Last update: April 23, 2025

CALL

Organizers

Dr. Jorge Alejandro Rochin Mozqueda
Dr. Luis Adrián Miranda García

What is “The Friar’s Skull”?

La Calavera del Fraile is a medical knowledge competition aimed at encouraging and developing critical and analytical thinking skills among undergraduate students in medicine and related fields who are interested in the neurosciences, particularly neurosurgery. It is designed to foster reflective thinking and problem-solving abilities concerning health conditions related to the nervous system.

This competition promotes friendly knowledge-based rivalry among students who will become the next generation of healthcare professionals and experts in various branches of clinical neurosciences.

How is “La Calavera del Fraile” played?

There are 4 qualifying rounds, each involving 4 teams of 3 to 4 undergraduate students from medicine or related fields. Each round lasts 30 minutes, and one winner is determined per round. The final round features the top 4 teams from the previous rounds, with a single overall winner.

Questions are divided into 5 categories: Neurology, Neurosurgery, Cranial Neuroanatomy, Spinal Neuroanatomy, and General Knowledge. Each category has 5 questions worth 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 points, with increasing difficulty. The questions are designed in the form of clinical cases and direct queries. Answers must be given in the form of a question within 20 seconds.

A designated panel of judges will be present to resolve any disputes or assess the correctness of responses.

The winning team will face off against the champion of the Neurobowl competition, which features Neurosurgery Residents.

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

This event will take place during the XXVIII Congress of the Mexican Society of Neurological Surgery, at Expo Guadalajara.

This invitation is open to all undergraduate students of medicine and related fields, nationally and internationally, especially from universities with a student medical chapter affiliated with AANS and/or Mission Brain.

Each team member will receive a scholarship covering the congress registration, provided that they submit a free paper (individually or as a team), in accordance with the relevant call for submissions.

All participants will receive a certificate of participation, and the top 3 teams will be awarded.

REGISTRATION

Registration can be completed directly by contacting the module coordinator, Dr. Jorge Alejandro Rochin Mozqueda, via email at dr.neurochin@gmail.com, no later than Monday, June 30, 2025.

Please attach the following:

1. 1. 1. Full name of each student (with correct spelling)
      2. University of origin
      3. Proof of enrollment or valid student ID showing undergraduate status
      4. Designation of a team captain and a contact phone number
      5. To obtain the scholarship for the congress, all team members must pre-register on the congress website, submit a free paper, and indicate the full names of all team participants. A scholarship code will be sent to them to grant access
      6. If no paper is submitted, full congress registration is mandatory

DON’T HESITATE—REGISTER NOW, AND MAY THE BEST TEAM WIN!

For questions, feel free to send a message via WhatsApp at +52 33 2720 7651