Engaged Research in Family Medicine: Development of a Research Division
Engaged Research in Family Medicine: Development of a Research Division that Builds Cohesiveness Among Faculty Strengths
Allen F. Shaughnessy, PharmD, MMedEd, Ashley P. Duggan, PhD
Department of Family Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine
Tufts University Family Medicine Residency at Cambridge Health Alliance
Communication and Family Medicine Research Institute, Boston College
Outcomes of Year One
Goal
To Create a Research Vision for the
Department of Family Medicine
Method: Listening Tour (One year)
Faculty members
• Doing research
• Interested in research
• Doing innovative teaching or practice
Experts across the US
• PBRNs
• Thought leaders in family medicine, other disciplines
• Organizational development experts
Assumptions
Inter-disciplinary collaboration between Tufts and
Boston College
Possibility for 4 research agendas:
1. The clinical encounter
2. The future of family medicine as a unique orientation to primary care
3. Transformational leadership
4. Self-adaptive learning collaborations.
Listening and Learning from Faculty Members
•Inventory of research projects, research ideas, research interests, innovative practices
•Variable interest in research as a pursuit and as a path to promotion
•Disseminated research skills across faculty members
•Much innovation that is not being systematically studied
Listening and Learning from International Thought
Leaders
•Many different approaches to research infrastructure (ad hoc, established)
•Collaboration models (NIH) and learning networks (Goldstein) available to try
•Interaction design critical to create the right conversations
•Many people in disparate fields excited to collaborate
•Family medicine research doesn’t occur only in medicine (T. Hoff – Northeastern
School of Business)
Vision for the Department
•To create a unique research agenda that gives back to the world by exploring the unique ways family medicine physicians deliver high quality health care, while also creating a workforce capable of providing this health care. We will build a self-sustaining infrastructure and research-based innovation to demonstrate the unique factors family medicine physicians bring to primary care through their approaches to relationships, communication, and decision making.
Core Values
• To answer broad and Important societal questions
• To engage faculty with different research interests/talents
• To promote an environment of curious inquiry
• To develop sustainable research program involving faculty interested in research at any level
Conclusions
• Long-term, big picture thinking needed to set a trajectory for success
• Inter-disciplinary research is valuable
• Support individual researchers but tie in projects to a shared vision
• Start with small wins but think long term (20 years)
