{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,12]],"date-time":"2026-10-12T21:40:17Z","timestamp":1791841217481,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,19]],"date-time":"2025-11-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1763510400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Purpose<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Ophthalmology conferences are vital for knowledge exchange, networking, and professional development in ophthalmology. However, financial barriers may limit medical students\u2019 participation. This study assesses the costs associated with attending major United States conferences and examines disparities in funding availability based on institutional and conference-specific factors.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Design<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A descriptive cross-sectional analysis was conducted using publicly available data.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Subjects, participants, or controls<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Not applicable; this study analyzed publicly available data on conferences and institutions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional analysis was conducted to assess conference-related expenses from January to December 2024. Data on registration fees, travel and accommodation costs, and available travel grants were collected from official conference websites and the publicly available websites of U.S. allopathic medical schools. Data were organized and analyzed descriptively using Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA), with comparisons made between general and subspecialty conferences and between virtual and in-person participation to illustrate cost variability.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Conference registration fees varied substantially, with a mean in-person registration cost of $670.83 (SD\u202f=\u202f$391.65), ranging from $0 to $1,100. Virtual fees averaged $541.67 (SD\u202f=\u202f$166.46), ranging from $400 to $725. Student discounts were inconsistently offered, and some conferences provided no financial relief. Travel and lodging added a significant expense. Institutional travel stipends ranged from $0 to $2,500 (mean\u202f=\u202f$428.33, SD\u202f=\u202f$144.83), often falling short of total costs.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Medical students encounter considerable out-of-pocket costs when participating in ophthalmology conferences. Addressing these financial barriers through expanded travel funding, standardized student discounts, and reduced registration fees could enhance equity in access to professional development and foster greater inclusion within the field.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2025.1708446","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,19]],"date-time":"2025-11-19T05:18:03Z","timestamp":1763529483000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Financial barriers for medical students attending ophthalmology conferences: an analysis of registration fees"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"David","family":"Hutchins","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Meghan K.","family":"Berkenstock","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"25603","DOI":"10.3402\/meo.v19.25603","article-title":"Medical student debt and major life choices other than specialty","volume":"19","author":"Rohlfing","year":"2014","journal-title":"Med Educ Online"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"111","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ihj.2016.03.011","article-title":"Do medical conferences have a role to play? Sharpen the saw","volume":"68","author":"Mishra","year":"2016","journal-title":"Indian Heart J"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"843","DOI":"10.1515\/jom-2021-0117","article-title":"Analyzing the cost of medical student virtual conference registration by specialty during the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"121","author":"Veyg","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Osteopath Med"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"20","DOI":"10.1055\/s-0038-1675846","article-title":"Not a cheap investment: estimating the cost of the 2017 to 2018 ophthalmology residency match to the applicant and program","volume":"10","author":"Moore","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Acad Ophthalmol"},{"key":"ref5","first-page":"107","article-title":"Informed consent process: A step further towards making it meaningful!","volume-title":"Perspect Clin 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implications for residency selection","volume-title":"J Acad Ophthalmol","author":"Hamdan","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref14","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2307124","DOI":"10.1080\/10872981.2024.2307124","article-title":"Characterizing the initial effects of the single accreditation system merge on the ophthalmology residency match","volume":"29","author":"Bohler","year":"2024","journal-title":"Med Educ Online"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"144","DOI":"10.1016\/j.amjsurg.2024.01.008","article-title":"The price of conference attendance: opportunities to improve access for medical students","volume":"232","author":"Heron","year":"2024","journal-title":"Am J Surg"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2600","DOI":"10.1007\/s00268-023-07166-3","article-title":"Financial barriers to surgical conferences: a cross-sectional analysis of registration 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