On Saturday 7 February 2026, the Liverpool Research Society hosted their 11th annual Northern Regional conference LivResCon11: Demystifying the Research Process at the Royal Liverpool Hospital. President, Treasurer and Year Two Student Doctors Eliana Li and Andrea Lee lift the lid on one of their most successful annual conferences to date, reaching over 80 attendees.
We are honoured that our conference was awarded up to 4 CPD points by Royal College of Surgeons of England, and was held in collaboration with the respective research societies from University of Lancashire and Edge Hill University.
The Liverpool Research Society is a long-standing student-led society established to promote research, a discipline that is rapidly flourishing, particularly within the medical field. While research tends to arouse keen interest among students, there can sometimes be a lack of guidance or exposure, which can render the research process both daunting and intangible.
With this in mind, the theme of our 11th annual conference was Demystifying the Research Process, in which we sought to unpack the research process, from formulating a research question to analysing data.
Our goal was to provide a taste of what research entails in a student-friendly way, and in doing so, we hoped to pave the way for students to venture into research with a newfound confidence.
The spectacular success of our conference owed much to the months of tireless dedication and collective efforts of the conference committee to make this event possible:
- Eliana Li – President
- Sakshi Krishnamurthy – Vice President
- Udita Singhal – Secretary
- Andrea Lee – Treasurer
- Abdul Rahman Jahjah & Shao Junzhe – Conference Secretaries
- Hamzah Shaikh – Public Relations Officer
- Serena Liu – Y2/Conference Representative
- Surya Saran Dhulipala – Y3/Conference Representative
- Isabelle Leigh – Intercalating/Conference Representative
- Smret Bereket – Y4/Conference Representative
We would also like to thank Charlie Murphy-Johnson (Y1 Representative) and Nour Al Tarsha (Y5 Representative) for their undeterred support alongside the conference team to advocate for our event.
During our conference, we were incredibly honoured to welcome a series of enriching talks from distinguished clinicians and academics, including Professor John Wilding (Professor in Cardiovascular & Metabolic Medicine), Dr Daniel Wootton (Consultant in Respiratory Medicine) and Professor Greg Irving (Academic General Practitioner), each of whom shared not only their outstanding research projects but also reflected on their personal journeys, successes and setbacks in academia.
This reminded attendees of the many paths a research career can take. There is often no single route into research. Instead, it becomes possible through curiosity, perseverance and sometimes a little patience.
This was followed by two interactive workshops. Professor Martin O’Flaherty (Professor of Epidemiology) led a session on the process of conducting a thorough literature search, explaining how to formulate a clear research question and how it shapes the scope of a review and showing how this could then guide practical search strategies and criteria when utilizing PubMed. Attendees were able to see first-hand how a structured approach is imperative to form the backbone of any research project.
Meanwhile, Dr Saddaf Naaz Akhtar (Postdoctoral Research Associate in Public Health) delivered another session on basic coding, data interpretation and statistical analysis. By utilizing R Studio, sample datasets and practical examples, students were able to witness how raw data can be translated into meaningful outputs, such as for systematic review or meta-analyses. As most students start out confronted with voluminous datasets, this session was helpful in demonstrating how to interpret data and extract findings, rather than reporting mere numbers.
Finally, it was a pleasure to be joined by Dr Siddarth Kannan (FY1) and Dr Dania Gasimmalla (FY1), who delivered a careers talk drawing on their own extensive research and publication experience, alongside invaluable portfolio tips and advice.
A further highlight was the opportunity for a select number of students to present their research through poster or oral presentations. The standard of work was exceptionally high, and we are especially proud to announce that Kieran Banner, a 4th-year University of Liverpool Student Doctor, was awarded first place for his poster titled “Establishing Complications and Actual Costs of Tuberculosis Treatment, Liverpool, UK”.
Overall, the conference was a phenomenal success. We hope that the attendees were able to grasp a glimpse of the research process and feel empowered to explore it further. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone for their enthusiasm and engagement, as well as partner societies, and the Liverpool Guild for their support. A sincere thank you also goes to the administrative staff at the Royal Liverpool Hospital and the Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, who have been so kind and truly went out of their way to support our event.
For anyone uncertain how to enter the research journey, our advice is to begin by learning the fundamentals early in medical school, as opportunities to participate in projects tend to grow as you progress.
The School offers several avenues to achieve this, from completing the RS3 project to the option to intercalate and even pursue an MRes, a stage at which many students publish for the first time.
Even volunteering to partake in other students’ or supervisors’ projects can be an eye-opening way to experience what research involves.
On that note, we are pleased to have launched our Building an Academic Medical Career: A National Teaching Series, hosted by Liverpool Research Society together with HKMSUK and MORS. The series provides ample opportunities for students to learn directly from expert academics and clinicians. Delivered through biweekly online sessions, it will cover topics including approaching and contacting the right supervisors, the basics of conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and honing the skills necessary to maximize success in conference presentation and publication. Most importantly, we hope to endow students with the confidence to recognise and seize these opportunities. Students can register through this sign-up form.
Research can appear intimidating, or even perceived as beyond reach, but it is a pursuit deserving of exploration. With the right guidance and enduring patience, what it offers in return can be deeply rewarding.