The (In)famous Origin of NYJSM.com by Matthew B. Vasey, MD

The two entities, New York Journal of Style and Medicine, and Bardini that exist today stem from an incident which occurred in November 2005, the weekend of my 27th birthday in my hometown of Tampa, Florida. That night, unbeknownst to me, a friend filmed an entertaining exchange I had with a cab driver. He posted this video on his online profile where it generated a modest response from our friends, many of whom lauded the video's entertainment factor albeit at my expense. I saw past this embarrassment and recognized the potential of the internet to serve as my creative medium. Soon enough, I had written and posted more of these entertaining 'Episodes' which garnered a small yet faithful following. Thus, TheVaseyShow.com was born. (continued below, scroll down) ------>

Over the next few weeks, I discovered and was impressed by the vast range of art - music, photography, fashion, design, and artwork - that exists online, whether they are showcased via someone's personal website or through an online community profile. I wanted to take TheVaseyShow.com in a unique direction that would captivate an audience through a broad scope of artistic endeavors from a variety of incredibly talented individuals.

That same holiday season, I was given a book written by an emergency medicine physician explaining various health and medically related issues in lay terms. This book, which eventually became a New York Times Bestseller, was fun, fresh, entertaining and well received by the public. I felt strongly I could emulate and expand on this doctors approach to teaching. As progress was made, I decided to use this website to connect with the public about health education in a similar style. This idea was ultimately, manifested in the New York Journal of Style and Medicine on NYJSM.com.

The fashion world has grown to intrigue me for a multitude of reasons. Living in New York, London and Miami for many months, I discovered a key influence of the fashion industry: its ability to set trends. The initial concept of a modeling agency evolved into the clothing label, Matteo Bardini, MD, The Highest Fashion. I began generating contacts with models that supported me by permitting their work to be posted on the Bardini.com website. This site generated impressive attention and eventually, it crossed my mind to merge these ventures by having Bardini function to indirectly market the NYJSM.com concept.

The New York Journal of Style and Medicine on NYJSM.com and Bardini, The Highest Fashion were born, with a simple mission: integrating entertainment and fashion with health awareness and education.

Several experiences during my In-patient Internal Medicine core rotation encouraged me to target my generation as the primary demographic. Preventive medicine involves helping people make educated decisions while they are healthy. Lifestyle choices made while young often set the course of medical issues faced as an adult. As doctors, we are responsible for ensuring this education on a case by case basis. I wanted to push this responsibility to the limits, and target an entire generation.

I sincerely believe there should be a place in society for a medical journal devoted to public education written by the professional medical community and that this journal should be written in a way that will cater to the public. Ultimately, the public is who we serve. My life's goal is no different than any other doctor: I will always practice professionally as a physician and serve the community.

To solidify this idea as a business, I formed Bardini and Vasey, Inc. I sought partners and shareholders, including various web-designers, fashion designers, models, photographers, writers and medical students who could recognize the utility of this cause. The success of this venture depends heavily on the vertical integration business model and aligning all the necessary components.

I have since gained the support of many incredible "artists", as well as models whom support my idea by wearing Bardini, The Highest Fashion.

I hope the public will embrace the ingenuity of the concept and make the New York Journal of Style and Medicine and NYJSM.com a household name as the primary source for health and medical education presented with style.