Overview

The Boston University Department of Family Medicine Department includes faculty who are pursuing research that will make a difference in the way primary care is practiced in the future, especially as it responds to the needs of underserved and minority populations. Among the funded research projects faculty currently lead are ones investigating:

• a new model that improves patient safety at hospital discharge and post-discharge activities;
  
• ways to improve team-work involving families, primary care physicians and specialists caring for children with asthma;
  
• the use of complementary and alternative medicine techniques (with a focus on yoga) to improve outcomes in patient with chronic medical conditions;
  
• strategies to improve the primary care of patients with disabilities;
  
• improvement of prenatal care and care coordination of high risk prenatal and postpartum patients;
  
• the long-term natural history of patients with anxiety disorders presenting in primary care.

In addition to the conduct of research, the department offers a National Research Service Award research fellowship. This fellowship is two-years in duration and leads to a Masters in Epidemiology, Masters in Health Services, or Masters in Public Health through course work at the BU School of Public Health. Selected fellows have the option of pursuing a third year including the option for doctoral level training. During the fellowship fellows are mentored by department faculty to complete a research project, develop grant-writing skills, and regarding the development of their academic careers. Fellows have consistently attained academic positions following the fellowship. The fellowship is a joint endeavor of the Department and the Section of General Internal Medicine, and draws on a broad research intensives faculty from the Schools of Medicine and Public Health.