Students from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) have launched the fifth edition of the RCSI Student Medical Journal (RCSIsmj). RCSIsmj is produced by RCSI students for students and staff. The journal aims to promote student authorship and to foster research, innovation and student participation with healthcare issues.

RCSIsmj is a multidisciplinary publication which includes articles and submissions from medical, physiotherapy, and pharmacy students. The articles range from original research, audits, and special interest pieces to the publication of abstracts, case reports, and elective reviews.

Article topics in this year's edition include the effectiveness of yoga for the treatment of chronic lower back pain, current challenges in the field of facial allograft transplantation and the rise of cyberchondria and its impact on the doctor-patient relationship. Original research articles exploring mental illness, cystic fibrosis and occlusive disease are explored and the Ethics Challenge competition challenges students to think critically about a patient's cognitive faculties and treatment wishes.

Professor Hannah McGee, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, RCSI complemented the student editorial team on the production of a very high quality product. "The quality of the journal is a testament to the students who have worked very successfully as a team, and to those committed academic staff who support the students in achieving their goals. The importance of research cannot be underestimated in the quest to advance understanding and treatment of disease, which in turn leads to better clinical care and best practice patient care. By providing healthcare students with the opportunity to develop their research skills and interests at an early stage in their career, it gives students a better understanding of how research can be translated from the bench to the patients' bedside."

For more information, visit www.rcsismj.com.