JAMA's Contributing Writers

JAMA's key objective is “to promote the science and art of medicine and the betterment of the public health.”¹ Included among the 10 critical objectives that support fulfilling this key objective are the following: “To enable physicians to remain informed in multiple areas of medicine, including developments in fields other than their own” and “To inform readers about nonclinical aspects of medicine and public health, including the political, philosophic, ethical, legal, environmental, economic, historical, and cultural.”¹ While publication of rigorously conducted research studies and systematic reviews contributes to achieving these objectives, publication of other types of articles, especially scholarly, insightful, and authoritative Commentaries, also plays an essential role.

In this issue of JAMA, we announce an initiative designed to expand the publication of Commentaries covering important, timely issues in medicine and public health. To achieve this goal, we are pleased to welcome the following group of Contributing Writers to JAMA: Christine K. Cassel, MD, from the American Board of Internal Medicine; Allan S. Detsky, MD, PhD, from the Departments of Medicine and of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto; Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD, from the Department of Clinical Bioethics, The Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health; Lawrence O. Gostin, JD, LLD, from the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center; and Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Kevin Grumbach, MD, from the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco; Howard Markel, MD, PhD, from the Center for the History of Medicine, University of Michigan; and Bruce M. Psaty, MD, PhD, from the Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, and the Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Services, University of Washington.

These well-respected authors bring a wealth of expertise, experience, and knowledge in a wide range of areas from pediatrics to geriatrics, from medical history to economics, from professional medical education to public health law, from primary care to clinical epidemiology and drug safety, and from medical ethics to health policy. These colleagues, who are actively involved in a wide range of clinical, research, education, and policy activities, have made many important, informative, and insightful contributions to JAMA, as illustrated by several of their recent articles on such timely and diverse topics as the Food and Drug Administration and drug safety,² mandatory human papillomavirus vaccination,³ biomedical research involving prisoners,⁴ modifying the premedical curriculum,⁵ board certification and public accountability,⁶ increasing the enrollment of minority medical students,⁷ diagnosis of fever by Osler,⁸ and, in this issue of JAMA, public communication about US health care⁹ and academic mentoring.¹⁰

The names of these Contributing Writers, as members of the JAMA staff, are listed on the journal masthead. In keeping with our policy of full disclosure,¹¹ we report that these authors will receive a modest stipend for serving as Contributing Writers and making regular contributions to JAMA. This is different than the rare occasion when authors receive honoraria or compensation for publishing papers in JAMA; for instances in which that does occur, that information is reported in the article.¹² As is standard policy for all authors, the Contributing Writers also will report any additional relevant financial disclosures in their published articles.

We are confident that the JAMA Contributing Writers will help keep physicians and other health professionals informed about important and interesting topics in medicine and public health and will provide thought-provoking ideas and insights that merit careful attention. We encourage physicians and other readers to let us know how well these articles are helping them keep informed in multiple areas of medicine, and we welcome suggestions for relevant timely topics. Moreover, it is important to note that Commentaries by the JAMA Contributing Writers are intended to augment the many other excellent Commentaries published by other authors. We continue to encourage and welcome authors to submit well-focused, scholarly, and clearly presented Commentaries on virtually any topic in medicine, including clinical care, public health, research, ethics, or health policy. Keep them coming!