Academics of the medical profession are interested to get feedback from the community about whether they should take a new approach to academic medicine (which includes the way the clinical teaching system is structured and the way medical research is developed and reported), according to the Medical Journal of Australia.

Designed by publishers of academic medical journals such as the British Medical Journal, a project proposing changes to the fundamental nature of 'academic medicine' will seek views from 'customers' of academic medicine - patients, politicians, the public, and professionals.

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) and a range of other journals including The Lancet, the Canadian Medical Association Journal, and the Medical Journal of Australia, will bring people together to debate whether the existing structure of academic medicine is still fundamentally sound, and, if not, to propose alternatives.

In an editorial in this MJA edition, Professor Peter Tugwell, Director, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Canada, says to achieve the broad goals, the participants must acknowledge that 'more of the same' is not enough.

"Our approach will be inclusive and will ensure a broad input of opinions," Professor Tugwell said.

"Rather than allowing the process to be taken over by a few experts with vested interests, we will build consensus by inviting an exhaustive range of global stakeholders to contribute their views.  We are especially interested in the views of the 'customers'."

The main group will be an international working party with knowledge and competency across the dimensions of global health to applied healthcare research, representing the range of constituents - medical students, postgraduates, junior faculty, established academics - especially women.

The working party will develop strategies on issues including:

• How should academic medicine look in the 21^st century?
• How can we increase the impact of academic medicine on the rest of medicine and on health and healthcare?
• How should academic medicine be positioned internationally within medicine and also in the wider intellectual arena?
• How can recruitment to and job satisfaction of those working in academic medicine be increased?

Readers of the MJA are invited to nominate a member of the working party, join an advisory group, or register views by sending a rapid online response to bmj.com or email jclark@bmj.com.

The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.

CONTACT:      Editorial Peter Tugwell, 0011 1 613 562 5800 Ext: 1945 (B/H) 
                    ptugwell@uottawa.ca; elasasse@uottawa.ca

                    Judith Tokley, AMA Public Affairs  0408 824 306