About Case Repertory

Case Repertory is a new initiative led by Conor Mc Donnell (Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Toronto) that seeks to re-imagine the traditional case report by highlighting the role of Narrative-Based Medicine in practice.

The preparation of a true case report — a narrative case study, one might say — requires careful reflective thought allied to clinical consideration and empathy. It is a valuable tool not only in clinical training but also in Narrative-Based Medicine where close listening, reflective thinking and non-exclusionary language are nurtured and cultivated. In addition, such case reports offer a way to document learnings and successes amongst smaller patient populations with idiosyncratic diagnoses — narrative as a step towards personalized medicine.

With the launch of Case Repertory, we aim to provide a platform that peer-reviews and shares selected works that make a unique contribution to Narrative-Based Medicine writing.

Call for Submissions

We invite submissions of original narrative case studies by health practitioners (“deep reads” equally influenced by the sciences and the arts). Write about the case that keeps you up at night, or one that might offer a lesson for the broader public. Walk in the footsteps of Oliver Sacks and Danielle Ofri, or find a new path of your own. We encourage frank reflection and a focus on craft. Send us your best work!

Important Information

Dates

Case Repertory accepts proposals for new offerings throughout the year. Our Editorial Board meets twice a year to review submissions. You can expect a minimum 6 to 9 month wait to hear back from us about your piece.

Original Pieces Only

Please only submit work that has not yet been published. We do not post work that has appeared elsewhere.

Simultaneous Submissions

Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know as soon as possible if your piece is accepted elsewhere.

Format

Submissions should be 1,500 – 4,000 words.

Please submit your piece as a Word document, using a legible font such as Times New Roman in double-spaced 12-point font (unless another typeface or formatting style makes an important contribution to the piece).

Confidentiality and Consent

By submitting this piece, you acknowledge that you have attended to the following confidentiality and consent guidelines:

All identifying features of patients, colleagues, and other people appearing in ​ the submission must be altered or removed. Authors must contact all patients, colleagues, and any others written about in the submission to request their consent to be depicted in the piece and inform them that every effort will be made to disguise their identity. This consent must be documented and kept by the author. Documentation may include a form (such as those used by medical journals) or a full email trail. You do not need to send this documentation to us with the submission, but we may ask to see it before or after publication.

Rights and Republishing

Case Repertory offers first digital publication on the Narrative-Based Medicine Lab website. Copyright reverts to the author after this first digital publication. We may subsequently refer and link to pieces in social media posts and other Narrative-Based Medicine Lab marketing. If your Case Repertory piece is republished or anthologized elsewhere, we request that you acknowledge Case Repertory and the Narrative-Based Medicine Lab.

Payment

At this time, we do not offer payment for submissions.

Submission Deadline

February 14, 2025

Other Questions?

Please email us!