The Columbia Medical Review (CMR) is a peer-reviewed academic journal at the intersection of medicine and society. As such, it is a platform for medical professionals to have rigorous and scholarly discussions with others in the community on social issues in health and medicine, including cultural practices, attitudes and behaviors, and healthcare policies. The Review, therefore, is a platform for discussion on fundamental medical knowledge and its application to the society in which we live and work. It seeks to serve as a place for thought leaders to convene and develop action-oriented agendas to combat contemporary and anticipated social issues in medicine. It is this type of scholarship, we believe, that can best inform the increasingly democratized leadership structure of present-day healthcare systems. The journal is open-access and published biannually online. Our Editorial Board is comprised of medical and public health students at Columbia University, while our Advisory Board consists of affiliated faculty members, including Dr. Robert Lefkowitz, Dr. Donald Landry, Dr. Wendy Chung, Dr. Rita Charon, Dr. Lee Goldman, Dr. Michael Sparer, and Dr. Phillip Lopate. Welcome to the Columbia Medical Review; we hope you find its contents both thought-provoking and actionable.
