OU -TU SCHOOL OF COMMUNIT Y MEDICINE
At Bedlam Clinic, third-year medical students in the School of Community Medicine work in interprofessional teams with nursing and social work students, and with physician, pharmacy, social work, nursing and physician assistant faculty.
OU-TU School of Community Medicine Expands Efforts to Grow Primary Care Services The OU-TU School of Community Medicine continues building partnerships and implementing initiatives aimed at filling Oklahoma’s growing void in primary care services, particularly in tribal, rural and medically underserved communities. The effort is funded by a multimillion dollar grant from the federal agency Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Since the original $4.7 million award in 2019, the college received a $2.8 million supplement. Both campuses are participating in the program made possible by the grant, with significant collaboration because many goals are interdependent. The program is led by co-principal investigators James Herman, M.D., Dean of the OU-TU School of Community Medicine, and Steven A. Crawford, M.D., Senior Associate Dean of the College of Medicine. The program focuses on enhancing the primary care experience for current medical students, as well as creating a statewide outreach program to cultivate interest in healthcare professions among younger students. The efforts aim to repair a “leaky pipeline” that contributes to the formation of “primary care deserts” in non-urban communities across the state, said Tulsa project lead Frances Wen, Ph.D., a health services psychologist and professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Students in medical education programs form the pipeline that ensures a flow of well-prepared medical professionals, able to meet healthcare demands in a region or community. However, while students’ interests may initially be aligned with primary care/ family medicine models, many ultimately go into specialty practice for a variety of reasons, creating the “leak” that drains the primary care workforce. “There is an urgency about our work, which seeks to lay the foundation for outcomes that may not be realized for a decade or more,” Wen said. “To provide an exceptional medical
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education is only one step toward meeting the growing demand for primary care providers. We must also cultivate a certain mindset. We’re looking for people keying on this aspect of their future professional lives.” Strategic community partnerships are playing a major role in the effort. School of Community Medicine students are taking part in two-week or four-week rotations in primary care at the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. “The Muscogee (Creek) Nation has built beautiful clinics for one-stop healthcare services — dental care, eye care, consultations on diet and nutrition that interrupt the cycle of diabetes, lab work and more. Working within this sophisticated multiprofessional, team-based environment is excellent training that shows what high-quality primary care really looks like,” Wen said. Wen is hopeful for another HRSA grant that would grow a partnership between the SCM family medicine residency and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Other partners include the Chickasaw Nation, Comanche Nation, Variety Care,
Frances Wen, Ph.D.
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