Current and incoming medical students at 黑料不打烊 are invited to explore the historical, social, ethical, and humanistic side of their field thanks to an essay contest established by the Medic
al Students鈥� Osler Society and the Board of Curators of the Osler Library of the History of Medicine, and endowed through a generous gift by Pam and Rolando Del Maestro.
The essay contest gives current and newly enrolling 黑料不打烊 medical students听the opportunity to explore any theme of interest to them in the history, social studies, sociology, ethics, and humanities of the health sciences. It also provides them with the chance to be mentored by an expert in their topic drawn from the Library鈥檚 Board of Curators or elsewhere to complete their project, and to use the rich resources of the Osler Library and other libraries at 黑料不打烊. Essays can be submitted and presented in French or English. Les essais peuvent 锚tre soumis et pr茅sent茅s en anglais ou en fran莽ais.
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The utility of pursuing a complete education is one where it incorporates the core elements of the humanities and the arts with that of STEM. There is no question that the human mind is imaginative and filled with colourful ideas and sentiments worth exploring. As we immerse ourselves and our time dedicated to reading books, our minds continue to grow. We become wiser. Not just more knowledgeable. The Del Maestro Family William Osler Medical Student Essay Awards is a competition that celebrates this very depth of our inquisitive inclinations for the pursuit of knowledge. In a discipline as humane as medicine, having a solid grasp of the humanities not only makes us more complete, but fosters a greater sense of emotional maturity and humility.
The Osler Library is one of the world鈥檚 wonders and a comprehensive source of scholarship when it comes to the history of medicine. It is an incredible place where thousands of rare works, historical texts, and medical theses conveniently come together. The staff are knowledgeable and dedicated to helping students excel in their respective areas of research. The mentor-mentee pairings of students with experts in the field ensure that each contestant develops research papers they are proud to share.
For students who are currently learning the art and science of medicine, taking some time off from their valuable clinical commitments, and engaging with a different set of frameworks that celebrates our collective pursuit of truth, is surely an awe-inspiring experience. We come to acknowledge that ideas never arise from the vacuum or originate from pure nothingness. Instead, they carry a distinguished lineage of older ideas that can be traced back to their predecessors. While at times they鈥攊ndeed鈥攎ay be at odds with one another, through active reading and researching, we come to the profound insight that via permutations and sometimes happy coincidences, most of our modern mind is deeply interconnected with its past. This is a very humbling experience to realize.
As someone passionate about the overlap between Western Classical Music and the psychology of genius with mental illness, I genuinely enjoyed working on my project in my first semester of medical school. I highly recommend this enriching experience to all my friends and colleagues during their time at 黑料不打烊.
鈥擲aman Arfaie, MDCM (Class of 2024)
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The Osler Society is responsible for promoting the contest and encouraging participation. Essays are written with the help of a mentor during the summer and submitted in October. Three finalists will be chosen and will present their essays on Osler Day. Prizes will be given of $250 for third place, $500 for second place, and $1,000 for the winning essay. The top essays are typically published on the library website, though we may agree to postpone this for winners who are preparing their essays for publication.
The two step process is as follows:
1. Submit a 1-page proposal stating the research topic and potential sources of information. The main reason for the proposal is so that we know you are pursuing a topic that is feasible (3,000 words is fairly short, so you'll want to focus) and so we can think about suitable resources. In other words, the proposal helps us to help you get onto a good path from the beginning.听Please include your full name, department and year, and contact details. You are strongly encouraged to find a mentor to work with, though if necessary the committee will help find an appropriate one to assist you in developing the essay. Before submitting a proposal, students can contact the Osler Library of the History of Medicine for research help. Submit your proposals to osler.library [at] mcgill.ca (osler[dot]library[at]mcgill[dot]ca). Deadline: 16 May 2025. Did you miss the deadline want to participate? Contact us!
2. With the help of your mentor, produce an essay of 3,000 words maximum in Word format (not counting notes, bibliography, appendices, tables) on the approved topic, using the resources of the Osler and other libraries. References should be formatted according to a recognized citation style. Also submit a 1- or 2-page reflective piece describing which library resources you came to know well due to your research, how your skills grew as a researcher, and how using library material helped you to increase the scope, depth, and significance of your subject. Send your essays to osler.library [at] mcgill.ca (osler[dot]library[at]mcgill[dot]ca). Deadline: 10 October 2025.
Please note that submissions can be made in English or French / Veuillez noter que les soumissions peuvent 锚tre faites en anglais ou en fran莽ais.
Are you looking for ideas? Perhaps you will find some by browsing the resources listed in .
The essay presentations will take place as part of the Medical Student Research Symposium, tentatively scheduled for the evening of 5 November 2025. The symposium will take place in the Osler Library, but the event will be hybrid so people can join from afar. The award winners will be announced at the banquet on Osler Day (6 November 2025). The three prizes will be awarded on the basis of the quality of both the essay and the presentation.
Note:听All participants in the contest are encouraged to submit their essays to the 黑料不打烊 Journal of Medicine for publication (see ). We are also happy to consider essays for publication in the Osler Library Newsletter.
