exchanging experiences with medical students and experts from Thailand and other countries. Medical students participating as research presenters received constructive feedback that could enhance the quality of their work while developing their academic communication and presentation skills. General participants expanded their knowledge, gained broader perspectives on research and innovation, and established international academic networks. Accordingly, Burapha University supported its medical students in attending IMRC 2025 as both research presenters and general participants. This initiative aimed to strengthen research knowledge and skills, enhance the academic standards of students and the institution, and foster collaborative networks that contribute to the advancement of medicine and the national health system.

The Objectives:

1. To provide medical students with opportunities to participate in an international academic conference.

2. To enable medical students to learn from the experiences and perspectives of research presenters.

The project was implemented through a participatory process that encouraged medical students to engage throughout the planning, conference participation, evaluation, and reporting stages, as summarised below.

1. Prepare the proposal in the Student Affairs format, based on the planning meeting, and submit it to the Dean for approval.

2. Present research and attend research seminars at Phramongkutklao College of Medicine.

3. The treasurer collects and submits receipts, the participant registration list, and activity photographs to the Student Affairs staff.

4. Prepare the project completion report in accordance with the Student Affairs format and submit the finalized report to the Student Affairs staff.

1. Participation and research awards. Twenty medical students applied to participate in the project. Three research abstracts were submitted to the competition, and all three were selected for the competition round. However, because several Student Club activities were scheduled concurrently, the complete competition materials for one project could not be finalized by the deadline. The team therefore withdrew one entry, leaving two projects in the competition. Both projects received awards: • Gold Medal and Winner: “Updating Application for Nursing Assistant Robots in Hospitals: Systematic Review” • Silver Medal and Runner-up: “Association between Plant-Based Diets and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Adults: A Systematic Review”

The 2025 competition included 76 research entries representing 60 medical education institutions from 20 countries.

2. Participant satisfaction. Participants rated each item on a five-point scale, where 1 represented the lowest level of satisfaction and 5 represented the highest. The mean score result as shown follow;

1) Overall satisfaction with the program = 4.67

2) Increased knowledge and understanding of research = 4.67

3) Inspiration to conduct research = 4.80

4) Satisfaction with knowledge gained from oral and e-poster presentations = 4.56

5) Satisfaction with the support and services provided by the Faculty of Medicine, Burapha University = 4.78