Family Medicine Research

Delivering New Treatments for Primary Care and Population Health

Atrium Health’s family medicine research is focused on all aspects of primary care and population health. We conduct research through implementation studies, clinical trials and community engagement. Working with sponsors, the government and other organizations, our researchers are committed to finding new treatments and better approaches to care.

Clinical Trials and Practice Implementation Research

Atrium Health serves as a site for a wide variety of patient-centric clinical trials, including:

• Multisite National Institutes of Health (NIH) landmark trials on Type 2 diabetes (ACCORD) and high blood pressure (SPRINT)
• Industry-sponsored trials related to chronic conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, dementia, cardiovascular disease, gastroesophageal reflux and retinopathy

Family medicine research conducts investigator-initiated implementation and dissemination studies on all aspects of primary care research. Examples currently being explored include:

• Screening initiatives and practice educational tools for conditions including HIV, asthma and hepatitis C
• Working with the Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) on drug abuse, back pain and asthma
• Organization-wide quality improvement initiatives, including focusing on asthma, COPD and diabetes

Community Engagement and Evaluation

Our researchers look for ways to involve communities in keeping residents healthy and helping more vulnerable populations gain access to care and information. This engagement is achieved through a participatory approach involving community members, leaders and stakeholders at all stages of research. Additionally, both quantitative and qualitative data is collected. Our initiatives include:

• Community outreach, such as free clinics and community advisory board participation
• Partnering with local health departments and parks and recreation groups to connect communities with primary care

Through consistent efforts, our family medicine research team has created an outreach portal to help make a difference in healthcare delivery at the local level.