Specialty Medicine
Family medicine physicians provide comprehensive health care for people of all ages, diagnosing and treating a wide range of acute and chronic conditions, in addition to providing preventive care. However, many of our faculty offer additional expertise acquired through supplementary training and years of clinical and research experience. Specific areas of particular interest include addiction medicine, integrative medicine, sports medicine, concussion management, and breastfeeding medicine. We are also involved in ongoing clinical trial research in various areas of specialty medicine.
Research areas include:
- Breastfeeding medicine: Our department includes faculty who specialize in breastfeeding medicine. In addition to their clinical expertise, they lead research focused on health services and interventions that support improved breastfeeding outcomes, particularly in under-resourced populations. Not breastfeeding contributes to generational racial health disparities, including cardiovascular disease, early death, infant mortality, and breast and ovarian cancer. By supporting improved breastfeeding outcomes, we can address these disparities.
- Addiction medicine: Our research comprises a wide range of addiction medicine areas, including improved treatment strategies for opioid and stimulant use disorders, overdose risk reduction, the impact of residential treatment on outcomes for patients with SUDs, and the effect of Medicaid policies on SUD treatment utilization.
- Sports medicine: Some of our physicians have a special interest in sports including work in diagnostic and therapeutic sports ultrasound and concussion management One project is investigating a retinal tracking device that holds promise as an objective tool for the diagnosis and management of concussions. Concussions are underdiagnosed and undertreated in vulnerable populations, and the availability of a simple point-of-care tool may help to increase diagnosis and awareness of this injury in these populations.
- Integrative medicine: Our research aims to investigate new ways to deliver evidence-based integrative medicine to all patients, especially those in under-resourced populations. Areas of research include the use of tai chi for knee arthritis, integrative medicine techniques for chronic pain in adults and children, and the use of acupuncture to promote health equity.
- Clinical trial research: Our physicians work to support the advancement of clinical practice through clinical trial research. Some of our physicians lead clinical trial interventions, promote inclusion of diverse populations in research, and support trials housed in other departments.