Academic Research

The Department of Family and Community Medicine at NEOMED focuses on three broad research areas including primary care, population and public health and medical culture, and health education and career development. Health care providers, behavioral and social scientists, public health experts and humanities scholars contribute to these broad research areas, while examining more specific issues and problems relevant to their specific expertise and disciplines. There are no discrete boundaries among these research areas as many topics under investigation require careful consideration by multiple perspectives and methodologies that expand into all three areas.

A Growing Need

There is a growing need to combine primary care and population and public health practices to address determinants of health as our community faces the growing shift from acute to chronic illness management. Our diverse, yet highly collaborative, faculty have achieved great success in disseminating impactful, conceptual and applied research, providing research education and mentorship to students, and ultimately promoting the health of individuals, families and communities.

Improving Primary Care Practices & Systems

The academic research conducted within the department is actively improving primary care practices and systems by:

• tackling health disparities, social determinants of health and recognizing specific needs for vulnerable populations.
• uncovering the hidden medical curriculum and enhancing medical education.
• furthering moral development and career development.
• addressing attitudes and beliefs of health care providers, patients, families and communities.
• improving therapeutic communication and narrative awareness.
• integrating mindfulness, self-care and reflection into medical education and practice.

Research Areas

• Primary Care
• Population and Public Health
• Medical Culture, Health Education and Career Development, and Student Mentored Research