Conley Ethics Essay Contest
Scholarship Sponsored by American Medical Association Journal of Ethics
The John Conley Foundation for Ethics and Philosophy in Medicine initiated an annual essay competition, which has been overseen by the AMA Journal of Ethics since 2004.
Every spring, the AMA Journal of Ethics presents a question related to ethics and professionalism as the contest's theme. The essays are evaluated based on the clarity of the writing, the relevance to the question asked in the essay prompt, and the applicability to the decisions outlined in the case. The authors of the top essays are awarded up to $5,000. The winners are usually notified within six weeks of the submission deadline and may be asked to make revisions to their essays by the AMA Journal of Ethics editorial team before publication in the journal.
For more information about the contest rules, please visit here.
Who Can Enter?
At the time of the submission deadline, participants must be:
- A US MD or DO student at an LCME- or COCA-accredited school (including joint degree programs),
- A resident physician or fellow in an ACGME- or AOA-accredited program, or
- An early career physician who has completed advanced training (which can include a health care ethics, policy or humanities program) within the last 5 years.
Only individual entries are accepted. Entries from teams or entries that reflect the work of more than one person will not be considered.
Entries must be original and not previously published in print or digital format, nor submitted to any other contest or publication.
Essay Format
Essays should not exceed 1,500 words, not including references. They should be submitted by a single author in Times New Roman 12 with 1.5 spacing.
Cover Page Details
The first page of the single Word document should be the cover page, which should include the author’s name, contact information, medical school or specialty training program details, and the word count of the essay (excluding cover page and references). The word count can be calculated in Word by highlighting the essay text only, then clicking the Word Count icon on the Review tab in the Proofing group, or using Ctrl+Shift+G. This information should only appear on the cover page; essays with the author’s name on other pages will not be considered.
Submission Guidelines
Essays should be submitted as a single Word document attached to an email to Mr. Kelly Shaw. The Word document file name should be the entrant's last name only. All materials must be received by 5 PM central time on 23 September 2024, as indicated by the email timestamp when received by the AMA. Authors are advised to submit their materials well before the deadline to avoid any transmission delays.
Case Study
JJ, a single parent of twins, is recently unemployed and struggling to meet daily living expenses. During a routine physical examination for one of the children, the family physician, Dr P, asks JJ to fill out a form. One question, "Do you have trouble paying utility bills?" makes JJ uncomfortable about answering truthfully, fearing they may be seen as unfit to care for their child. JJ leaves the answer blank. Dr P notices this but is required to enter information into the child’s electronic health record as part of the structural determinants of health (SDOH) screening mandated by Medicaid. Dr P ponders how to address JJ’s non-response to this screening question.
Essay Question
Given that discussions about poverty can be uncomfortable, taboo, or stigmatizing for a child-patient or their parent or guardian, how should clinicians handle responses or non-responses to mandatory SDOH screening questions?
Go to Scholarship Application