Advancing Primary Care Through Research at UCLA Family Medicine

The UCLA Department of Family Medicine Research Unit is a leading force in primary care research, dedicated to enhancing health and improving healthcare delivery. Our team includes experts committed to impactful studies that address pressing health challenges and refine clinical practice.

We possess extensive expertise across a broad spectrum of primary care issues, including:

  • Care and prevention of chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and depression
  • Mental and behavioral health
  • HIV care and prevention
  • Adolescent and women's health
  • Healthcare access and outcomes for medically underserved populations
  • Medical education and its connection to community health needs
  • Addressing health outcome differences across population groups
  • Effective communication in healthcare settings
  • Addiction medicine
  • Domestic violence
  • Geriatrics, palliative care, and pain management
  • Physician workforce characteristics
  • Identification and designation of health professional shortage areas

Our research methodologies span epidemiological studies, health services research, community-engaged research, and clinical trials. Our work aims to advance health, broaden access to care, and elevate the quality of primary care services. Beyond generating original research and scholarly contributions, we are deeply committed to training and mentoring students, residents, fellows, and faculty for academic careers in family medicine.

Research initiatives within the UCLA Family Medicine Department benefit from substantial funding from various federal and foundation sources. These include, but are not limited to, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Physicians for a Healthy California, the Conrad Hilton Foundation, and the California Healthcare Foundation. Over the last decade our department has consistently ranked in the top ten Family Medicine Departments nationwide for federal research funding (per the Blue Ridge BRIMR Rankings). This diverse funding portfolio ensures a stable and productive research pipeline focused on promoting health and strengthening primary care for our community.

The UCLA Family Medicine Research Unit strongly emphasizes a collaborative research approach, integrating a wide range of disciplines and areas of expertise beyond clinical medicine. Our team includes specialists in psychology, social sciences, epidemiology, qualitative methods, and large database analysis.

Our residents are required to incorporate scholarly/research activity into their training, and each year they present their work at our Annual UCLA Multi-campus Family Medicine Research Forum. This event has been hosted by UCLA for over 40 years and helps facilitate the exchange of scholarly activities and highlights the creative work conducted by residents, fellows, faculty, staff, and medical students from UCLA-affiliated Family Medicine Residency programs around the southern California area. Our residents’ scholarly work addresses important issues related to improving health and health care of families and communities through the provision of cost-effective, accessible, high-quality medical care for all.

If you would like to learn more about our Research Unit, please reach out to our Manager of Research Administration, Laura W. Sheehan at [email protected].