Access to neurology education is limited worldwide, particularly in low income countries (LIC) and lower-middle income countries (LMIC). The COVID-19 pandemic decreased in-person neurology education, but also increased online educational endeavors that have the potential to improve access to neurology education worldwide. 

Neurology Virtual Morning Report (NVMR) is a weekly, virtual, case-based clinical reasoning conference, open freely to participants worldwide. A survey was distributed by email to NVMR participants to assess the impact of NVMR on participants’ interest in and confidence with neurology. The University of California, San Francisco Institutional Review Board reviewed the study and deemed it exempt. 

The first 83 Neurology VMRs had a mean of 27.1 participants per session (IQ range: 9-90). 

89 participants from 25 countries completed the survey. 25% of respondents were from LIC and LMIC. 58% percent of participants reported having  a mandatory preclinical neurology/neuroscience course and 51% percent of participants reported having a mandatory clinical neurology rotation during their medical school training (53% from HIC and UMIC, 50% from LMIC and LIC). Only 20% of participants had access to in person clinical reasoning conferences of any type (i.e., not limited to neurology). 

81% of participants reported NVMR increased their interest in neurology. Participants reported NVMR increased their confidence in evaluating patients with neurological symptoms (89%), understanding pathophysiology of neurological disease (88%), thinking critically about neurological diagnostic tests (85%), integrating neuroanatomy into clinical reasoning (82%), and participating in neurology case discussions (70%).

NVMR had a broad geographic reach and increased participant interest in and comfort with neurology. Through virtual open-access educational initiatives, neurology educators have the opportunity and potential to reach learners around the world and reduce global educational gaps in neurology.