26/12/2025
CONFERENCES HAVE CHANGED. MEDICINE SHOULDN’T.
I was trained in a time when one presentation meant a month of preparation, tough questioning, and deep respect for knowledge. I come from a time where knowledge was currency. During post-graduation (2013–2016), we prepared for weeks to speak for ten minutes, and every slide was questioned by senior consultants. You didn’t present unless you knew your subject thoroughly.
During my FNB fellowship (2017–2019), conferences began sharp at 8:30 am and seats were booked days in advance, not because of branding or big names, but because content was worth showing up for at Madras Medical Mission Chennai. Post-COVID, the dynamics are clearly different. At a recent national conference I attended in Delhi, the hall was almost empty, and at 11 am the speaker simply rattled through slides that were clearly not prepared by her. Sitting there, I genuinely felt my time was being wasted.
But this isn’t only about the so-called new generation. Even those of us trained in the older system have lost attention span. We scroll more, skim more, and often choose convenience. Noise and visibility now tend to win over depth, and we are all part of this shift. This is not criticism; it is a call to adapt better, not faster. If conferences have to matter again, we need to cut the noise and restore credibility. Not every good clinician runs a high-volume center, and not every meaningful academic works in a big brand.
Conferences don’t need louder voices; they need credible ones.
➡️ Depth can return if we redesign formats thoughtfully—shorter, one-day, highly interactive sessions; practical, real-world topics that reflect everyday clinical decision-making;➡️ meaningful opportunities for young doctors to present with mentorship and discussion; ➡️inclusion of Tier 2 and Tier 3 practitioners doing excellent work in their own setups; ➡️greater use of video-based presentations rather than templated slides; and recognition that rewards originality, outcomes, and innovation, not just volume.
The future of academic meetings is not bigger halls or louder branding, but better curation, honest sharing, and respect for learning. How many ageee
