Academic Administrative Units in Primary Care

The purpose of the proposed project is to expand the academic, research, and service components of community medicine in the Department by: (1) integrating the advances made in practice- based research and community engagement that the Department has succeeded in accomplishing over the past 7 years, and (2) developing an expanded role in advocacy and coordination for underserved populations by educating students on issues of community health. The proposed project will address critical health care needs for vulnerable populations by capitalizing on unique resources and current opportunities at the University of Kentucky. First, a major resource is the Kentucky Ambulatory Network (KAN), the viable, productive rural primary care practice-based research network (PBRN) founded in 2000 and administered by the Department. KAN has the potential to serve as a nexus for quality improvement (QI) and patient safety research and education. Moreover, expansion of KAN will enable it to better serve crucial medically underserved populations in the state. Second, a critical opportunity is the expansion of the College of Medicine to new rural regional training sites. The development of a four-year community health curriculum for all medical students could inculcate central tenets of family medicine, such as patient advocacy, population-based care and improved access to care. The goals of the proposed project are to: Goal I: Enhance the ability of the Kentucky Ambulatory Network (KAN) to improve the quajity of primary health care delivered to medically underserved populations. Goal II: Expand and support the Department's infrastructure and expertise in community medicine to develop medical education and research. 200903050938