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Osler Medal Essay Contest, 2005. The William Osler Medal is awarded annually for the best unpublished essay on a medical historical topic written by a student enrolled in a school of medicine or osteopathy in the United States or Canada.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 2005 AAHM meeting, 7-10 April, in Birmingham, Alabama, 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 receive 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 2004, are eligible. The essay must have been written while the entrant was a student in good standing. Students who have the Ph.D. or are A.B.D. (all but dissertation) in history or related fields are not eligible for the Osler Award. Students in M.D./Ph.D. programs in history or related fields are not eligible for the Osler Award but are eligible for the Shryock Award.

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 of the past, and should demonstrate either original research or an unusual appreciation and understanding of the problems discussed. The essay (maximum 9,000 words, plus endnotes) must be entirely the work of one contestant.

Complete contest information may be viewed on the AAHM website (www.histmed.org/Awards) or obtained from the Osler Medal Committee chair: Lisa Boult, M.D., 5505 Hopkins Bayview Circle, Baltimore, MD 21224 (e-mail: Lboult1@jhmi.edu). Entries must be postmarked no later than 15 January 2005.

Shryock Medal Essay Contest, 2005. Graduate students in the United States and Canada are invited to enter the Shryock Medal Essay Contest. The medal honors Richard Harrison Shryock (1893-1972), a pioneer among historians interested in the history of medicine. The award is given for an outstanding, unpublished essay by a single author on any topic in the history of medicine. The essay (maximum 9,000 words, plus endnotes) must be the result of original research or show an unusual appreciation and understanding of problems in the history of medicine. In particular, the committee will judge essays on the quality of writing, appropriate use of sources, and ability to address themes of historical significance.

The winner will be invited to attend the 2005 meeting of the Association, 7-10 April, in Birmingham, Alabama, where the medal will be conferred. Reasonable travel expenses for the winner will be provided, as will a two-year complimentary membership in the AAHM. If the Shryock Medal Committee also selects an essay for honorable mention, its author will receive a two-year complimentary membership in the AAHM.

Students must be enrolled in a graduate program at the time of submission. (Students enrolled in M.D./Ph.D. programs in history or related fields are eligible to apply only for the Shryock Award.)

Complete contest information may be viewed on the AAHM website (www.histmed.org/Awards) or obtained from the Shryock Medal Committee chair: Mary E. Fissell, Ph.D., Institute of the History of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1900 East Monument Street, Baltimore, MD 21205 (e-mail: mfissell@jhu.edu). Essays must be postmarked no later than 15 January 2005.

J. Worth Estes Award, 2005. This award was established in honor of J. Worth Estes in recognition of his many years of invaluable contributions to the American Association for the History of Medicine and to scholarship in the history of medicine. The award is made annually for the best published paper in the history of pharmacology during the...