Primary Care and Health Services Research

Program Director

Daniel E. Ford, MD, MPH

Professor of Medicine
Vice Dean for Clinical Investigation
Director, Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
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Overview

The Primary Care and Health Services Research Training Program has been funded by a National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA) since 1994. The aims of this training program are to support the development of primary care physicians as creative and independent investigators in primary care research. The program enjoys a strong association with the Division of General Internal Medicine in the Department of Medicine. It provides an opportunity for junior physicians to develop the research skills in study design and analytic methods, and learn how primary care may function to integrate traditional curative medicine with public health initiatives to address the major health care problems facing Americans today. The focus is on multidisciplinary training to conduct independent research relevant to primary care and to excel as teachers and role models for the next generation of primary care researchers.

Most of the Healthy People 2010 objectives are addressed in this program, including physical activity and fitness, nutrition, tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, mental health and mental disorders, violence and abusive behavior, educational and community-based programs, unintentional injuries, heart disease and stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic disabling conditions, and clinical preventive medicine. Additional areas of emphasis have been: primary care and mental disorders, minority health, interpersonal violence in primary care, quality of care in primary care offices, evidence-based practice, community-based primary care research opportunities, physicians’ health, implementation of clinical preventive guidelines in primary care practice, physician-patient communication, and integration of population-based prevention programs into primary care.

Most trainees have elected to complete the MPH degree program. They use the capstone experience to start their first research experience. Faculty from the Welch Center typically serve as research mentors for the trainees.