Everything you need to explore SEM as an undergraduate
From the national conference to awards and a growing learning hub.
Conference
USEMS National Conference
Applications are now open for 2026
Following a fantastic conference hosted by Leicester Sports Medicine last year, we're looking for the next university to host the National Undergraduate Sports & Exercise Medicine Conference 2026.
Do you want to host the conference? This is your opportunity. No prior experience is needed, just enthusiasm, creativity and a vision for SEM. Submit 500 to 700 words telling us:
- • Proposed dates (October to December 2026)
- • Venue and location
- • Theme
- • Streams, how workshops and sessions will break up the day
- • Speaker ideas
- • Potential sponsors
- • Virtual adaptability
- • Plans for the USEMS poster and oral presentations
Applications should be emailed to usemscompetitions@gmail.com and will be judged anonymously by the USEMS committee.
Deadline: 1st August 2026.
Submit an applicationAward
BASEM Undergraduate Elective Award, in association with USEMS
More USEMS competitions and awards are in the works, this is the first of a growing list.
Medical electives are an opportunity for undergraduate students to pursue a specific interest not otherwise covered during university teaching. For many students, electives may be their first extended exposure to SEM.
The Undergraduate Elective Award is awarded twice annually to enable BASEM undergraduate members to travel at home or overseas for at least 4 weeks to study sport or exercise medicine at one or more centres of excellence, gaining further experience, knowledge and skills. The elective must be completed within 12 months of receiving confirmation of the award.
Enquiries should go to awards@basem.co.uk.
BASEM Undergraduate Elective Award in association with USEMS
- Prize
- Up to £1,000 per recipient
- Term
- Biannual, two awards per round
- Availability
- Undergraduate members only
- Deadline
- Closed for applications
Past winners
Meet the students who've won the award so far, and read about the electives it's taken them on.
Monica Raviraj
2026 winner
Elective: Brisbane Sports Medicine Specialists & Eastern Suburbs Sports Medicine Centre, Australia
Monica Raviraj is a final-year UCL medical student with a strong passion for Sports and Exercise Medicine, developed through both academic and practical experience, including completing an intercalated BSc in Sports and Exercise Medicine. During her iBSc, she conducted and published research focusing on female athlete health. This, combined with her lifelong involvement in sport, having grown up playing national-level netball and semi-professional tennis, has strengthened her interest in improving research and care for women in sport. Alongside her academic training, she has also worked part-time within a SEM clinic during medical school, providing early clinical exposure to MSK medicine, rehabilitation, and multidisciplinary athlete care.
As part of her medical elective, Monica is undertaking a split SEM placement across Brisbane and Sydney, Australia. This has given her the opportunity to gain exposure to elite athlete care across a variety of professional sporting environments, observing and learning from highly experienced SEM physicians working in clinics and pitch side with teams including the Brisbane Broncos, Queensland Firebirds, and South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Monica is keen to further develop her SEM experience by gaining insight into the practice of sports medicine in Australia, learning from leading physicians, and building professional connections for her future career in the field.
Maya Williams
2026 winner
Elective: Hamilton Sports Medicine Clinic & Axis Sports Medicine Clinic, New Zealand
Maya Williams is a final-year medical student at the University of Exeter and has spent the past two years studying in Cornwall. Williams has always enjoyed sport, and after discovering Sport and Exercise Medicine during their first year at university, they knew it was an area they wanted to pursue. Since then, they have completed an MSc in Sports and Exercise Medicine and shadowed SEM physicians at a range of events, including rugby matches, horse riding competitions, and ultra marathons.
Outside of medicine, Williams enjoys running, swimming, horse riding, and travelling. They are looking forward to gaining further experience in Sport and Exercise Medicine during their elective in New Zealand.
Podcast series
SEM Across The MDT
We have an exciting, talented and varied array of guests who share insights into the intersections between their specialty and SEM. Understanding how SEM fits with other specialties shows that even without a designated SEM rotation, there are opportunities to learn transferable skills and think like a sports practitioner in any placement.
This player is live from Spotify, the newest episode always appears at the top.
Why listen
- 🩺Guests from across the MDT: hear where SEM intersects with the specialty they know best.
- 🎯Transferable skills: pick up SEM thinking on any placement, not just a dedicated rotation.
- 🎧New episodes regularly: follow the show on Spotify so you never miss one.
Guides & resources
Practical guides for getting into SEM
A growing library of how-to guides and resources, from organising an elective to arranging shadowing, getting into research and understanding the routes into SEM.
Organising a SEM elective
How to plan and arrange a Sport and Exercise Medicine elective, at home or abroad, from choosing a centre to funding and logistics.
Arranging shadowing
How to find and approach SEM clinicians in your area, and make the most of shadowing and taster experiences.
Getting involved in SEM research
Practical ways to get started with research, audits and projects in Sport and Exercise Medicine as an undergraduate.
Routes into SEM
The different ways into a career in SEM, beyond higher specialty training alone, and how to build towards them.
Exercise as medicine
Resources on physical activity in disease prevention and management, linked to Clinical Champion training.
SEM practice questions
Self-test question banks covering MSK, exercise physiology and sports injury, designed for undergraduates.