The second annual Association for Academic Psychiatry medical student essay contest was a tremendous success in 2006. As in 2005, the On Becoming a Doctor contest was based upon a theme of "The Art of Communication in Psychiatry: Connecting with the Patient." Students are asked to submit an essay of no more than 2,000 words which exemplifies an experience in which there was an important connection to a patient. Emphasis is placed on uniqueness, literary quality, and appropriateness to the theme. It is hoped that this thought-provoking exercise will stimulate greater interest in academia among medical students with an early commitment to psychiatry.
Seventeen students from six states and provinces across North America submitted their work to be judged. A select panel from within the Association, along with the winner of the inaugural essay contest in 2005, reviewed each composition in blinded fashion and provided feedback on various aspects of the work. This critique was translated into a numerical score, leading to determination of the winning essay and two runners-up.
The 2006 AAP On Becoming a Doctor Essay Contest winner is Serina Deen, a student at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Serina presented her essay, "Worlds Colliding," at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Academic Psychiatry in San Francisco on September 29, 2006. Her essay is included in this issue of Academic Psychiatry in its entirety.