Prescribed reading

They might be in the infancy of their medical careers, but a group of UNSW students is celebrating after successfully launching Australia's first medical journal produced for and by medical students.

The Australian Medical Student Journal is a national, peer-reviewed biomedical journal that publishes relevant and topical research, reviews and student opinions from around the country.

The inaugural issue featured a number of guest authors, including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Australian of the Year Professor Patrick McGorry, Australian Medical Association President Dr Andrew Pesce, and prominent medical author Professor Nicholas Talley.

Attending the official launch were medical students from across Australia, as well as a host of academics and clinicians, including Dr Pesce, who cut the ribbon from the first box of copies.

Fittingly, the new publication was launched in UNSW's newest building, the Lowy Cancer Research Centre.

The journal attracted almost 100 submissions from 15 of the country's 20 medical schools. Academic articles were reviewed by expert clinicians and academics, many of whom are world leaders in their field.

Articles span topics from new surgical techniques to rural and Indigenous health, pharmaceutical promotion and complementary medicine. The focus is squarely on providing content that will appeal to a medical student readership.

The journals' rationale is to encourage more students to become involved in medical research, and to further debate about important issues, said Editor-in-Chief, Matt Schiller.

"We want to develop the skills and experience of the next generation of researchers.

"We also want to draw attention to issues such as health reform, medical education, health and social policy from a medical student perspective."

"As medical school curricula increasingly emphasise the value of research as a part of a student's medical training, the AMSJ aims to provide an appropriate and accessible place to have their voices heard."

The AMSJ is distributed free of charge to 14,000 medical students across the country via print and online editions.

To download a free copy of the inaugural issue, visit the AMSJ website

Contacts: Chris Mulligan, Public Relations Officer, AMSJ |0403 346 205| c.mulligan@amsj.orgHassan Ahmad, Communications Officer, AMSJ | 0432 651 425| h.ahmad@amsj.org