Objective:

To evaluate the impact of a medical student-led neurology journal club.

Background:

“Neurophobia,” the fear of neurology rooted in the perceived complexity of neuroanatomy and the divide between basic science and clinical practice, is widely documented among medical trainees and poses significant barriers to confidence and interest in the field. Journal clubs represent a promising intervention by strengthening critical reading skills and linking research to clinical care. However, studies on neurology-specific journal clubs are scarce and lack rigorous pre- and post-evaluations. To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically assess the impact of a student-led neurology journal club on learning and career interest.

Design/Methods:

All students at New York Medical College (NYMC) were invited to participate in voluntary journal club sessions hosted by the NYMC Student Interest Group in Neurology. Optional, anonymized pre- and post-session surveys were administered. Data analysis was performed using matched responses and aggregate responses.

Results:

Across five unique journal club sessions, 25 students completed the pre-survey and 19 completed the post-survey, with 12 matched responses. Paired analyses demonstrated significant improvements in understanding the session topic (+0.9, p = 0.009), statistical rationale (+0.9, p = 0.001), and identifying paper strengths and limitations (+0.6, p = 0.012). Confidence in discussing research findings (+0.6, p = 0.046) and familiarity with neurology subspecialties (+0.6, p = 0.012) also increased, with moderate-to-large effect sizes (d = 0.6-1.4). Clinical students showed consistently positive outcomes, while preclinical improvements were more variable. Overall, our study highlights improved research literacy and stronger engagement with neurology literature.

Conclusions:

Our findings demonstrate a benefit in incorporating student-led neurology journal clubs into undergraduate medical education. By connecting preclinical concepts with clinical applications and increasing engagement with neurology literature, this model may help address neurophobia and strengthen the neurology pipeline.