Academic Medicine is seeking original submissions for our Letters to the Editor feature from medical students, residents, and fellows on the topic of courage, connection, and COVID-19.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 reached the United States in January 2020, and people throughout the world have been affected by this virus in some way.  Education of health professionals has shifted quickly and dramatically, and academic health centers where we all learn, discover, and serve patients and society are on the front line of the fight against COVID-19.  In this unprecedented time, we want to hear how COVID-19 is contributing to positive transformation in health care and health professions education.

The editors will be looking for letters that have a particular emphasis on transformation related to courage and connection in the context of COVID-19. Letters to the editor can use personal experience to illustrate a point, but the purpose of the letter should be to communicate a broader issue or idea. Submissions that are strictly narrative will not be considered for publication. Authors wishing to submit a strictly narrative piece should explore the journal’s Teaching and Learning Moments feature as an option.

If you would like to submit a letter for consideration, please see our requirements for Letters to the Editor and submit your letter by 5PM Eastern, on Monday, June 1, 2020. The deadline is strict, and late submissions will be disqualified.

We want to hear directly from trainees! Although students, residents, and fellows are welcome to seek input from faculty mentors, we ask that all submissions be authored by trainees only. Faculty members may be thanked in an acknowledgments section if appropriate but should not make contributions that qualify for authorship.

IMPORTANT: When you submit, please select “Trainee-Authored Letter to the Editor” as the article type. There is a strict 400-word limit for letters. The word count includes the text of the letter AND references. Submissions that are over the word limit may be disqualified.

Accepted letters will be published together as a special collection in one or more upcoming issues of Academic Medicine.

Finally, please follow us on Twitter (@AcadMedJournal) for further information and resources about this call for papers.  

If you have questions, please contact us at academicmedicine@aamc.org.