The Summer Research Program in Family Medicine provides medical students with unique opportunities to carry out clinical research aimed at improving medical practice and patient care.
In past summers, students have worked with faculty mentors on a variety of projects including chronic fatigue syndrome, patient autonomy and health behaviors of university faculty.
The student will carry out a clinical research study and learn the basics of planning, implementing, and reporting a research study. Recent Family Medicine research students have published results of their studies in peer-reviewed medical journals and have presented reports at national and international conferences. Through their work with mentors in the department, students become more aware of the research and clinical activities of Family Medicine faculty and develop an understanding and appreciation of Family Medicine as a specialty.
Current Opportunities
Quality of Diabetic Care
Department: Family Medicine
Faculty Mentor: George Bergus, MD
Type of Research: Clinical
Area of Research Interest: Quality of Diabetic Care
Description of Possible Research Project:
There are well developed guidelines defining good care for Type 2 Diabetes. But the care patients receive is not always in accordance with these guidelines. For example, most adult diabetics should be on anti-platelet therapy to prevent heart attack and stroke. Blood lipids should be aggressively controlled. Glycemic control should be regularly monitored using testing of hemoglobin A1C.
The student involved in this project will review the care of Type 2 Diabetes at the Free Medical Clinic in Iowa City by undertaking a comprehensive chart review. While the Free Medical Clinic provides care to patients facing a number of obstacles to health care, they also provide care using a coordinated care model. This model entails a case manager, disease management protocols, and medical charts organized for chronic disease care. The care delivered at the Free Medical Clinic will then be compared to care routinely delivered at UIHC by using previously collected data. We are interested in whether care delivered using a coordinated care model at the Free Medical Clinic approaches that delivered at our institution. These findings will be used for future quality improvement projects.
Contact
George Bergus, MD
Family Medicine
01292-C PFP
384-7566
george-bergus@uiowa.edu