DiscussionSpecial Reports

Creating a Centralized Infrastructure to Facilitate Medical Education Research

Dean A. Seehusen, Arch G. Mainous and Alexander W. Chessman
The Annals of Family Medicine May 2018, 16 (3) 257-260; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2228

Article Figures & Data

Figures

  • Figure 1
    Figure 1

    Research roles pyramid.

    This pyramid depicts the spectrum of roles faculty can perform when it comes to medical research. The bottom 2 levels represent continuous learning about, and the translation of, new medical knowledge. All faculty participate in research through consumption of the literature and all those that provide patient care participate by being direct utilizers of research findings. The middle 2 levels represent actual participation in the generation of knowledge. Ideally, a robust number of faculty will actively collaborate in the research generation in order to produce broadly applicable findings. A smaller number, with significant experience and interest, will become principal investigators answering their own questions. The top 2 levels represent leading others in the generation of new knowledge. Those researchers with the most and broadest experience will become positioned to lead research programs or even to set research agendas for institutions and broad networks of researchers.

Tables

  • Table 1

    The Original Mission and Goals of CERA

    The mission of CERA is:
     To guide the specialty by providing leadership and vision in the arena of medical education research
     To set a standard within family medicine for medical education research that is rigorous and generalizable
     To facilitate collaboration between medical education researchers
     To provide mentoring and education to junior researchers
    The goals of CERA are:
     Increase research and scholarly activity among members of CAFM organizations by providing infrastructure and consultation
     Improve the process for surveying constituents with better questions and fewer surveys
     Facilitate scholarship by creating a clearinghouse of data that CAFM members and family medicine residents can access

    • CAFM = Council of Academic Family Medicine; CERA = Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance

  • Table 2

    CERA Productivity as of October 2017

    CERA ProjectsNo.
    Completed CERA omnibus surveys30
    Received proposals>300
    Accepted proposals117
    Known accepted presentations at medical meetings77
    Known accepted publications in the medical literature58

Additional Files

  • The Article in Brief

    Creating a Centralized Infrastructure to Facilitate Medical Education Research

    Dean A. Seehusen , and colleagues

    Background Building research capacity is a goal of family medicine leaders, but the specialty has struggled to establish a research agenda and expand its research footprint. This report describes the work of the Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance (CERA), which was created to help overcome barriers and increase scholarly production.

    What This Study Found The Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance has enabled a large number of research teams to conduct meaningful scholarship with a fraction of the usual time and energy. CERA regularly conducts omnibus surveys of key family medicine education leaders, a process that includes collaboration with experienced mentors, centralized institutional review board clearance, pilot testing, and centralized data collection. As of October 2017, CERA completed 30 omnibus surveys resulting in more than 75 scientific presentations and more than 55 peer reviewed publications. By creating an infrastructure capable of overcoming some of the key barriers to conducting research, CERA has increased family medicine's research productivity and increased the number of family medicine faculty participating in research, including scholars with less experience and/or fewer resources.

    Implications

    • The authors state that the CERA model could be replicated in other specialties to facilitate collaborative research.
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