Charles Donald O'Malley Prize in Medical History

Beginning in 2005, the competition for the Charles Donald O'Malley Prize in Medical History, until now limited to students at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, will be open to any student enrolled in a school of medicine within the University of California system. The O'Malley Prize will be awarded annually for the best unpublished essay on a medico-historical subject written by such a student while he or she is enrolled in in a course leading to the M.D. degree. The prize serves to honor the memory of UCLA's distinguished medical historian, and to encourage an interest in the history of medicine among medical students. It has been made possible through the financial support of The Ahmanson Foundation and the good offices of the late Franklin D. Murphy, M.D., former Chancellor of UCLA.

The prized consists of a bronze medal and an honorarium of $2000.

Essays appropriate for submission may treat from an historical viewpoint any one of a wide range of topics in the clinical, scientific, social, and ethical dimensions of medicine. Examples of suitable topics include (but are not limited to): the historical development of a contemporary medical problem; the work and influence of a prominent physician or medical scientist; a health crisis in the past, such as an epidemic; or the development of an important innovation in medical science or clinical practice.

Essays should demonstrate either original research or an unusual appreciation or understanding of the problem or situation discussed. It must be entirely the work of one contestant. Essays submitted to pre-clinical or clinical departments for other distinctions are eligible as entries. A suggested, although not mandatory, length is 20-40 double-spaced, typewritten pages. Essays are due as electronic submissions to Dr. Frank or Dr. Weiner by May 1, 2005.

The winning contestant will receive an award of $2,000 and a large bronze medallion with a likeness of Charles Donald O'Malley. The O'Malley Prize Committee reserves the right to award Honorable Mention and $500 to one or more non-winning entries that are deemed to be highly meritorious.

Prospective entrants are urged to obtain further information from Dr. Robert G. Frank, Jr., Medical History Division, Department of Neurobiology, or from Dr. Dora B. Weiner, Professor of the Medical Humanities, Department of History. Depending on the policies of individual medical schools, elective credit may be arranged for time spent researching essays in the history of medicine.

The papers of past winners are available in the History and Special Collections Division of the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, UCLA. For a list of titles, use the following keyword search terms in the UCLA Library Catalog: charles donald omalley prize.