BRIDGING THE RESEARCH GAP

The BRIDGES team is delighted to support an exciting student-led research initiative in collaboration with the University of Lancashire Medical Research Society.

This structured Systematic Review Teaching Series is designed to equip medical students and junior doctors with the practical, end-to-end skills needed to design, conduct, and publish high-quality systematic reviews.

Research skills are a core competency for modern clinicians, yet many trainees lack early structured exposure.

This initiative aims to:

• Build confidence in evidence-based practice

• Develop publishable research outputs

• Create meaningful student–clinician collaborations

• Strengthen the research culture across ELHT and the wider North West

Participants who demonstrate strong engagement may also have the opportunity to:
👉 Be matched to supervised systematic review projects within ELHT
👉 Present work at a dedicated Research Showcase Event

A 7-session structured programme delivered online (1–2 hours weekly), designed to fit around clinical placements:

• Introduction to Systematic Reviews 19/03/2026 18:00 GMT
  Understanding systematic reviews, their role in evidence-based medicine, and the PRISMA workflow.

• Formulating the Research Question & PROSPERO 30/03/2026 18:00 GMT
  Developing focused research questions, defining eligibility criteria, and registering protocols.

• Literature Searching & Study Screening 23/03/2026 18:00 GMT
  Designing search strategies, managing references, and screening studies using PRISMA standards.

• Data Extraction & Data Management 14/04/2026 18:00 GMT
  Designing extraction templates and preparing datasets for synthesis.

• Meta-analysis Foundations 16/04/2026 18:00 GMT
  Understanding effect sizes, heterogeneity, and interpreting forest plots.

• Critical Appraisal & Certainty of Evidence 27/04/2026 18:30 GMT
  Assessing study quality, evaluating risk of bias, and grading evidence using GRADE.

• Writing & Publishing a Systematic Review 21/04/2026 17:30 GMT
  Structuring manuscripts, applying PRISMA reporting standards, and navigating journal submission and peer review.

• Medical students (University of Lancashire – all campuses)

• Junior doctors interested in research

• Trainees looking to strengthen academic portfolios

We are currently inviting:

• Registrars & Consultants to deliver teaching sessions

• Junior doctors & trainees to act as facilitators/mentors

• Supervisors for student-led systematic review projects

📌 Priority sessions requiring speakers:

• Session 2 (Research Question & PROSPERO)

• Session 4 (Critical Appraisal & GRADE)

• Session 6 (Meta-analysis)

This is an excellent opportunity to:

• Contribute to regional academic development

• Gain teaching and supervision experience

• Support high-yield publishable student research

Team-based learning (groups of 5)

• Strong facilitator support (≈1:5 ratio)

• Mentorship from clinicians, researchers, and senior students

• Opportunity for real-world project involvement

Participants who complete the programme and projects will be invited to:
🎤 Research Showcase Event (ELHT)/ ANNUAL SILASC CONFERENCE
📊 Poster presentations
📈 Dissemination of student-led research

👉 Sign up or express interest (teaching / supervision):
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=gpn262sDxEyyAnrrGUxQZQfXNmiv115PnJyIvG_c8bJUQ0NLMUROUDhWSkZSUVE2QTJDUk1WUFk4SS4u&route=shorturl

Medical Research Society Links:
📸 Instagram: @lancashire.medresearch
🔗 Membership: https://www.lancashiresu.co.uk/organization/urms/
💬 Join our WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Czng4bhPgiOIEUuB6vlSsB