Departments
Research in Family and Community Medicine
Research
In This Section
Family and Community Medicine
Research within the Department of Family and Community Medicine reflects both the diversity of the patient population and the spectrum of primary care clinical researcher interests.
Research areas include:
Health disparities and underserved populations
Medical education
Patient self-support
Primary care quality improvement
Cancer survivorship
Integrative medicine
Caregiver support
Global health research
Chronic pain
Addiction
Research project managers within the department support more than 24 faculty clinician-researchers in identifying and pursuing funding opportunities and assisting with project coordination and dissemination of findings. The department is also home to the Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program Office, whose mission is to help communities meet their primary health care needs by creating a statewide infrastructure bridging community and academic resources.
The Department of Family and Community Medicine has a strong history of collaboration with other departments including , , , and . New collaborations with new partners are welcomed.
Research Leadership
Jeanne L. and Thomas L. Leaman, MD, Endowed Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Family and Community Medicine
Clinical Studies
Clinical research in the Department of Family and Community Medicine is overseen by Aleksandra Zgierska, MD, PhD, Vice Chair for Research.
Current Studies
View active family and community medicine clinical trials in StudyFinder, our searchable database of clinical research taking place at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine.
More about Research in Family and Community Medicine
The Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program Office is housed within the Office of Outreach and Research.
Within the central program office, the AHEC team provides support for the seven AHEC regions, coordinates student and faculty development programs and e-learning activities and manages statewide data and reporting as well as programmatic fiscal operations.
The AHEC program strives to meet the health care needs of underserved communities by improving the supply and distribution of the health-professions work force.
Departmental Research Support
The department is home to a core group of research project managers dedicated to helping Department of Family and Community Medicine faculty members pursue their research interests.
At every stage of the research process, from identifying funding opportunities, crafting the proposal and budget, implementing the protocol, all the way through to disseminating the study results, the research team offers comprehensive expertise and support.
Submitting a Project Proposal
In order to better match studies and projects with resources and support, the Department of Family and Community Medicine has developed a procedure for prescreening and review of possible projects.
An initial review (by Aleksandra Zgierska, MD, PhD, Vice Chair for Research, and/or core department faculty members) determines if the project is compatible with the department mission and whether the study is feasible in the department and its practices.
Mission: Penn State Ambulatory Research Network’s mission is to facilitate primary care research and education by engaging primary care clinicians, their patients and their communities as partners to better address pressing public health needs through translational research.Vision: Penn State Ambulatory Research Network will serve as a model practice-based research network, improve the primary care experience of patients and clinicians, and improve health outcomes for the people of south-central Pennsylvania and beyond.
Contact us
To find out more about research in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, email FCMresearch@pennstatehealth.psu.edu or call 717-531-8187.