Osler Medal Essay Contest

Osler Medal Essay Contest

Call for participation 

The Osler Medal is awarded annually for the best unpublished essay on a medical historical topic written by a student enrolled in a school  of medicine or osteopathy in the United States or Canada. First awarded  in 1942, the medal commemorates Sir William Osler, who stimulated an  interest in the humanities among medical students and physicians. The  writer of the winning essay will be invited to attend the 2014 AAHM meeting, May 8-11, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois, where the medal will be  conferred. Reasonable travel expenses will be provided, as will a  two-year complimentary membership in the AAHM. If the Osler Medal Committee also selects an essay for honorable mention, its author will  eceive a certificate and a two-year complimentary membership in the Association.

  All students who are candidates for the degree of Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy, or are graduates of the class of 2013, are eligible. The essay must have been written while the entrant was a student in good standing. Students are not eligible to compete for the Osler Medal if they have completed at least one full year of graduate training in history, the history of science or medicine, or the humanities or social sciences by the closing date of the competition. Medical students who have been enrolled in a graduate program in history or a related discipline should submit their essays to the Shryock competition. No student should submit an essay to both competitions in the same year. Essays that have been awarded an Honorable Mention are not eligible for resubmission.

Essays may pertain to the historical development of a contemporary medical problem, or to a topic within the health sciences related to a discrete period in the past and should demonstrate either original research or an unusual appreciation and understanding of the problems discussed. The essay (maximum 9,000 words, including endnotes) must be entirely the work of one contestant. Complete contest information may be obtained below or from the Osler Medal Committee Chair, Stephen Inrig, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9169., E-mail: stephen.inrig@utsouthwestern.edu Entries must be postmarked or submitted electronically via e-mail to Dr. Inrig (which is the preferred method of submission) by 1 February 2014.