By Dr Mavin Kashyap, Academic Clinical Fellow, Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol

Attending conferences and professional meetings can feel both exciting and overwhelming—especially in the early stages of an academic career. As an early career researcher, I’ve come to see these events as unique opportunities for professional growth, connection, and inspiration. Having attended three conferences and a meeting in the space of three weeks, I’ve learnt some lessons that I’d like to share in the hope that it helps others make their conference attendances purposeful.

Interdisciplinary conferences

Firstly, I attended the South West Public Health Scientific Conference as part of my Public Health Scholarship with North Somerset Council Public Health team. Here I could focus on soaking up the atmosphere and appreciating the varied insights across public health practice from vastly different professional backgrounds.

It was encouraging to see senior leaders in attendance following the recent announcement of NHS England’s abolition, with Professor Maggie Rae (President of the Royal Society of Medicine Epidemiology and Public Health Section) stating she could not recall how many times she had been disbanded over her career! A career in academia and leadership clearly takes perseverance and agility to overcome whatever hurdles may come.

I was excited to hear about the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Determinants Research Collaborations across the South West, which are building research capacity within local government to conduct research that directly addresses health inequalities by tackling the wider determinants of health. Wider determinants of health, such as the differential in distribution of income, risk behaviours, housing quality, opportunities for employment and differential access to healthcare are estimated to influence up to 80% of the variation seen in health outcomes.

The following week, I travelled to Birmingham to attend a meeting on ‘Overcoming inequalities in care pathways for liver disease’. This was a fantastic opportunity to hear from people with lived experience of liver disease, who shared their insights into the many challenges that face people living with severe and multiple disadvantage.

I valued being able to champion the voice of primary care as one of the few primary care clinicians in attendance. Advocacy is hard-wired into the daily work of a GP and I found it translated well in this forum – primary care has a lot to offer, so invite us to the table!

Academic primary care conferences

It was my second time attending the British Journal of General Practice Research Conference and first time presenting. While presenting can feel nerve-racking, once I got into the flow I really enjoyed it. It was a fantastic way to gain feedback, improve my communication skills, and build my confidence in presenting. The Q&A that followed led me to considering new perspectives or questions I hadn’t previously considered and I’m sure will help improve the quality of my work.

The conference is unique in providing an academic editing focus and the workshops provide valuable continuing professional development (CPD) to explore this, which is relevant for any primary care researcher wanting to improve the quality of their submissions. It is also a warm and welcoming conference and I would highly recommend to any early primary care researcher.

Finally, I spent two sunny days in Oxford at the South West regional Society for Academic Primary Care Conference. The theme was diverse primary care and the conference delivered in spades. There was such a great diversity of research methods, topics, research groups, social events, creative methods and attendees that it really did represent academic primary care at its best.

The plenary delivered by Professor Caroline Mitchell titled ‘Evidence-biased medicine’ spoke to the quality of research evidence generated when equity, diversity and inclusion are side-lined as well as the attack on science and research currently occurring across the pond.

I also had the chance to co-chair a session and participated in scoring presentations. These activities helped me refine my critical appraisal skills as well as being amongst the first to engage with researchers about their cutting-edge work. Plus, facilitating offers the chance to guide discussion, provide a clinician’s perspective and subtly shape the tone of the session—it’s leadership in action.

Do I have to network?

Networking can sometimes feel awkward, but it’s absolutely worth leaning into. Conversations during coffee breaks, poster sessions, or even while queuing for lunch can lead to future collaborations, new mentorship opportunities, or just a refreshing sense of solidarity.

I try to follow up with people I meet—whether it’s a quick LinkedIn message or an email to continue a conversation we started. These small efforts can pay off in the future but the key is to be genuinely interested and attentive. It’s also great to reconnect with colleagues from across institutions and regions, and it’s a brilliant chance to strengthen those existing relationships.

Lastly, give yourself permission to enjoy the location and social events. Exploring a new city—even briefly—can be rejuvenating. Social events, from informal dinners to organised cultural activities, offer a relaxed space to connect on a human level. Some of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had happened outside the formal sessions.

Conferences and meetings are much more than posters and PowerPoints—they’re spaces to grow as both a clinician and a researcher. So go with an open mind, say yes to new opportunities, and remember that every interaction and activity is part of your academic journey.