Neurobowl reimagines how the next generation of neurologists is trained

Each month, residents, fellows, and physicians tune into Zoom to watch a video simulation of a patient describing unusual neurological symptoms. They log their diagnostic guesses into an app on their phone before the diagnosis is revealed. This is Neurobowl, an interactive case-based session to teach uncommon neurological conditions, and an effort by two longtime friends and colleagues—Sashank Prasad, chief of Neurology at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and Raymond Price, chief of Neurology at Pennsylvania Hospital—to reimagine how the next generation of neurologists is trained.

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The sessions sprung from the question, “How can neurology faculty provide excellent care across the health system, conduct cutting-edge research, value clinical education, and make neurology as inspiring as it can be?” Prasad says.

“It's meant to be a way to remind clinicians of the joy that can come from listening to patients, figuring out how to help them, and always remaining curious to learn more,” he says.

The two introduce a spectrum of rare neurological disorders, centered with videos of patients giving their own histories. Prasad and Price always have their eye out for patients whose cases might make for good learning opportunities, and after examining them, will ask for their permission to record them reiterating or demonstrating their symptoms. The quiz element encourages interaction from the audience. After sharing the answers, they sprinkle in studies and historical context about the disorder.

The pair developed an early version of the trivia game years ago, while still working in different cities, to expand the reach of neurology education. But it was the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic that pushed them to create a regular event. They debuted Neurobowl on Zoom for the American Academy of Neurology in July 2020 and offered it monthly throughout the pandemic.

“We worried about residents in our own programs and across the country going through their training during that period, hardly being able to interact directly with patients,” Prasad says. “We thought we could build a community of people wanting to learn neurology,” using online tools like Zoom and Kahoot, which were exploding in popularity.

More than 700 people logged on the first evening, and years later, the neurologists still draw a loyal following every other month to their Zoom sessions. They’ve even heard from trainees in other time zones who set their alarms to tune in at 1 or 2 a.m., which is “incredibly rewarding,” Price says.

This story is by Daphne Sashin. Read more at Penn Medicine News.