A Novel, Virtual, Multi-Institutional, Multi-Disciplinary Spine Education Program in Response to the COVID19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The COVID19 pandemic ended all national and international in-person educational conferences. In response to this, and in an effort to continue sharing and advancing knowledge in spine surgery, a multi-institutional collaboration formed a “virtual” spine educational platform. METHODS: Our group, consisting of five spinal neurosurgeons and one neuroradiologist, formed an online platform called the Virtual Global Spine Conference (VGSC). A website was created and maintained by the Weill Cornell Neurosurgery Department, and biweekly, Zoom meetings were established where prominent spine physicians from various specialties would deliver case-based presentations on spine and spine surgery related conditions at no cost to the participants. The “faculty hosts” coordinated the speakers, promotion and delivery of the program. All sessions are recorded and archived online. RESULTS: In less than one month, over 1000 surgeons, trainees and other specialists signed up for the program, with a continuous rate of 50- 100 new registrants per week. Each session draws an audience of 200- 300 participants. An early survey to the participants indicated that 94% would like this program to continue post-COVID. CONCLUSION: The early success of the Virtual Global Spine Conference is a reflection of the continued interest in spine education despite the COVID pandemic. There is widespread opinion, backed by our own survey results, that many want to see “virtual” education continue post-pandemic. The future goals of VGSC are to continue to deliver high-quality sessions led by prominent surgeons and other specialists, to better engage and collaborate with national organizations, and to collect long-term, granular data to better assess effectiveness and quality of this program.