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• Published: 24 August 2021

Psychological well-being and burnout amongst medical students in India: a report from a nationally accessible survey

• Sharad Philip   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8028-3378 1 ,
• Andrew Molodynski 2 , 3 ,
• Lauren Barklie 2 ,
• Dinesh Bhugra 4 &
• Santosh K. Chaturvedi 1  

Middle East Current Psychiatry volume  28 , Article number:  54 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

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Medical students in India face multiple challenges and sources of stress during their training. No nationally representative survey has yet been undertaken. We undertook a cross-sectional national survey to assess substance use, psychological well-being, and burnout using CAGE, Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), and the short General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The survey was open to all medical students in India. Descriptive statistics along with chi square tests and Spearman’s correlation were performed.

Burnout was reported by 86% of respondents for disengagement and 80% for exhaustion. Seventy percent had a score of more than 2 on the GHQ-12, indicating caseness.

Conclusions

This study reveals that medical students are going through exceptional stress when compared to their age-matched peers. More nationally representative studies must be conducted on a large scale to quantify the problem and to help design new interventions.

The rigours of medical education are well-known internationally, and medical students’ mental health morbidity is higher than that of their aged-matched peers [ 1 ]. Medical students are prone to anxiety, depressive disorders, and high levels of psychological distress [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Such issues may progress to negatively impact academic performance, predispose to substance use, and/or encourage other maladaptive coping strategies [ 4 , 8 , 9 ]. Increased distress can also increase academic dishonesty [ 10 ].

‘Burnout’ was first outlined by Freudenberger in 1974 [ 11 ], and ‘International Classification of Diseases-11 (ICD-11)’ recognises it as an occupational phenomenon in all workplace environments. Initially described as including reduced personal accomplishment, depersonalization, and emotional exhaustion, it is considered to be a health issue arising in the context of poorly managed workplace stress. It is comprised of three dimensions—energy depletion, reduced professional efficacy, and feelings of negativism or cynicism towards one’s job [ 12 ]. Burnout is directly related to increased psychological distress and unmitigated mental health issues in an apathetic environment. It has been shown to impact up to 40% of practicing doctors [ 13 , 14 ].

In 2019, 1.41 million students attempted the Indian medical school entrance exam; 797,000 passed and only 75,000 were selected. The course lasts over 5 years and is academically and personally demanding. Many undertake medical studies due to parental pressure rather than personal interest [ 15 ], potentially causing disillusionment and limiting help seeking.

India is home to the world’s largest population of people aged 10–24 years, and suicide is their leading cause of death [ 16 , 17 ]. ‘Academic trauma’ has been documented as a contributor to student suicide in a news report of nearly 10,000 students committing suicide in 1 year [ 18 ]. Separate data for medical students is however unavailable.

Several cross-sectional studies have examined the stress and overall well-being of Indian medical students by using various questionnaires. One study [ 19 ] using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory and GHQ 12 reported high levels of burnout (88% and 81% for disengagement and exhaustion respectively) and high levels of mental health problems (62% with GHQ score >2). Two studies [ 20 , 21 ] using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory have reported mean scores in Indian medical students, disengagement scores of 2.43 [ 20 ] and 18.16 [ 21 ], and exhaustion scores of 2.32 [ 20 ] and 13.89 [ 21 ] respectively. A different study [ 22 ] used the Maslach Burnout Inventory and reported 71% of the students showed moderate to high levels of burnout. Bute et al. [ 23 ] reported high levels of caseness indicating need for evaluation (66% with scores more than 4) amongst Indian medical students using the GHQ 28. Another study [ 24 ] using the same scale reported a mean score of above 7. Many other studies have examined the psychological well-being and mental health of Indian medical students [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. The variety of instruments and scales used and methodological variations have resulted in a wide range of results. All studies were limited to students within a few medical colleges. There have yet been no nationally representative robust studies. Our study reports a nationally accessible large-scale survey on the well-being of medical students in India.

We conducted an online survey amongst medical student communities in India as part of a larger international effort to understand the stresses of medical student life. Matching surveys have been undertaken in countries such as Brazil [ 30 ], Morocco [ 31 ], and Jordan [ 32 ]. A similar study was also undertaken in four medical colleges of eastern and southern India [ 19 ].

This cross-sectional survey was conducted over the ‘Type Form’ platform, which presents survey questions sequentially and records respondent data. These data are collected and displayed graphically for each question. The survey link was disseminated to multiple medical student groups. A message accompanied the link to introduce the survey and its’ aims and to assure confidentiality and anonymity. Participant consent was sought in the beginning of the survey. The link was launched along with the message over multiple medical student groups across many colleges, predominantly by reaching out to student leadership and WhatsApp chat groups. The survey was open from 09/02/20 until 31/08/20. Fortnightly reminders were sent. As the circulation increased, a medical student magazine ‘Lexicon’ picked up the survey link and promoted it.

Survey questions included basic demographic details such as year of study, level of parental education, hours of work outside of student activities, current and past mental health difficulties, prescribed medications, and basic details of substance use. The short version of the ‘General Health Questionnaire’ (GHQ-12) [ 33 , 34 ] was included to screen for minor psychiatric disorders, with a score of 2 or more indicating caseness. The GHQ-12 has been used previously in Indian populations [ 35 ]. The CAGE questionnaire [ 36 ] was included to measure alcohol use with a score of more than 2, considered as ‘CAGE positive’. Lastly, the Oldenberg Burden Inventory [ 37 ] was included to identify burnout with threshold scores of 2.10 for disengagement and 2.25 for exhaustion [ 38 ].

Three hundred and forty-four respondents completed the survey. Of these respondents, three were removed as they were not medical students. There were respondents from New Delhi, Pondicherry, Vellore, Ludhiana, Bellary, and Bangalore amongst other sites.

Responses were spread across the training years as follows: 15% in the first year, 22% from the second year, 20% from year three, 12% from year four, 10% from year five, and 19% from year six. Two percent did not specify year of training.

Sixty percent of respondents identified as female, 39% identified as male, and one respondent identified as other gender.

Parental education levels for 46% were post-graduation; 35% were undergraduate degrees, while 13% were up to high school education.

Fifteen percent of respondents reported working for more than 20 h weekly. The majority of respondents (79%) did not work. Details of the sociodemographic details are presented in Tables 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 .

Mental health

Before commencing their medical education, 27 respondents (8%) consulted a mental health professional, and five (2%) were given a mental health diagnosis. Diagnoses included mood disorder, anxiety disorder, adjustment disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Four respondents reported attention deficit hyperactive disorders. Seventeen (5%) students were on psychotropics. Twelve did not provide details, four (1%) were prescribed antidepressants, and one (0.3%) was prescribed benzodiazepines.

Thirty-six (11%) students reported that they were seeing a mental health professional at the time of the survey. Conditions reported included mood disorder, anxiety disorder, stress-related disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Twenty-four (7%) respondents reported being on prescription medications for their mental health. Nineteen (5%) were on antidepressants, three (1%) were on mood stabilisers, four (1%) were on sedatives, two (1%) were on antipsychotics, and one (0.3%) was on beta blocker. Twelve (4%) reported being prescribed stimulants for ADHD/ADD.

Two hundred and thirty-nine respondents (70%) reported academic work as a source of stress. One hundred and eighty (52%) respondents reported stress from relationships; eighty-eight (26%) reported stress due to financial reasons. Most respondents reported multiple stressors.

CAGE and substance use

Forty-nine (14%) respondents were CAGE positive. Thirty-three (10%) reported using a nonprescription substance to modify their mood to feel better. These nonprescription medications included sedatives, 13 respondents (4%); stimulants, six respondents (2%); antidepressants, five respondents (1%); and over the counter medications, three respondents (1%).

Forty (12%) students reported using cannabis, and five (1%) reported using hallucinogens. Nineteen (6%) of the respondents had used substances to enhance academic performance.

Fifteen (4%) respondents reported that someone close to them was worried about their substance use, and twenty-four (7%) reported being concerned about their own substance use.

GHQ-12 and OLBI score

The mean score of our sample was 5.26, and two hundred and thirty-nine (70%) respondents scored more than 2 in GHQ-12. The mean score for the group on the OLBI scale was 2.6. Two hundred and ninety-four (86%) of the respondents met the disengagement criteria for the OLBI scale while two hundred and seventy-five (80%) met criteria for exhaustion.

Comparisons before training and during training

Twenty-six (8%) respondents reported having had consultations with general practitioners and mental health professionals during the training. Eighteen (5%) of those who responded had only consulted before training and did not do so during their training.

Thirty-seven (11%) respondents reported being diagnosed with a mental health condition after the commencement of their medical training while only two (0.6%) reported being diagnosed in the past but not currently diagnosed. Four (1%) respondents were diagnosed in the past and continued with the diagnosis.

Association of sociodemographic factors with GHQ and OLBI scores

GHQ scores indicating ‘caseness’ were significantly associated with the first and sixth year of medical training. Higher GHQ scores were also reported for higher parental education levels ( p <0.05). We found an association between GHQ scores greater than two and a higher number of reported stressors ( p <0.05) (Ref. Table 1 ).

Disengagement and exhaustion were significantly associated ( p <0.05) with increasing number of stressors (Ref. Table 5 ).

Correlation of GHQ, OLBI, and CAGE scores

GHQ scores were positively correlated with the disengagement domain (correlation coefficient 0.511) and the exhaustion domain (correlation coefficient 0.521) of the OLBI scores. CAGE scores also positively correlated with the GHQ scores (correlation coefficient 0.136).

This was the first nationally accessible survey of medical student well-being in India. A previous study [ 19 ] used the same methods but was conducted in selected medical colleges. We used innovative approaches to recruit respondents. Our survey found that medical students were at greater risk of developing mental ill health than their age-matched peers. Further, it appears that medical training increases mental health morbidity. Only 2% of the respondents had a diagnosis prior to commencing their training while 12% reported being diagnosed after entering medical college. This is a sizeable increase meriting further research to identify aggravating and protective factors. An identical survey carried out a year ago reported that 10% of respondents had received a mental ill health diagnosis prior to entering medical school and that 15% did during medical school [ 19 ]. Rates in the overall literature vary, and this will at least in part be due to sampling and the use of different measures.

From the survey on types and number of stressors, analysis was done looking for associations between the scale measures and stressors. Statistically significant results were obtained regarding increased mental health disturbances and the number of stressors.

There appears to be an association between duration of medical training and mental health issues. It can be understood that many stressors are likely to have greater impacts during the first year and the last year of medical training. The former period is one of great change and uncertainty while the latter period is one of exam pressure and expectations. These periods should be the focus of support systems and measures.

This study demonstrates the need to optimise well-being and to decrease burnout in medical students, which is now known beyond doubt to be increasing amongst physicians throughout their careers [ 39 ]. We need to urgently develop initiatives to minimise morbidity and maximise an individual’s well-being and medical career. Some suggestions are listed below:

Emphasising the importance of well-being both in and away from the workplace

Increasing the amount of targeted support around mental health from medicaleducators/institutions

Stigma reduction and attitude changes that will allow a positive platform on which well-being and mental health optimization and/or treatment can be accessed

Based on the findings from Singh et al. [ 22 ], we endorse co-curricular activities to promote cohesion and development of secondary and tertiary support systems in the colleges. Yoga and meditation activities conducted in group formats may also be beneficial [ 40 ]. Emphasis on physical activity and sleep hygiene should be retained. Online social networks can complement existing more traditional ones. Robust peer mentoring systems and the training of faculty members may aid in surveillance and early detection of mental health issues. This may subsequently reduce morbidity for those affected and reduce dropout rates. Mental health promotion activities should also be a focus of student welfare activities.

Limitations

This study is a cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample available only in English. However, English is the medium of instruction during medical training in India. The questions used were easily understood English.

Implications

Findings from this study highlight high levels of burnout and psychological distress being experience by medical students in India. Mental health morbidity appears to increase in medical training. Further research is warranted to assess mental health morbidity and its’ contributing and mitigating factors amongst students pursuing professional and non-professional disciplines in India.

Medical students in India report high levels of psychological distress and burnout. Urgent attention and interventions are required from peers, teachers, and policy makers.

Availability of data and materials

Abbreviations.

Attention deficit hyperactive disorders/attention deficit disorder

General Health Questionnaire

International Classification of Diseases-11

Oldenburg Burnout Inventory

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the people who helped and the many students who took part.

No funding was required for this study.

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Sharad Philip & Santosh K. Chaturvedi

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK

Andrew Molodynski & Lauren Barklie

Oxford University, Oxford, UK

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King’s College, London, UK

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SP contributed in planning the study, preparing the methodology and questionnaire, analysing the results, preparing the tables, writing the introduction and discussions, and reviewing, revising, and approving the final manuscript. AM contributed in planning the study, preparing the methodology and questionnaire, interpreting the results, writing the introduction and discussions, and reviewing, revising, and approving the final manuscript. LB contributed in preparing the methodology and questionnaire, writing the discussions, and reviewing, revising, and approving the final manuscript. DB contributed in planning the study, preparing the methodology and questionnaire, writing the discussions, and reviewing, revising, and approving the final manuscript. SKC contributed in planning the study, preparing the methodology and questionnaire, analysing the results, preparing the tables, writing the introduction and discussions, and reviewing, revising, and approving the final manuscript. The authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Sharad Philip .

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As per the Indian Council of Medical Research guidelines for online surveys, only participant consent is required. There is no requirement for ethics committee permissions. No ethical approval was deemed necessary by the national algorithm in the UK as this was an online population survey of consenting medical students irrespective of their health status. Only consenting subjects were included. Participant consent was sought in the beginning of the survey.

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Philip, S., Molodynski, A., Barklie, L. et al. Psychological well-being and burnout amongst medical students in India: a report from a nationally accessible survey. Middle East Curr Psychiatry 28 , 54 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-021-00129-1

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Received : 12 July 2021

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-021-00129-1

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How to get involved in research as a medical student

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• Peer review
• Anna Kathryn Taylor , final year medical student 1 ,
• Sarah Purdy , professor of primary care and associate dean 1
• 1 Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bristol, UK

Participating in research gives students great skills and opportunities. Anna Taylor and Sarah Purdy explain how to get started

This article contains:

-How to get involved with research projects

-Questions to ask yourself before starting research

-What can you get published? Research output

-Advice for contacting researchers

-Different types of research explained

-Stages of research projects

Students often go into medicine because of a desire to help others and improve patients’ physical and mental wellbeing. In the early years of medical school, however, it can seem as if you are not making much difference to patient care. Involvement in research can provide exciting opportunities to work as part of a team, improve career prospects, and most importantly add to the evidence base, leading to better outcomes for patients.

Research is usually multidisciplinary, including clinical academics (medical doctors who spend part of their working life doing research), nurses, patients, scientists, and researchers without a medical background. Involvement in such a team can improve your communication skills and expand your understanding of how a multidisciplinary team works.

Participating in research can also help you to develop skills in writing and critical appraisal through the process of publishing your work. You may be able to present your work at conferences—either as a poster or an oral presentation—and this can provide valuable points for job applications at both foundation programme and core training level. This is particularly important if you are considering a career in academia. You will also develop skills in time management, problem solving, and record keeping. You might discover an area of medicine in which you are keen to carry out further work. For some people, getting involved in research as a medical student can be the first step in an academic career.

Kyla Thomas, National Institute for Health Research clinical lecturer in public health at the University of Bristol, says, “my first baby steps into a clinical academic career started with a research project I completed as a medical student. That early involvement in research opened my eyes to a whole new world of opportunities that I never would have considered.

“Importantly, participating in undergraduate research sets students apart from their colleagues. Applying for foundation posts is a competitive process and it is a definite advantage if you have managed to obtain a peer reviewed publication.”

Getting involved with research projects

Although it is possible to do research at medical school, it is important to be realistic about how much free time you have. It might be possible to set up your own research project, but this will require substantial planning in terms of writing research protocols, gaining ethical approval, and learning about new research methodologies. Other opportunities for research that make less demands on your time include:

Intercalated degrees—these often have time set aside for research in a specific area, so it is important to choose your degree according to what you might like to do for your dissertation (for example, laboratory-based work in biochemistry, or qualitative research in global health. Some subjects may have options in both qualitative and quantitative research).

Student selected components or modules can provide a good opportunity to be involved in an ongoing study or research project. If you have a long project period, you might be able to develop your own small project.

Electives and summer holidays can also provide dedicated time for research, either within the United Kingdom or in another country. They can allow you to become established in a research group if you’re there for a few weeks, and can lead to a longstanding relationship with the research group if you continue to work with them over your medical school career.

If you don’t know what to do, contacting the Student Audit and Research in Surgery (STARSurg), 1 the National Student Association of Medical Research (NSAMR), 2 or your medical school’s research society may be a good place to start.

The INSPIRE initative, 3 coordinated by the Academy of Medical Sciences, gives support and grants to help students take part in research. Some UK medical schools have small grants for elective and summer projects, and organise taster days for students to get an idea of different research areas.

You may also be able to access other grants or awards to support your research. Some of the royal colleges, such as the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, offer bursaries to students doing research in their holidays or presenting at conferences. Other national organisations, such as the Medical Women’s Federation, offer bursaries for elective projects.

Box 1: Questions to ask yourself before starting research

What are you interested in? There is no point getting involved in a project area that you find boring.

How much time do you have available? It is crucial to think about this before committing to a project, so that your supervisor can give you an appropriate role.

What do you want to get out of your research experience? Do you want a brief insight into research? Or are you hoping for a publication or presentation?

Do you know any peers or senior medical students who are involved in research? Ask them about their experiences and whether they know of anyone who might be willing to include you in a project.

Box 2: Research output

Publication —This is the “gold standard” of output and usually consists of an article published in a PubMed ID journal. This can lead to your work being cited by another researcher for their paper, and you can get up to two extra points on foundation programme applications if you have published papers with a PubMed ID.

Not all research will get published, but there are other ways to show your work, such as presenting at conferences:

Oral presentation —This involves giving a short talk about your research, describing the background, methods, and results, then talking about the implications of your findings.

Poster presentation —This involves creating a poster, usually A1 or A2 in size, summarising the background, methods, and results of your research. At a conference, presenters stand by their poster and answer questions from other delegates.

Contacting researchers

Most universities have information about their research groups on their websites, so spend some time exploring what studies are being carried out and whether you are interested in one of the research topics.

When contacting a member of the research group, ask if they or someone else within their team would be willing to offer you some research experience. Be honest if you don’t have any prior experience and about the level of involvement you are looking for, but emphasise what it is about their research that interests you and why you want to work with them. It’s important to have a flexible approach to what they offer you—it may not initially sound very exciting, but it will be a necessary part of the research process, and may lead to more interesting research activity later.

Another way to make contact with researchers is at university talks or lectures. It might be intimidating to approach senior academics, but if you talk to them about your interest they will be more likely to remember you if you contact them later on.

Box 3: What can students offer research teams?—Views from researchers

“Medical students come to research with a ‘fresh eyes’ perspective and a questioning mindset regarding the realities of clinical practice which, as a non-medic myself, serves to remind me of the contextual challenges of implementing recommendations from our work.”

Alison Gregory, senior research associate, Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol, UK.

“Enthusiasm, intelligence, and a willingness to learn new skills to solve challenges—bring those attributes and you’ll be valuable to most research teams.”

Tony Pickering, consultant anaesthetist and Wellcome Trust senior research fellow, University of Bristol, UK.

Box 4: Different types of research

Research aims to achieve new insights into disease, investigations, and treatment, using methodologies such as the ones listed below:

Qualitative research —This can be used to develop a theory and to explain how and why people behave as they do. 4 It usually involves exploring the experience of illness, therapeutic interventions, or relationships, and can be compiled using focus groups, structured interviews, consultation analysis, 5 or ethnography. 6

Quantitative research —This aims to quantify a problem by generating numerical data, and may test a hypothesis. 7 Research projects can use chemicals, drugs, biological matter, or even computer generated models. Quantitative research might also involve using statistics to evaluate or compare interventions, such as in a randomised controlled trial.

Epidemiological research —This is the study of the occurrence and distribution of disease, the determinants influencing health and disease states, and the opportunities for prevention. It often involves the analysis of large datasets. 4

Mixed methods research —This form of research incorporates both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

Systematic reviews —These provide a summary of the known evidence base around a particular research question. They often create new data by combining other quantitative (meta-analysis) or qualitative (meta-ethnography) studies. They are often used to inform clinical guidelines.

Box 5: Stages of research projects

Project conception—Come up with a hypothesis or an objective for the project and form the main research team.

Write the research protocol—Produce a detailed description of the methodology and gain ethical approval, if needed.

Carry out the methodology by collecting the data.

Analyse the data.

Decide on the best way to disseminate your findings—for example, a conference presentation or a publication—and where you will do this.

Write up your work, including an abstract, in the format required by your chosen journal or conference.

Submit . For conference abstracts, you may hear back swiftly whether you have been offered the chance to present. Publication submissions, however, must be peer reviewed before being accepted and it can take over a year for a paper to appear in print.

Originally published as: Student BMJ 2017;25:i6593

Competing interests: AKT received grant money from INSPIRE in 2013.

Provenance and peer review: Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

• ↵ STARSurg. Student Audit and Research in Surgery. 2016. www.starsurg.org .
• ↵ NSAMR. National Student Association of Medical Research. 2016. www.nsamr.org .
• ↵ The Academy of Medical Sciences. About the INSPIRE initiative. 2016. www.acmedsci.ac.uk/careers/mentoring-and-careers/INSPIRE/about-INSPIRE/ .
• ↵ Ben-Shlomo Y, Brookes ST, Hickman M. Lecture Notes: Epidemiology, Evidence-based Medicine and Public Health. 6th ed . Wiley-Blackwell, 2013 .
• ↵ gp-training.net. Consultation Theory. 2016. www.gp-training.net/training/communication_skills/consultation/consultation_theory.htm .
• ↵ Reeves S, Kuper A, Hodges BD. Qualitative research methodologies: ethnography. BMJ 2008 ; 337 : a1020 . doi:10.1136/bmj.a1020   pmid:18687725 . OpenUrl FREE Full Text
• ↵ Porta M. A Dictionary of Epidemiology. 5th ed . Oxford University Press, 2008 .

Will You Be a Catalyst for India's Medical Research Revolution?

Research methodology teaching for undergraduate medical students – an interesting project

Development and implementation of a competency-based module for teaching research methodology to medical undergraduates.

Patra S, Khan AM J Educ Health Promot. 2019 Aug 30;8:164 PMID:31544129

The authors did this study as a part of a FAIMER fellowship program (CMCL-FAIMER). It aimed to develop and carry out a “competency-based research methodology” training module for undergraduate students  and get the students’ feedback on this. It was carried out in the Community Medicine Department, for 25 students in their 4th semester . The study was done in the year 2017.

This group of 25 students were made to work in groups under supervision of senior residents and faculty. It appears that the students worked on a single topic, but did data collection individually and then assessed the entire data. They were, in this way initiated into understanding the research process.

It was interesting to learn that more than 60% felt that this exercise motivated them to do research in future! Also that their self perceived gain in knowledge was 4 or 5 as a median in a scale of 1-5. Very impressive!

While the authors rightly state the limitations, it seems that it does not take a very big (or expensive) effort to sensitize and motivate undergraduate students towards research. As the authors mention, the MCI has mentioned that UG students must get sensitized in research methodologies.

I have very often heard faculty / seniors mentioning that they would rather have UG students only study textbooks and get their foundations firm. Of course they need a very firm foundation of medical knowledge. But, it is increasingly obvious that they need to be sensitized and get a basic hands on experience of what it takes to do research. Thankfully the ICMR STS projects have done something in this direction (increasingly) over years. But this training in an institution seems well worth replicating!

Note: I was particularly pleased to note that the students gave a feedback of 4/5 in the understanding their literature search process . Dr AM Khan , one of the authors has been a participant of one of my workshops on literature searching and referencing, and I am sure he did a great job in ensuring that the students were taught the basic skills in searching

One Comment

The excitement of, and passion for research takes hold as early as you care to begin. From kindergarten on, they rub off the teachers and stick to the students like wet paint. Of course, teachers must soak in the paint first. The cascading effect of one QMed workshop coloured several generations at UCMS with the fervor for effectively searching the medical literature. That’s all it takes. The rest is fun and games.

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• v.14(5); 2022 May

Medical Education and Research in India: A Teacher’s Perspective

Venkataramana kandi.

1 Clinical Microbiology, Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences, Karimnagar, IND

Medical education is a systematic process wherein interested and eligible individuals are trained to become physicians/surgeons. It is assumed that a person who completes the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Medicine (MBBS) degree will be competent enough to perform the duties of a physician of first contact. However, it is not the case with graduates from India. Most MBBS graduates prefer to pursue a postgraduate degree and become unavailable to people or governments. The doctor-to-patient ratio in India (1:1,655) does not currently satisfy the World Health Organization’s prescribed ratio (1:1,000). The Government of India, therefore, has been taking initiatives to increase the number of MBBS graduates. Moreover, there are several doubts over the quality of medical education and the competency of medical students. In addition, the National Medical Commission, the epic body that regulates the medical education and practice in India, has recently been conducting medical education technology workshops to improve teachers and has devised a new curriculum to elevate the standards of medical education in India. This editorial attempts to provide readers with the current status of medical education and research in India.

The Indian medical education system has recently seen a makeover in the form of a change in the curriculum. This change may have become inevitable due to growing concerns, both within the country and globally, over the low standards and quality of MBBS graduates. It has been widely accepted that medical students graduating from Indian institutions are not competent enough to practice. This is evident by the requirement for medical graduates from India to clear the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) to practice in the United States. Therefore, the National Medical Commission (NMC), previously known as the Medical Council of India (MCI), has come forward with a vision to revamp medical education in India. The main motto of this initiative by the NMC is to ensure that Indian medical graduates (IMG) are competent enough to function as community physicians of first contact [ 1 ]. This decision by the Government of India (GOI) was taken after considering the high disease burden among people, as well as the huge disparities in the status of medical institutions/establishments/facilities/services within different geographical regions of the country. Moreover, the NMC has made it mandatory for all medical teachers to undergo a training program on medical education technology (MET). The NMC regularly conducts basic and advanced workshops/courses for all medical teachers in the country. However, the NMC appears to have ignored the most significant aspect that could potentially contribute to the success of a teacher/learner in medical education. The attitudes of both the teachers and learners significantly influence the learning outcomes, thereby affecting the competency of medical graduates. Carefully designed faculty development programs may contribute to medical teachers’ professionalism, management, and leadership abilities that further enable students to become competent physicians [ 2 ].

The current scenario

Most medical teachers, especially those who participate in the teaching of students in their I MBBS and II MBBS may be considered accidental teachers. Although this is not usually considered a topic for discussion, it must be noted that the first two years of the MBBS course function as a foundation for students. During this period, students learn basic subjects, including anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, microbiology, and pharmacology. Basic and comprehensive knowledge of these subjects is considered extremely useful to understand the clinical subjects that the students pursue from the third year of the MBBS course. However, in practice, disinterested teachers are misguiding students to learn the subjects from an examination point of view rather than emphasizing the importance of the role played by pre and para-clinical subjects for the rest of their future in the medical profession (clinical relevance and integrated approach). The scenario may be the same with teachers who opt for less familiar clinical degrees after having compromised on their specialization of interest. Unfortunately, specializations gain familiarity based on the expected earnings they can get during the practice and not particularly about the interest/skills they have concerning the subject/specialization.

The NMC and GOI’s decision to improve the doctor-to-patient ratio has indirectly affected the teacher-to-student ratio. With increased numbers of medical institutions being permitted and more in the pipeline, there is a continuous movement of faculty resulting in transient deficiencies of faculty that directly affects the quality of curriculum delivery despite the improvement/change in the curriculum, as envisaged by the NMC recently. Further, the NMC and the GOI must consider the numbers of MBBS and MD (Doctor of Medicine) graduates who move out of the country for livelihood and other reasons. Interestingly, not many medical graduates were available who volunteered during the initial days of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Therefore, public and private healthcare facilities were forced to work with medical students (house surgeons/interns/final MBBS students) and fresh MBBS graduates. The main reason is that MD graduates belonging to the pre and para-clinical subjects, sparing a few, lose their connectivity to medicine and lack the confidence to examine patients. This aspect needs serious consideration by the GOI, NMC, local governments, as well as the doctors themselves, who should make efforts to provide their services by running evening community clinics.

Admission for entry into the MBBS course is currently carried out based on reservations following the caste system that is prevalent in India. A significant percentage of seats are filled based on the student’s capability to pay fees, and some are accommodated to the non-resident Indian (NRI) category. Similarly, the admission of students is based on a competitive multiple-choice-based examination that does not evaluate students’ interests and attitudes and merely evaluates their theoretical knowledge. These are the main reasons for the deteriorating quality of medical graduates in India. Conversely, the deterioration in quality comes from the fact that the concepts that were described in the medical education workshops are not pursued by the majority of faculty members across medical colleges in India. Compared to the olden days, currently, teachers are not spending enough time with students and patients, especially in the clinical departments.

Medical teachers

Teachers appointed in medical institutes are required to have an MD degree in the respective subjects. However, the NMC has allowed the appointment of non-medical teachers (teachers without an MBBS degree) for up to 30% (50% in biochemistry) in both pre and para-clinical subjects excluding the department of pathology [ 3 ]. This was mainly due to the lack of qualified MD teachers available for the job. Recently, the change in the medical education curriculum with more emphasis on competency and competency-based medical education (CBME) has forced the NMC to reconsider the appointment of non-medical teachers. Therefore, NMC has decided to reduce the number of non-medical teachers in the anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry departments, and stop the recruitment of such teachers to the microbiology and pharmacology departments. The decision of the NMC regarding non-medical teachers was long pending with complaints about such teachers emerging over the years both from students as well as teachers with MD degrees. The major reason for the NMC’s decision to minimize and remove non-medical teachers is because the GOI and the NMC have already given a green signal/approval for admission into several MD courses in these departments. On the contrary, many MBBS graduates who fail to pursue a clinical MD/MS degree have been opting for non-clinical (pre and para-clinical) MD subject specialization courses. However, this decision by the NMC had some drawbacks. The major one is the lack of interest among MBBS graduates admitted in the concerned subject of specialization. After joining the courses, these students face difficulties in completing the course at the designated time. Moreover, the mandatory dissertation required for them to complete the course is not done with the required/desired technical and ethical standards.

In contrast to a Ph.D. degree, wherein the pursuant does research work for at least three years to become eligible for the award of the degree, MD graduates work as part-time teachers (tutor/junior resident/senior resident) and are able to complete the course within three years. All universities in India come under the aegis of the Union Grants Commission (UGC). However, medical institutions and medical universities function under the umbrella of the NMC. The UGC mandates that Ph.D. students publish at least two original research articles in reputed journals and present at least one abstract in a national/international conference to become eligible to be awarded the degree. This is in complete contrast to the MD degree, wherein the students only undertake research work for a maximum period of one year, and it is not mandatory to publish/present papers in journals/conferences. Moreover, the period during the MD study is considered a teaching experience in the position of resident/tutor/demonstrator. Therefore, MD degree holders become eligible for appointments as assistant professors after the study period. This points to the fact that an MD degree must not necessarily be considered a research degree. The UGC has a mechanism wherein the Ph.D. thesis and postgraduate dissertations submitted by the students are deposited in a repository (Shodhganga) and are carefully screened for plagiarism before they are approved/accepted. The Information and Library Network Centre (INFLIBNET) is an autonomous interuniversity center of the UGC [ 4 ]. However, even today, this practice is not followed by medical universities. Therefore, MD dissertations are generally not as standard as Ph.D. theses. Medical Universities, in the future, should consider screening all MD dissertation submissions for potential plagiarism and make the dissertations available in the public domain (similar repository as the INFLIBNET). Several institutions do not support the financial aspects of the MD dissertation, and this limitation could be the reason why the students are unable to pursue real research and finally end up writing dissertations without even working on the topic. This situation can be improved by active vigilance by the NMC and at the institutional level regarding the MD dissertations and their standards. Given the above observations, the matter of equivalence of an MD degree with a Ph.D. degree appears to be questionable. However, medical universities in India and autonomous research institutes funded by the GOI are accepting/recognizing MD degree holders as Ph.D. guides. Such practices should be re-evaluated by higher education bodies/councils because it affects the standards of Ph.D. holders and their future in research activities.

Medical research

Medical teachers who were not properly trained in research end up being not interested in pursuing research after obtaining their degrees. This probably was the main reason why the NMC was particular about the research publications requirement for promotions. However, medical teachers find it difficult to do even these mandatory research publications. This is majorly attributed to the lack of financial and logistic support from the public and private administrations. The lack of proper research orientation among medical teachers appears to have significantly impacted the research inclination of students. Moreover, medical institutions have not been supportive of the research activities of both the faculty and students. The GOI, under the Indian Council for Medical Research, has been implementing limited numbers of short-term studentship (STS) research fellowships (two-month duration) for medical students [ 5 ]. Despite this initiative, many more interested students will remain unbenefited. This issue may be addressed by the institution by devising a mechanism wherein research-oriented faculty may be roped into a group (research wing) that mainly functions to facilitate interested students to pursue research work under able faculty members. Because research work involves financial implications, medical institutions must create a fund (crowdfunding, donations, corpus, others) that potentially serves this purpose.

The criteria for promotion that requires a medical teacher to have published at least two papers in an indexed journal also appear to be responsible for the deterioration of research standards among medical teachers and institutions. This decision by the NMC was instrumental in the emergence of several predatory journals that claim to have been indexed by the agencies recognized/prescribed by the NMC. However, the NMC realized and changed its decision and excluded the Index Copernicus as the desired indexing agency that was responsible for the emergence of pay-to-publish journals. Interestingly, the NMC recently added the Indian Citation Index to the list of desired indexing agencies along with others that are already present, including PubMed, Scopus, DOAJ, and EMBASE, among others. Given unethical research and publication practices, the NMC may choose to accept literature reviews as an acceptable type of article in consideration for promotions. This will enable faculty members to pursue research and get increasingly acquainted with current trends with extremely limited resources and encourage within-country and foreign collaborations.

Other concerns

Despite several positive changes by the NMC, medical institutions are further plagued by the problems of ghost faculty, ghostwriters, and other malpractices related to examinations, research, dissertation work, and publications. The factors that potentially affect medical education and research in a medical institution are depicted in Figure ​ Figure1 1 .

Ghostwriter

Ghostwriters are anonymous persons who write manuscripts (that in this case are represented by research publications) for teachers who require them for promotions. A ghostwritten research article is used by a teacher to his/her credit by implanting his/her name on it and without mentioning the person who has written it. Moreover, ghostwritten articles are not necessarily written based on authentic data collected after conducting bench work. These amount to malicious practices under the recommendations by the Committee of Publication Ethics (COPE). Ghostwriters have been in full function helping several medical teachers to acquire research publications required for promotions. The problem with ghostwriting is that authors claim a work neither by doing nor by writing. Such literature that is written without actually working and available as published content in the public domain will adversely influence the scientific community and public health.

Ghost faculty

It has been a frequent occurrence in the past decade, wherein medical teachers representing more than one medical college appear before the NMC during inspections. However, NMC did identify this problem and punished several such medical faculties. There was also a problem of duplicate faculty wherein the certificates of a medical person were used to wrongly represent the faculty. Despite strict vigilance by the NMC, the newest trend is the ghost faculty. Medical colleges call upon qualified medical graduates during the inspection and show them as resident faculty members to the NMC. It is an open secret that is followed ubiquitously by several institutions throughout India. Interestingly, the faculty list shown by the institutes could range between 15 and 20 in each department during the inspection days. However, once the NMC inspection is completed, the actual faculty that works on the ground is considerably low in numbers (hardly 10). This significantly affects the faculty-to-student ratio. Assuming a college has 200 students, and the college shows 15 staff during the inspection, the actual number of teachers working on the ground will be less than 10. This results in overcrowding during practical demonstrations, and, for this reason, many students do not follow/understand the practical aspects. Moreover, with a smaller number of faculty members, teachers do not function in the manner that allows them to train each student adequately. Several practicing doctors and academically uninterested graduates are approached by the institutions. Due to the financial favors offered by institutions, medical graduates agree to be on the rolls of the college.

The ghost faculty who regularly present themselves to the NMC during the inspection do not even take a single theory/practical class. However, institutes promote them regularly based on the number of years of experience, despite the fact that the person has never attended the college in person, nor has he/she taken a single class. The ghost faculty issue emerges because there is a frequent increase in the number of medical colleges.

Admission requirements for entry into the MBBS course also require serious considerations. More than half of the admissions currently are carried out based on reservations based on the caste system that is prevalent in India. Although the remaining seats are considered open, a significant percentage are filled based on the student’s capability to pay fees, and some are accommodated as NRIs. This implies that the merit of students is grossly ignored, and admissions, therefore, in the current situation do not guarantee the entry of qualified students who are willing and motivated to pursue the course.

Currently, India has the highest number (>600) of medical colleges in country-wise statistics. However, the medical education quality and standards of medical graduates have been under the scrutiny of the GOI and the NMC. A mere change in the curriculum and faculty training does not necessarily guarantee standards. Increased vigilance, uniform salaries, peer evaluation of research publications used for promotions, support and encouragement for faculty pursuing research, continuing medical education in the form of workshops/seminars/symposiums/conferences, and extensive student feedback are mandatory to further strengthen the quality of medical education and improve the standards of medical graduates in India. Recently, the UGC has decided to appoint non-Ph.D. teachers in universities for utilizing their vast experience and expertise. It is, therefore, imperative that subject expertise matters much more than the degree a person holds.

Teachers are role models for students, and to nurture future generations in the right direction, it is more than essential to improve the attitudes and quality of teachers. Further, it is the institutes that teach the society and the country as a whole regarding how systematically one should function to achieve desirable results. Therefore, institutes must take responsibility for establishing the best educational environment.

In conclusion, it should be noted that addressing the deteriorating standards and quality of medical education requires a multifaceted approach. The implementation of the new curriculum for undergraduates and medical education technology workshops for faculty members does not guarantee an improvement in the quality. Dedication from admitted students, faculty, and institution administration is equally important.

The content published in Cureus is the result of clinical experience and/or research by independent individuals or organizations. Cureus is not responsible for the scientific accuracy or reliability of data or conclusions published herein. All content published within Cureus is intended only for educational, research and reference purposes. Additionally, articles published within Cureus should not be deemed a suitable substitute for the advice of a qualified health care professional. Do not disregard or avoid professional medical advice due to content published within Cureus.

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Electives in Indian medical education: An opportunity to seize

How to cite this article: Mathur M, Mathur N, Verma A, Kaur M, Patyal A. Electives in Indian medical education: An opportunity to seize. Adesh Univ J Med Sci Res 2022;4:53-5.

The new curriculum introduced in 2019 in Medical Education system is ready to achieve milestones of competency-based medical education with significant pace. The students, faculty, and administrators are figuring out many ideas for smooth implementation of changes as per new curriculum. Various additions such as teaching of attitude and communication, integration, early clinical exposure, electives, and skill training have been observed. Some are old gears in new package while few are completely virgin concepts in Indian scenario like “ Electives .”

Electives are defined as learning experiences, which are student centric and created in the curriculum itself to provide opportunities for the learner to reconnoitre, uncover, and explore the areas of interest in the medical profession. These are a group of short courses served during undergraduate period, students get to elect electives as per their interest or career preferences. This self-directed learning activity may provide the opportunity to the student to explore interest area to supplement future study. [ 1 ]

As per the new curriculum, 8 weeks, that is, 2 months are deputed for elective rotations after completion of the examination at end of the MBBS Phase III, Part 1 and before commencement of MBBS Phase III, Part 2. Electives are divided into two blocks (4-week duration each), Block 1 electives shall be done in a pre-clinical or paraclinical or other basic sciences (laboratory) or under a researcher in an ongoing research project. On the other hand, Block 2 shall be done in a department of clinical orientation such as specialties, super-specialties, casualty, blood bank, and ICUs. Electives have to be developed and made available in the institution or at an urban or rural community clinic [ Figure 1 ]. The allotment of students in each block of electives could be as per the feasibility at institutional level.

The implementation of electives in western world is ages old and found to have multiple benefits in the form of orienting the students and boosting their interest while in developing countries the reasons for pursuing electives are to gain experience in diverse health-care settings, cultures and demographics, to understand and practice treatment of different set of diseases, and to gain experience not possible through books and at home. [ 2 ]

In India, the undergraduate degree program (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, MBBS) is 4.5 years of duration, on successful completion of the MBBS program, medical students undergo a compulsory residential rotatory internship (also referred to as internship) for a year. This gives an opportunity for learning under observation and students decide about the specialty, they want to pursue based on the experience, they earn in internship. [ 3 , 4 ]

Still the specialty chosen is based on the marks attained in entrance examination and not entirely on the preference of the student.

Electives offered in Block 1 and 2 are based on resources available in the institutes and this is not standardized till now and is mostly up to the departments what all subjects and zones they are covering in electives for students.

This initiative could be a pathbreaking step in the career of students. This needs a good preparation by departments and faculty to make this a useful endeavor. The sensitization of students and faculty, development of electives on a subject-wise manner, development of allocation procedure of electives to students, etc. are of utmost importance. [ 5 ] At present, the standard guidelines are in pipeline and once it is concreted that the opportunity could be utilized for inspiring the students and helping them in making correct decision about their future. Electives will be like a window through which students can peep into the subject they have chosen and understand the working, hardships, and positive aspects of it. The departments can rephrase the electives in the form of strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) for the students.

SWOT analysis of electives in the form of S trengths of the particular elective, how it will help in achieving the goal of competent Indian Medical Graduate, what all W eaknesses it might have like related to implementation, the learning objectives which could be non-achievable, O pportunities like learning prospects for students during MBBS, and T hreats like electives could be taken as holidays by the students.

For example, an elective at Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) under Community Medicine can help students to get a first-hand exposure of prevention and management of malnourished under-five children ( strength ); though the coordination of faculty and staff at NRC and achievement of learning objectives could be challenging ( weakness ) while students getting an opportunity to observe the functioning of NRC will open excellent learning prospects. If the students even after opting do not attend the elective and just manages to get the certification, they will pose a serious threat to the concept of elective itself.

The opportunity can be seized for exhibiting the community healthcare to the students in the form of electives. Suggested topics in community medicine could be: Evaluation of National Health Programs; Working as a team member in peripheral health-care centers; Planning; and implementation of health education activities at community level .

Here, the process of electives has been shown which includes sensitization of students, application and allotment of electives and the process of electives followed by assessment and certification and evaluation of program as a whole along with the time line as suggested [ Figure 2 ].

The most recent implementation is expected in the year 2023 and a vigorous brainstorming is already in process at all institutes for planning and implementation of the Electives. It is an opportunity to seize; by institutes and by students.

• Medical Council of India . Electives for the Undergraduate Medical Education Training Program New Delhi: Medical Council of India ; 2020 . p. : 1 - 30 . [Google Scholar]
• Banerjee A . Medical electives: A chance for international health. J R Soc Med . 2010; 103 : 6 - 8 . [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Anand R , Sankaran PS . Factors influencing the career preferences of medical students and interns: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey from India. J Educ Eval Health Prof . 2019; 16 : 12 . [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Kusurkar R , Croiset G . Electives support autonomy and autonomous motivation in undergraduate medical education. Med Teach . 2014; 36 : 915 - 6 . [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Khilnani AK , Thaddanee R . Designing and implementation of electives training in competency based medical education curriculum. GAIMS J Med Sci . 2022; 2 : 1 - 5 . [Google Scholar]

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Suggested read for related articles:.

• Interactive teaching in medical education:… August 21, 2021
• National Commission for Allied and Healthcare… June 22, 2021
• Failing to fail: MUM effect and its implications in… December 29, 2021

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Top 10 Medical Colleges in India

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India has some of the best medical colleges in the world , and choosing the right one is very important for aspiring doctors. In this blog, we will look at the top 10 medical colleges in India. These include the top 10 government medical colleges in India and the top 10 private medical colleges in India . These colleges are known for their excellent education, great teachers, modern facilities, and strong research programs.

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The top 10 medical colleges in India set high standards for medical education. Whether you are interested in the top 10 government medical colleges in India, like AIIMS and PGIMER , or the top 10 private medical colleges in India, like CMC Vellore and KMC Manipal, each college has its own special features and benefits.

In this blog, we will highlight what makes these colleges special. We will talk about the quality of education, the teachers, the research programs, and the job opportunities for graduates. Our goal is to help you make the best choice for your medical education. Join us as we explore the top 10 medical colleges in India, a mix of the best government and private institutions that are shaping the future of healthcare in our country.

Also Check: Top 10 Medical Colleges in Delhi

Importance of Choosing the Right Medical College for a Successful Career

• Quality of Education : The top 10 medical colleges in India provide a strong foundation in medical sciences, practical skills, and clinical experience, ensuring you are well-prepared for your career.
• Experienced Faculty : Learning from knowledgeable and experienced faculty members at the top 10 government medical colleges in India and the top 10 private medical colleges in India enhances your understanding and skills.
• State-of-the-Art Facilities : These colleges are equipped with modern labs, advanced medical equipment, and comprehensive libraries, which are essential for a thorough medical education and conducting cutting-edge research.
• Clinical Exposure : Top medical colleges offer ample clinical exposure through their affiliations with hospitals and medical centers, providing vital hands-on experience in real-world medical scenarios.
• Placement and Career Support : The top ten medical colleges in India have robust placement cells that help students secure internships, residencies, and job placements, along with providing career guidance and support.

Top 10 Medical Colleges in India: Exam Schedule 2024

The top medical colleges in India require students to pass specific entrance exams for admission. Here are some of the most popular ones:

• NEET PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Post-Graduation): NEET PG is an entrance exam for MD (Doctor of Medicine), MS (Master of Surgery), and PG Diploma courses. Preparing for NEET PG involves taking mock tests and following a well-planned study strategy, as it is one of the toughest exams.
• NEET UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Under-Graduation): NEET UG is the only entrance test for MBBS and BDS courses in India. The exam covers Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, based on the CBSE Class 11 and 12 syllabus. The exam pattern for NEET 2024 remains the same as the previous year and is conducted in 13 languages.
• INI CET (Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test): INI CET is a national-level exam conducted by AIIMS Delhi for admission to PG courses such as MS (Master of Surgery), MD (Doctor of Medicine), MDS (Master of Dental Surgery), DM (Doctorate of Medicine), and MCh (Master of Chirurgiae).
• KEAM (Kerala Engineering, Architecture, and Medical Entrance Exam): KEAM is a state-level exam for admission to various medical, engineering, and other courses in Kerala. The exam is approved by Central and State Regulatory Bodies, Universities, and the Government.

Refer to the table below for exam dates and schedules:

These exams are essential for securing admission to the best medical colleges in India.

Top 10 Medical Colleges in India: NIRF Ranking 2023

Every year, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) evaluates and ranks institutes across various fields, including medicine. The rankings are based on several factors such as Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR), Research and Professional Practice (RP), Graduation Outcomes (GO), Outreach and Inclusivity (OI), and Peer Perception. These criteria help in ranking the top 100 medical institutes annually.

Also Check: Government Vs. Private Medical Colleges

Below is the table of the top 10 medical colleges in India

Top 10 Medical Colleges in India: All about Universities

All india institute of medical sciences (aiims), delhi.

• Ranking : 1
• NIRF Score : 94.32 AIIMS Delhi is widely recognized as the best medical college in India. With state-of-the-art facilities and renowned faculty, AIIMS offers exceptional education and research opportunities. It provides undergraduate (MBBS), postgraduate (MD/MS), and super-specialty courses. The college has a rigorous selection process and a highly competitive learning environment.

Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh

• Ranking : 2
• NIRF Score : 81.13 PGIMER Chandigarh is known for its excellence in medical education, research, and patient care. It offers a wide range of courses, including MD, MS, DM, MCh, and PhD programs. PGIMER focuses on practical training and research, preparing students to become skilled healthcare professionals.

Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore

• Ranking : 3
• NIRF Score : 75.29 CMC Vellore is a leading medical institution known for its holistic approach to healthcare education. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs in various medical disciplines. CMC emphasizes ethical practices and community-oriented healthcare, producing compassionate and competent healthcare professionals.

National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore

• Ranking : 4
• NIRF Score : 72.46 NIMHANS Bangalore is a premier institute specializing in mental health and neurosciences. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs in psychiatry, neurology, clinical psychology, and more. NIMHANS is renowned for its cutting-edge research and advanced treatment facilities.

Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Puducherry

• Ranking : 5
• NIRF Score : 72.16 JIPMER Puducherry is a prestigious medical institution known for its excellence in education and research. It offers undergraduate (MBBS), postgraduate (MD/MS), and super-specialty courses. JIPMER emphasizes evidence-based medicine and provides students with hands-on clinical training.

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore

• Ranking : 6
• NIRF Score : 70.84 Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Coimbatore is a deemed university offering a diverse range of medical courses. The institute focuses on the holistic development of students with modern infrastructure and experienced faculty, preparing them for successful careers in the medical field.

Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow

• Ranking : 7
• NIRF Score : 69.62 SGPGIMS Lucknow is a leading medical institution dedicated to advanced patient care, education, and research. It offers postgraduate and super-specialty courses in various medical disciplines. SGPGIMS is known for its state-of-the-art facilities and highly skilled faculty.

Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi

• Ranking : 8
• NIRF Score : 68.75 Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi is a prestigious institution offering a wide range of medical courses. The Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) at BHU provides undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs in disciplines like medicine, nursing, and pharmacy. BHU focuses on academic excellence and a comprehensive learning experience.

Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Manipal

• Ranking : 9
• NIRF Score : 66.19 Kasturba Medical College (KMC) in Manipal is a renowned medical institution offering high-quality education and research opportunities. It provides undergraduate (MBBS), postgraduate (MD/MS), and super-specialty courses. KMC is known for its innovative teaching methods and practical training.

Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram

• Ranking : 10
• NIRF Score : 65.24 Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute in Thiruvananthapuram is a premier medical research center and hospital. It offers various postgraduate and doctoral programs in medical and allied sciences. The institute is known for its interdisciplinary approach to healthcare and cutting-edge research facilities.

These top 10 medical colleges in India have earned their reputation through their commitment to academic excellence, research, and patient care. Whether you are looking at the top 10 government medical colleges in India or the top 10 private medical colleges in India, pursuing your medical education at these esteemed institutions will provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in the field of medicine.

Also Check: Top Medical Colleges Region-wise

Direction-Wise Top 5 Medical Colleges in India

Students can find the best medical colleges in India based on different regions. Here is a breakdown of the top medical colleges region-wise:

Regional Distribution of Top Medical Colleges

Top medical colleges in north india.

Here are some of the top medical colleges in North India along with their tuition fees:

Note: This information is sourced from official websites and counseling bodies and may vary.

Top Medical Colleges in East India

Here are some of the best medical colleges in East India along with their tuition fees:

Top Medical Colleges in West India

Here are some of the top medical colleges in West India along with their tuition fees:

Top Medical Colleges in South India

Here are some of the best medical colleges in South India along with their tuition fees:

Also Check: Tips for Choosing a Medical College After NEET Exam 2024

FAQs on Top 10 Medical Colleges in India

What are the criteria for ranking the top 10 medical colleges in india.

The top 10 medical colleges in India are ranked based on academic excellence, faculty quality, infrastructure, research output, and placement records. These factors ensure that students receive top-notch education, have access to modern facilities, and secure good jobs after graduation.

How can I get admission to the top medical colleges in India?

To get into the top medical colleges in India, students need to pass entrance exams like NEET UG for MBBS and NEET PG for MD/MS. Some colleges like AIIMS and JIPMER have their own entrance exams. Meeting the eligibility criteria and scoring well in these exams is essential.

What is the difference between government and private medical colleges in India?

Government medical colleges are funded by the government and have lower fees. They are known for quality education and include colleges like AIIMS Delhi and PGIMER Chandigarh. Private medical colleges, like CMC Vellore and KMC Manipal, have higher fees but also offer excellent education and facilities.

What are the benefits of studying at one of the top 10 medical colleges in India?

Studying at a top medical college provides quality education, experienced faculty, modern labs, and practical training. These colleges also offer great research opportunities and have strong placement records, helping students secure good jobs and further training.

Are there scholarships available for students in the top medical colleges in India?

Yes, many top medical colleges offer scholarships based on merit and financial need. Government scholarships, institutional scholarships, and private scholarships are available to help students cover their education costs.

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Twenty-seven graduating seniors, recent yale college alums win fulbrights.

Twenty-seven graduating seniors from Yale’s Class of 2024 or recent Yale College alumni were offered Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards for the 2024-2025 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

In partnership with more than 140 countries worldwide, the program enables graduating college seniors, graduate students, or young professionals to pursue graduate study, research, or teach English abroad. During their grants, Fulbrighters meet, work, live with, and learn from the people of their host country.

Recipients are selected based on academic and professional achievement, as well as their record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields. 

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered at Yale College through the Office of Fellowship Programs in the Center for International and Professional Experience. Yale has long been a top producer of U.S. student Fulbright awardees, with more than 80 Yale students or alumni winning the prestigious honor in the past four years alone.

Information about this year’s Fulbright recipients follows:

Julia wang , fulbright spain and american space valencia teaching assistantship.

Julia Wang ’24, who is from southern California, majored in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology on the pre-medicine track at Yale College, with an intensive certificate in education studies. On campus, she was involved with Splash at Yale, Camp Kesem, and the Yale Symphony Orchestra.

Maya Albold , Fulbright Mongolia English Teaching Assistantship

Maya Albold ’24, who is from St. Augustine, Florida, majored in history (politics, law, and government) and East Asian studies. At Yale, she served on the board of the Yale International Relations Association, volunteered through the Migration Alliance at Yale, and directed the East Asian Studies Student Advisory Council. Last year, she studied human rights in Nepal, Jordan, and Chile, and then interned at the Department of State in the Human Rights Bureau’s East Asia Office. She looks to apply the lessons learned during her time at Yale in Mongolia next fall as a Fulbright ETA.

Eric Linh , Fulbright Taiwan English Teaching Assistantship

Eric Linh ’23, ’24 M.P.H., who is from Philadelphia, graduated from Yale College last year with a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering and a language certificate in Chinese. He recently finished a Master of Public Health in health policy through the accelerated 5-year program. He will serve as an English teaching assistant in Taiwan during the upcoming academic year.

John Nguyen , Fulbright Vietnam English Teaching Assistantship

John Nguyen ’24, who is from Saint Paul, Minnesota, graduated with a B.A. in English, with a concentration in nonfiction writing. He will travel to Vietnam next year on an English Teaching Assistantship. He’s been recognized by the Frederick Mortimer Clapp Fellowship, the National YoungArts Foundation, and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, and represented Yale in the Connecticut Poetry Circuit.

Chase Daneker , Fulbright-Garcia Robles Grant, Binational Business Program

Chase Daneker ‘24, from Bethesda, Maryland, majored in global affairs with an advanced language certificate in Spanish. At Yale, he received the Thomas C. Barry Travel Fellowship, which supported his independent research on collective memory formation following the Peruvian internal conflict from 1980 to 2000, and the O’Leary Cepeda and Leitner International Fellowships, which supported his work for CEDRO, a Peruvian NGO implementing alternative development projects in the Amazon. Next year, he will participate in the Fulbright Binational Business Program in Mexico.

Francesca Nyakora , Fulbright Brazil Research Grant

Francesca Nyakora ‘23 studied political science and African studies at Yale while also receiving certificates in French and Human Rights. She also served as the president of the inaugural Yale Model African Union, on the board of the Yale International Relations Association, and as a Kerry Fellow. She also interned at the Department of State and the United Nations Development Program. Since graduating, Nyakora has worked at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as a junior fellow. Upon completion of her junior fellowship, she will begin her Fulbright in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Ravi Balasubramanian , Fulbright France Research Grant

Ravi Nicholas Balasubramanian ’24, won a Fulbright Fellowship Independent Research/Study Award to France, where he will work at the Institut Curie in Paris, researching the biological principles and mechanisms of developmental synchrony, with the goal of understanding how cells in an organism coordinate their growth and divisions. At the same time, he will be pursuing the Integrated Masters in the Life Sciences (IMaLiS) degree at the École Normale Supérieure. At Yale, he double majored in molecular, cellular, developmental biology (MCDB), with a focus in quantitative biology; and comparative literature, in the literature and comparative cultures track, with a focus in Spanish.

John Klein , Fulbright Taiwan English Teaching Assistantship

John Klein ’24, who is originally from Fairfax, Virginia, studied history at Yale on the Empires and Colonialism track. At Yale, he was a peer mentor for the Department of History, a research assistant at the Yale Institution for Society and Policy Studies, and a member of the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps. He also competed for the Model United Nations Team at Yale (MUNTY) and was a member of the Yale International Relations Association. Next year he will travel to Taiwan as an English Teaching Assistant through the Fulbright program.

Emily Lau , Fulbright New Zealand Study Grant in Indigenous Studies

Emily Lau ’24, who is originally from Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, but has lived in Maine for several years, studied math and computer science at Yale. She was also a member of the Yale Glee Club and the women's club basketball team and has been a peer tutor for various math classes for four years. This summer she will return to Hawaiʻi to learn more about loko iʻa and food sovereignty in Pacific islands and will then travel to Aotearoa New Zealand next January on a study/research Fulbright for a Masters in Indigenous Studies.

Sean Piñón , Fulbright Switzerland Research Grant

Sean Piñón ’24, who is from Albuquerque, New Mexico, aspires to pursue both neurological research and medicine. At Yale he conducted biochemical and intravital neuroimaging experiments for a research project concerned with the development of novel cell-type specific pharmacotherapies for the potential treatment of chronic neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative disease within the Grutzendler Lab. He received a Study/Research Award to conduct a study on vascular remodeling post microstroke in a glial-vascular neurobiology lab at the University of Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland.

Alexander Goldberg , Fulbright Italy Research Grant

Alexander Franco Goldberg ’22, ’23 M.M., who graduated from Yale College with a B.A. in philosophy, is a violinist who “ties music to larger aesthetic and literary concerns that illuminate his performances.” Goldberg, who is interested in linking musical performances with literature, poetry, and art, is currently studying with Salvatore Accardo in Cremona at the Stauffer Center for Strings. At Yale, he also completed a masters in violin at the Yale School of Music, where he was the first and then-only student admitted to the new B.A./M.M. dual-degree program. He was also awarded the Head of College Cup for “outstanding scholarly achievement and creative promise,” and the Selden Award for “verve, idealism and constructive interest in music and the humanities.”

Melina Joseph , Fulbright Kyrgyzstan English Teaching Assistantship

Melina Joseph ’24 studied comparative literature and psychology with a certificate in translation studies. On campus, she served as a fellow with Dwight Hall, was a peer liaison with the Yale Chaplain’s Office, and co-president of Bridges ESL (English as a Second Language), a nonprofit sponsored by Dwight Hall and the Asian American Cultural Center. She served as an undergraduate fellow in European Studies as well as Latin American & Iberian Studies at the Yale MacMillan Center. She has also completed research assistantships at the Yale School of Medicine and Yale Law School, and has served on the boards of the Yale International Relations Association and the Yale Undergraduate Legal Aid Association. 

Lisbette Acosta , Fulbright Spain English Teaching Assistantship

Lisbette Acosta ’24 studied psychology, education, and pre-medicine studies at Yale College. Originally from La Vega, Dominican Republic, and currently based in New Haven, she bridges the two locations with her research centered on improving the health outcomes of Eastern Caribbean adults. Her teaching experience ranges from local to international. On campus, Acosta served as an instructor for the Yale Young Global Scholars Solving Global Challenges Track and an Organic Chemistry Course-Based Peer Tutor for the Department of Chemistry. She was also involved with Matriculate as a head advising fellow, outreach coordinator, and curriculum creator, guiding hundreds of low-income high school students through the college application process nationally and on Yale's campus. She also served as an academic strategies peer mentor for the Yale Prison Education Initiative, tutoring incarcerated students in math, chemistry, and English.

Sai Rayala , Fulbright India Research Grant

Sai Rayala ’24, who is from Powell, Ohio, studied history at Yale and received a certificate in human rights from Yale Law School. Her research interests include South Asian environmental history, forced migration, and international human rights law. At Yale, she served as the project leader for the Lowenstein Human Rights Program's Crimes Against Humanity Project, city editor of the Yale Daily News, and online managing editor of the Yale Review of International Studies. With the Fulbright Research Grant she will spend next year in Delhi, India, studying how dams have shaped India’s developmental path in the post-independence period.

Benjamin Everett-Lane , Fulbright Taiwan English Teaching Assistantship

Ben Everett-Lane ’24 graduated from Yale with a degree in environmental studies on the Climate & Energy track with certificates in Chinese and data science. His interests center around climate change communication, particularly at the international level. He received an English Teaching Assistant Award for Taiwan.

Steven Lewis , Fulbright South Africa Research Grant

Steven Lewis ‘18, who was born and raised in New York and currently lives in Brooklyn, is an M.D.-Ph.D. student in the Medical Scientist Training Program at Stony Brook University studying breast cancer epigenetics and the tumor microenvironment at Cold Spring Harbor Lab. His fellowship project will focus on analysis of genomic sequences of children with cancer and healthy controls in South Africa.

Em Tchorz , Fulbright Uzbekistan English Teaching Assistantship

Em Tchorz ’23, who studied neuroscience at Yale, was also a four-year varsity sailor and a member of the Polish Society. Since graduation she has been working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and plans to continue working in the public sector after her grant period. 

Nicholas Wade , Fulbright-Garcia Robles Grant, Binational Business Program

Nicholas Wade ’21, who is originally from outside of Cincinnati, Ohio, received his bachelor’s degree in political science and Middle Eastern studies at Yale, while also earning a certificate in the Arabic language. Previously he had travelled extensively to the Middle East via the Critical Language Scholarship. He worked at Goldman Sachs in investment banking, specifically in the infrastructure and structured finance team. He currently works in the investment office at the Andrew Mellon Foundation, focused on real estate, private equity, and public equities. 

Daniela Naumov , Fulbright Mexico English Teaching Assistantship

Daniela Naumov ‘24, who is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, majored in neuroscience on the pre-med track at Yale. The daughter of immigrants from Serbia and Macedonia, she is dedicated to supporting immigrant communities through accessible and equitable healthcare initiatives. A former co-director of patient services at the HAVEN Free Clinic and of student programming at Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS), a New Haven-based nonprofit, she works to increase access to comprehensive health services among New Haven community members.

Eli Kennard , Fulbright Algeria English Teaching Assistantship

Eli Kennard ’24 majored in computer science and psychology. In his senior thesis he explored game-based disinformation interventions. His passion for understanding how people learn has inspired him to teach community and consent courses as well as lead backpacking trips for young adults in transitional periods of their lives. A throughline in his educational journey has been the use of language to explore new places and connect with new people; At Yale he took courses in Arabic, Italian, and Swahili. He will teach English in Algeria next year.

Mariela Barrales , Fulbright Mexico English Teaching Assistantship

Mariela Barrales ’24, who is from East Los Angeles, was a double major in political science and Spanish. Her first-generation, low-income background inspired much of her work at Yale, which largely centered on higher education accessibility. She worked as a Dwight Hall Community Response Fellow and interned with The Perfect Blend, an education nonprofit in New Haven. She has also served as an admissions fellow with College Match LA, coaching high school juniors through the college application process. With the Fulbright grant, she plans to take a year to work as an English Teaching Assistant in Mexico.

Scott Hicks , Fulbright Istanbul Study Grant

Scott Hicks '18 will be in Istanbul, pursuing a master's degree from the Atatürk Institute for Modern Turkish History at Boğaziçi University. He will be researching the recently discovered diaries of Eveline Thomson Scott, an English-American woman who was born in Istanbul and lived in the city until her passing in 1976. For the past four years, Scott has been traveling while working as an essay coach.

Ben Kramer , Fulbright Sweden Study Grant

Ben Karmer ’24, who is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, double majored in music and linguistics at Yale while also pursuing a joint master's degree in linguistics. His research interests lie in phonetics, laboratory phonology, and sociolinguistics. At Yale, he was a member of the Yale Phonetics Laboratory and the Yale Undergraduate Linguistics Society, and he was the winner of the Abraham Beekman Cox Prize for Music Composition. For his senior project in musical theater composition he wrote a musical about the AIDS epidemic, and previously served as musical director of the Yale Whiffenpoofs and sang with the Yale Spizzwinks, Redhot & Blue of Yale, and the Yale Glee Club.

Fiona O’Brien , Fulbright France Study Award

Fiona O’Brien ’22 graduated from Yale summa cum laude with a B.S. in environmental engineering and a certificate in French. While at Yale, she participated in the Global Health Studies program, supported several volunteer organizations, including Engineers Without Borders and Community Health Educators, and went on many long runs and bike rides in New Haven. She currently works in climate and sustainability consulting in New York. As the recipient of a Fulbright France Award, she will pursue her Master of Science and Technology in Smart Cities and Climate Policy at École Polytechnique.  

Sandhya Kumar , Fulbright India Study Grant

Sandhya Kumar ‘23 continued her studies at Yale as a Master of Public Health student in Health Policy with a concentration in Global Health at the Yale School of Public Health. Originally from Rochester, Minnesota, she is in the accelerated 5-year BA/MPH program and received her bachelor’s degree in global affairs and global health from Yale College. On campus, she volunteered with the Neighborhood Health Project in New Haven, led a summer high school program with the Yale International Relations Association, danced with the Yale Rangeela Bollywood fusion dance team, and was co-president of the South Asian Society. She will continue exploring topics in global health in Mumbai during her Fulbright year. 

Renee Deminne , Fulbright Armenia English Teaching Assistantship

Renee Deminne ’24, who is originally from Charles County, Maryland, recently completed a degree in Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies. At Yale her interests have been in film, transnational culture, and education. She has worked in the Poorvu Center as a Pedagogical Partner and with Dwight Hall as a public school intern. Previously, she received scholarships for study in Moldova, Armenia, and Poland. This fall she will begin an English Teaching Assistantship in Armenia.

William Salaverry , Fulbright Open Study/Research award in Guatemala

William Salaverry ’24, who graduated this year with a B.A. in Latin American Studies, will complete the Fulbright Open Study/Research award in Guatemala.

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Perception of undergraduate medical students on learning physiology: A descriptive cross-sectional study in a medical school of South India

Affiliations.

• 1 Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Bukit Baru, Melaka, Malaysia.
• 2 Department of Pharmacology, SUIMS, Shimoga, Karnataka, India.
• 3 Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
• PMID: 38784262
• PMCID: PMC11114537
• DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_1077_23

Background: Understanding the various principles in physiology is very important for medical students to apply their knowledge in clinical practice. Most of the students learn physiology just to clear exams. There is a need to understand the student's perception on the significance of learning physiology in medical colleges, its role in clinical practice, research, and the subject of career choice.

Materials and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted in a medical college in Karnataka, India. A total of 100 medical students studying in year 2 MBBS were enrolled into the study. Responses were collected, validated, and analyzed to understand the perception.

Results: All the participants (100%) felt physiology is an important subject in the medical curriculum and 93% of participants felt physiology knowledge was essential to become a better doctor. It was observed that 48% of the participants were interested in pursuing research in physiology and only 24% of the participants agreed on considering physiology as a carrier option.

Conclusions: Medical students perceived physiology as an important and interesting subject in the medical curriculum. However, only few of the students were inclined to do research in physiology and agreed on pursuing physiology as a carrier option. The scope of study in physiology is vast due to the large variety of interdisciplinary topics included in different systems. Subsequent decrease in job opportunity, lack of awareness of research opportunities, and lower pay scale in the medical colleges in India lead to less interest in students for considering physiology as a carrier option.

Keywords: Career; South India; perception; physiology; research.

Copyright: © 2024 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.

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HEALTH MATTERS

Stanford scientists share practical prevention tips for inflammation, cognitive health, and heart disease at Health Matters

The Bay Area community was out in full force on Saturday, May 18, for Stanford Medicine’s annual free community health event, Health Matters . Held outdoors on the medical school campus, more than 1,500 attendees gathered to listen to health talks and explore interactive exhibits at a health pavilion staffed by professionals from Stanford Medicine and Stanford Health Care.

In the three health talks, Stanford Medicine physician-scientists spoke to a full-capacity crowd about their latest research and practical tips to fight inflammation with food, maintain brain resiliency, and improve cardiovascular health. Another 500-plus people tuned in via livestream.

Food’s protective power against inflammation

Inflammation is an appropriate adaptive response, signaling the body to fight off infection or heal an injury. But when the body is in a state of chronic inflammation, it can contribute to obesity, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes, depression, autoimmune disease, and even cancer. Remarkably, fighting inflammation begins in the kitchen, according to the day's first speaker.

Tamiko Katsumoto, MD, discusses food as medicine at Health Matters. Photo by Steve Fisch.

“The biggest driver of chronic inflammation is something we have control over, and that is our diet,” said Tamiko Katsumoto , MD, clinical associate professor of medicine–immunology and rheumatology. There is an epidemic of chronic disease in the United States. Currently, 6 out of 10 adults have one chronic disease, with the primary driver being poor nutrition. The standard American diet, comprised of ultra-processed foods and animal products, is now the leading cause of poor health. Switching to a plant-based diet can help quell inflammation if it’s already started and reduce the chances of developing chronic inflammatory diseases, said Katsumoto. It can also help reduce the growing rates of obesity in our country. “Plant-based diets can be extremely powerful, and food can be medicine.”

Aiming for a whole-food, plant-based diet is not just good for overall health; it’s also good for the planet—a cause Katsumoto is equally passionate about. “If the world's two billion consumers cut their meat and dairy consumption by 40%, it would save the land area two times the size of India and avoid 168 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions,” Katsumoto said.

Brain power

“We are in an explosion of brain science,” said Frank Longo , MD, PhD, the George E. and Lucy Becker Professor of Medicine and professor of neurology and neurological sciences. “For centuries, the brain has been a black box where scientists did not know what was going on in the brains of living people. During the past few years, technologies have become available that are rapidly changing that reality.

New imaging technology, coupled with omics—the ability to measure thousands of genes and proteins in the blood or spinal fluid—gives scientists a once-impossible view of living people's brains. “This revolution in neuroscience has yielded advanced methods for detecting and treating brain disorders than were previously imaginable just a few decades ago,” said Longo. These technologies have opened the door to new insights and strategies to help increase brain resiliency.

Frank Longo, MD, PhD, discusses breakthroughs in neurological sciences. Photo by Steve Fisch.

While there is no current curative treatment for the most common forms of cognitive decline—dementia, Lewy body dementia, and Alzheimer’s—there are several lifestyle changes people can make to improve brain resilience and function, including exercise, diet, cognitive engagement, and sleep. Longo said exercise has the most profound impact, reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s by 50%.

What researchers have discovered is that neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s are the result of multiple factors—amyloid plaques, Tau tangles, and neuro-inflammation—and, as such, require powerful drugs that address multiple mechanisms. Cognitive decline also begins decades before symptoms occur. In his health talk, Longo discussed two promising new therapies being studied to reduce the progression of dementia. The first, a new compound developed by the Longo Lab, normalizes abnormal proteins that accumulate in the spinal fluid 10 to 20 years before Alzheimer’s disease starts. Results of first-in-human trials show that taking this drug early could delay the onset of Alzheimer's by 10 years, potentially eliminating 90% of cases, he said. The drug is scheduled to undergo a major Phase 3 trial at multiple centers across the United States in the next 12 to 18 months. He also mentioned an ongoing clinical trial at Stanford to study an amyloid reduction antibody treatment.  

Improved imaging, novel blood tests and biomarkers, and robust clinical trials continue to illuminate the biology of the brain and provide hope for new treatments that will prevent or slow down the onset of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Protecting your heart

In a Q&A-style talk,  Joseph Wu , MD, PhD, the Simon H. Stertzer, MD, Professor of Medicine, director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, professor of medicine–cardiology and of radiology, and current president of the American Heart Association, shared his expertise on a variety of heart health topics, ranging from wearables technology to weight loss medications, current CPR guidelines, supplements, and the indispensable role of exercise and diet in maintaining cardiovascular health.

Joseph Wu, MD, PhD, discusses how to improve heart health. Photo by Steve Fisch.

To help reduce the risk of heart disease, Wu highlighted four modifiable lifestyle changes everyone can implement—exercise, sleep, avoiding tobacco, and diet. Monitoring disease risk factors, specifically LDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and body mass index (BMI), is also critical for patients and their clinicians in managing cardiovascular health. For patients with high cholesterol, Wu said the gold standard treatment continues to be statins, a drug that blocks the liver from synthesizing cholesterol. “Statins are very effective and very safe,” said Wu, who takes one himself to control his cholesterol.

While statins remain a vital tool in a cardiologist’s arsenal, weight loss is the next frontier. Wu addressed the benefits of medications known as GLP-1 agonists, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, which work to tell your brain you’re full, slow down your gut so you feel full, and reduce glucose. When taken over three years by patients with a history of heart attack, stroke, or peripheral artery disease, these medications were shown to lower the risk of recurrence of these conditions by 20%. “Reducing body weight by just 10 to 20% dramatically improves your cardiovascular health,” Wu said.

Another area of increasing attention in cardiovascular medicine is the advent of wearable devices that track exercise, heart rate, and sleep. Wu noted that these modern smartwatches and rings can provide patients and physicians with objective health data and even help detect cardiac abnormalities.

Watch all three health talks in full  here .