From the Chair
In a year like no other, I have been honored to serve alongside the faculty, staff, trainees, and students of the Duke Department of Family Medicine & Community Health. Since the onset of the pandemic, we have been deeply involved in the Duke University Health System and Duke University response to COVID-19. We coordinated activities across the department and participated in multiple key partnerships across the university, our county, and our state. Dedication, advocacy, equity, justice, service, respect, love—these are lived values of the people of Duke Family Medicine & Community Health. Take a look at our brief “time capsule” video and click through 2021 Perspective to get a sense of how we worked together with tireless dedication to serve our patients, learners, communities, and each other in pursuit of better health for all. Looking back over the year, I am grateful to the Department of Family Medicine & Community Health faculty, staff, trainees, and students for all they have done.
Anthony Viera, MD, MPH
Professor and Chair
Department of Family Medicine & Community Health
COVID-19 Response & Patient Care Highlights: Testing, Community Health, Education & Advocacy
Department of Family Medicine & Community Health faculty, staff, trainees, and students have been at the forefront of Duke Health's response to COVID-19. Through clinical care, educational offerings, research, and advocacy, the department contributed to nearly every aspect of the health system's response. In addition, the department provided COVID-19 care on top of continuing regular clinical operations across the department. The Department of Family Medicine & Community Health provides a wide range of primary care, preventive, and care management services to individuals, families, and communities in the Durham, North Carolina, area at 10 clinic locations.
Education & Training Highlights: New Programs, Opportunities for Students & Trainees
2020 brought challenges with in-person instruction and recruitment. The Duke Physician Assistant Program shifted its curriculum to online learning over the course of one weekend last spring and created opportunities for students to conduct contact tracing for Durham County and volunteer at vaccination clinics. All programs shifted to virtual recruitment efforts for their next cohorts, and Duke Family Medicine Residency recruited a stellar class of incoming interns, 100% of which are underrepresented in medicine. 2020 also brought new training opportunities for GME programs. The Rural Training Track of the Duke Family Medicine Residency received ACGME accreditation in early 2021 and an inpatient rotation for family medicine residents began at Duke Regional Hospital.
Research & Scholarship Highlights: Broad Range of Research on COVID-19 & More
The Department of Family Medicine & Community Health's diverse group of full-time researchers, clinical and non-clinical faculty, and learners are actively engaged with clinical, community, and population health research programs. The department is also home to a team of groundbreaking PA researchers who focus on health services, health policy, and workforce development research. Scholarly activity in the department includes: developing or contributing to textbooks; publishing clinical and educational review articles; presenting educational, clinical, and population health topics at national and international meetings; and active participation in many health professions groups. Our faculty, staff, and learners author, co-author and contribute to hundreds of peer-reviewed publications each year. View a full list of our publications. In 2020, our researchers expanded their portfolios to focus on COVID-related projects such as vaccine hesitancy, childrens' exposure in group settings, digital health, health equity, and more.
New Faculty
By the Numbers |
27MD Faculty |
3DO Faculty |
19PhD Faculty |
15PA-C Faculty |
2DrPH Faculty |
1DHSc Faculty |
1DMSc Faculty |
176Community Faculty |
19Emeriti Faculty |
153Staff |
21Residents (Family Medicine and Occupational Medicine) |
180PA Students |
16Fellows (Sports Medicine, Hospital Medicine, Primary Care Transformation) |
#1PA Program ranking, U.S. News & World Report |
#11Family Medicine training ranking, U.S. News & World Report |
11External research grants awarded with department faculty as PI or Co-PI |
38+Students mentored by research faculty |
288Journal articles and case studies published |
6Federal research grants submitted |
29,997Patient visits to Duke Family Medicine Center |
31Babies delivered at Duke Regional Hospital |
9,232COVID vaccines administered to Duke students (as of 4/9/12) |
4,464Teaching hours provided to MD student learners (2020-21 projection) |
30,252Flu vaccines administered to Duke employees |
21,999COVID tests ordered by Employee Health (2020) |
41,129COVID calls by Employee Health hotline (incoming and outbound, 2020) |
1,754New clients with PAS (Personal Assistance Service) |