McGill Journal of Medicine

Enhancing the Training of Future Doctors

There exists an internationally renowned medical publication produced entirely by medical students. It was founded some ten years ago in Montréal and since then has been run by students at McGill University. The McGill Journal of Medicine is, according to many, on a par with the world’s leading scientific journals.

“The world of medicine needs student projects such as this. Though the MJM is based in Montréal, it reaches out to students all over the world. Scientific progress depends on cooperation. These students realized this and took concrete action,” said Dr. Jack Lawler, professor at the Harvard Medical School in Boston.

The MJM is published twice a year and 1,000 copies are distributed to its subscribers. There is also an on-line version available at www.mjm.mcgill.ca. Moreover, the international scientific community has access to the articles it publishes by way of two highly popular search engines, EMBASE and PubMed Central.

The Journal publishes the results of student-led scientific research, medical case studies and is a forum for exchanging knowledge and ideas. The Cross-Roads section enables students to present their vision of medicine while the Focus section offers guest experts the opportunity to share their opinions on major issues relating to contemporary medicine with no censorship whatsoever.

The journal was initially created to enable medical students at McGill University to share their ideas on the progress of science among themselves but medical students from other universities soon wanted to join the group. Today, the journal’s team is made up of 120 members from all four corners of the world, not to mention all those who send their scientific papers to the editorial staff in the hope of being published for the first time.

“Since its creation, the MJM has succeeded in inspiring students as well as supporting the scientific innovations of others. The project has led to the creation of an extensive scientific community and an extraordinary learning environment where medical students can cultivate their passion for research and the health sciences,” asserts Dr. Jacques Galipeau of the Montréal Jewish General Hospital.

“The time I spent as a member of the MJM team is without doubt one of the most important experiences of my medical studies. I don’t think that anything else has had as much influence on my life, in terms of personal development, global awareness and interaction,” said former editor in chief Sasha Carsen.

The MJM has established itself as an essential platform for medical students to express and exchange ideas. “We sincerely believe that our journal has an impact on the world of medicine. We help students to develop their talents while at the same time promoting innovation. These students are those who will one day discover a cure for cancer, develop new ways for treating heart disease and build new hospitals,” asserted the members of the editorial staff.

McGill Journal of Medicine