Journal of the American Medical Student Association (JAMSA)
Open Access
Journal Instructions

Editors

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Andres Felipe Diaz

The University of Arizona Coll...
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Araam Abboud

Wright State University, Boons...
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Annelise M. Silva-Chong, MD

Indiana University, American M...

Adam ElSayed, MD

Pennsylvania State University ...

Volumes

Volume 1
1

About the Journal of the American Medical Student Association (JAMSA)

JAMSA is the official academic publication of the American Medical Student Association, hosted on the ConductScience publishing platform. It is a peer-reviewed, open-access academic journal that provides a platform for early-career physicians, medical students, residents, graduate students, and research-focused undergraduates to contribute to and shape the future of medical scholarship. The journal is developed and edited by a team of emerging leaders in medicine and science, working in collaboration with senior faculty and experienced researchers to ensure academic rigor, editorial integrity, and scholarly mentorship.

JAMSA aims to advance scholarship in healthcare across four primary content areas: Digital Health & Clinical Informatics, Clinical & Translational Research, Medical Education & Professional Development, and Population & Community Health. It is the synergy among these four domains that defines the publication's scope—bringing together diverse but interrelated threads of modern healthcare scholarship to drive innovation in research methodologies, clinical application, systems improvement, and health policy reform.

Core Content Areas

We organize our publications around four central branches of inquiry and innovation:

1. Digital Health & Clinical Informatics

Explores how technology transforms healthcare delivery, decision-making, and patient engagement. Topics may include:

  • Clinical decision support tools
  • Electronic health record (EHR) optimization
  • Telehealth innovation
  • Artificial intelligence and machine learning in medicine
  • Health IT policy, digital disparities, or algorithmic bias
  • Informatics case reports on implementation science or health systems reform

2. Clinical & Translational Research

Bridges basic science, patient care, and clinical application. Topics may include:

  • Novel diagnostic approaches
  • Early-phase therapeutic trials
  • Mechanistic insights with potential clinical impact
  • Bench-to-bedside research initiatives
  • Translational case reports describing rare diseases or new interventions

3. Medical Education & Professional Development

Focuses on the training environment, skill-building, identity formation, and evolving roles in the profession. Topics may include:

  • Curriculum reform or instructional innovation
  • Wellness, burnout, or resilience in medical training
  • Simulation-based learning or assessment tools
  • Interprofessional education
  • Mentorship models and equity in advancement
  • Educational case reports from classroom or clinical instruction

4. Population & Community Health

Centers on health equity, public health interventions, and policy impacts at scale. Topics may include:

  • Community-based participatory research
  • Social determinants of health
  • Epidemiological trends or program evaluation
  • Health advocacy and policy interventions
  • Case reports of local or regional health efforts
  • Global health or migrant health initiatives

Article Types Accepted

Across all four domains, we invite:

  • Original Research: Full-length studies (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods)
  • Reviews & Literature Syntheses: Scholarly summaries that inform future research or clinical practice
  • Case Reports: Educational or clinical cases tailored to each content area
  • Policy Reports & Analyses: Pieces dissecting clinical practice guidelines, health policy, or regulatory changes
  • Perspectives & Commentaries: Invited essays offering opinion, reflection, or responses to published work

Articles

A Message from the Editor-in-Chief

This is the official Letter from the Editor for Volume 1, Issue 1 of The Journal of the American Medical Student Association. In this inaugural note, the Editor-in-Chief introduces the journal’s mission.

Understanding PrEP: Perceptions and Misconceptions Amongst Men Who Have Sex With Men in Upstate South Carolina

Despite the effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in preventing HIV, uptake among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Upstate South Carolina remains limited. This study investigates barriers to PrEP access and utilization in this population to guide targeted public health strategies. A cross-sectional survey of MSM aged 18 and older was conducted to collect demographic information, perceptions and misconceptions about PrEP, and reported obstacles to accessing it. Pearson correlation tests were used to examine associations between participant characteristics and identified barriers. Social stigma, financial constraints, and limited provider engagement emerged as the most frequently reported barriers. Notably, lower socioeconomic status was significantly associated with perceptions of discrimination in healthcare settings, while racial and ethnic minority participants were more likely to express a desire for proactive discussions about PrEP with their providers. Participants also emphasized the need for clearer pathways to locate PrEP access programs and indicated that reducing wait times for initiation would improve their likelihood of starting PrEP. These results highlight the need for interventions that address both social and structural barriers to PrEP uptake. Expanding financial support, increasing provider involvement, and implementing statewide public awareness efforts are critical to improving access and reducing disparities among MSM in this region.

Eating Disorders & Sports Participation

Eating disorder research is scarce due to the stigma surrounding the condition. Much of the research has focused on the influence of societal norms and social media, while many patients attribute their relationship with physical activity as problematic. This study focused on self-reported symptoms potentially indicative of an eating or body image disorder, even if a diagnosis is not present, and how those symptoms differed across athletes and non-athletes. The 11 eating disorder questions, which were coded on a scale from 1 to 5, included how much people are worried about their physical appearance and how much exercise is perceived to be a tool for controlling and altering one’s physique. Differences in self-reported symptoms were also considered between genders. Predicting the severity of eating and body image issues from sports participation alone proved to be inconclusive, but a strong association between gender and eating disorders existed. Additionally, predicting eating disorders from sports participation when accounting for gender was more statistically-significant, demonstrating unique psychological pressures on women, whether involved in athletics or not, that predispose them to an eating or body image disorder that are not as apparent in men.