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Department of Family Medicine   

Mary Jo Welker, MD, Chair

Family Medicine provides excellent patient care, innovative medical education and advanced research. Faculty educate the next generation of physicians, including medical students, residents and sports medicine fellows. In 2007, the Department’s University-based residency and sports medicine fellowship programs received five years of accreditation. Additionally, the Department is involved with The MedShow, an online presentation that enables students and the medical community to learn about opportunities in the medical school and the field of medicine. The MedShow supports professional growth throughout their lifetime as a physician. Family Medicine faculty also are involved in interdisciplinary research to optimize health. Education, training and research are anchored in the practice of family medicine, which is practiced at clinical sites throughout Franklin County and includes – besides family practice – sports medicine, occupational medicine, behavioral medicine and integrative health.

Ongoing Research Programs

  • Douglas Post, PhD, with colleagues from Brown University, continues a five-year research project titled “Efficacy of Web-based Training in Skin Cancer” triage that evaluates the effectiveness of a Web-based education curriculum in skin cancer detection for primary care physicians.
  • Rupal Oza, MD, Randy Wexler, MD, and W. Fred Miser, MD, continue their study on “Using B-type Natriuretic Peptide as a Screen for Asymptomatic Heart Failure in Hypertensive Patients with Either Ischemic Heart Disease and/or Diabetes.” Working with William Abraham, MD, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, and David Jarjoura, PhD, Center of Biostatistics, the investigators are studying the association between plasma b-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels and ventricular function in a group of ambulatory patients of ages 65 years and older who have a history of hypertension with either ischemic heart disease and/or diabetes mellitus, but no history and/or symptoms of heart failure.
  • Randall Longenecker, MD, continues his study titled “Group Home Visits: Delivering Prenatal Care to Amish Families at Their Point of Need.” Amish women are less likely than others to seek prenatal care because of religious and cultural heritages. This study will determine whether group prenatal visits will encourage Amish women to seek medical care earlier and more frequently.
  • Doug Knutson, MD, and Holly Cronau, MD, continue their project titled “Teaching to the CORE: Using Core Competencies Without Losing Core Values,” an effort funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This work is designed to enhance the medical school curriculum at Ohio State, focusing on core competencies identified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education while creating a medical school environment that allows students to retrain the values of altruism and service – values drawing students to primary care.
  • Tom Best, MD, PhD, and his research team continue to study “Biomechanical and Molecular Responses to Eccentric Exercise and Acute Injury.” In addition, Best has established a collaboration with Bill Marras, PhD, of Industrial Engineering, to study “Mechanical and Immunological Responses to Occupational Loading.” Best also is collaborating with Rebecca Jackson, MD, to study “Effects of Vitamin D on Muscle and Bone Metabolism.”

Research Accomplishments of 2007

  • W. Fred Miser, MD, completed “Health Literacy and Other Factors Associated with Skin Ulcers in an Underserved Population,” a study of how clinicians can efficiently assess health literacy. This work, presented at the Ohio Family Medicine Symposium on Research and Education as a study titled “Screening for Health Literacy – Which Test is Best?,” was recognized as the most outstanding research presentation at the meeting.
  • Leon McDougle, MD, received funding from the Columbus Medical Association Foundation for his project titled “The Urban Cardiovascular Diabetic F.I.T.N.E.S.S. Program – Fitness Improved Through Nutrition and Exercise Sustained by Support of Family, Friends and Community Partners.” This 15-month project investigates the efficacy of social support and culturally appropriate behavioral modification in treating African-Americans who have type 2 diabetes.
  • Randy Wexler, MD, was the sole national recipient of the Pfizer Fellowship in Health Disparities, July 2007 to June 2009. For this fellowship he will work on “Development of Culturally Acceptable Patient-Centered Self-Management Materials for African-American Patients with Hypertension.”
  • Randy Wexler, MD, completed “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – Techniques and Lifestyle Changes: Reducing Systolic Blood Pressure,” a one-year study funded by the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation. This project tested the hypothesis that patients can be taught to implement lifestyle behavioral changes (e.g., restricting dietary sodium, engaging in aerobic physical activities, moderating alcohol intake) with the help of cognitive behavioraltherapy techniques during a routine primary care office visit.
  • Patrick Fahey, MD, and Mary Jo Welker, MD, along with Tom Blincoe, Donabelle Cruz-Huffmaster and Chris Welker, reported on their work regarding downstream revenue that The Ohio State University Primary Care Network generates for OSUMC. This was published as “Analysis of Downstream Revenue to an Academic Medical Center From a Primary Care Network” in the August 2006 issue of the journal Academic Medicine. The study also was described in a poster presentation in November 2007 at the annual meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges.