The Jefferson County Medical Society (JCMS) was founded in 1877, just a few years after the city of Birmingham itself, as the local medical society for physicians in the Birmingham area. Today, JCMS includes more than 2,100 physicians, residents, and medical students. Members practice across virtually every medical specialty and serve on the staffs of every hospital in the area.

JCMS is governed by a Board consisting of five officers, who make up the Executive Committee, and ten Censors. Five of the Censors also serve five-year terms on the Jefferson County Board of Health. JCMS members additionally represent the organization on the Medical Association of the State of Alabama, the American Medical Association, the Jefferson County Coroner's Commission, the Birmingham Regional Emergency Medical Services System, and other organizations. The Executive Committee meets monthly, and the Board of Directors meets five times a year.

For much of its history, JCMS was headquartered on the UAB campus. In 2021, the Society relocated to its current home off Lakeshore Parkway.