Primary Care Research

Researching primary care services and their impact

An ample supply of primary care services is one of the fundamental building blocks of any health care system. Historically, much of the Sheps Center’s research in primary care has addressed the access, personnel, organization, quality, and cost issues that pertain to health services delivery, especially in rural areas. Current research efforts in this program include addressing issues of recruitment and retention of health care practitioners in rural practice.

Current and Recent Projects

Review a list of the Primary Care Research Program’s research projects below.

Program Director: Donald E. Pathman, MD, MPH

Project titleProject descriptionPrincipal Investigator(s)Project Period
Heart Health NOW! Advancing Heart Health in NC Primary CareEvidenceNOW: Advancing Heart Health in Primary Care is an initiative of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to accelerate the dissemination and implementation of patient-centered outcomes research findings into primary care. Samuel Cykert, MD2015-2018
NHSC Site Self-Assessment of Recruitment and Retention Needs ProjectCoordinate activities and timelines with the Bureau of Clinician Recruitment and Service (BCRS) to finalize tasks for the self-assessment study.Donald Pathman, MD04/01/2012-04/30/2013
Transforming Primary Care Practice in North CarolinaThe Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model involves complete primary care practice redesign with the ultimate goal to improve the quality of patient care and reduce cost.Katrina Donahue, M.D., M.P.H.8/1/2011-7/31/2013
Technical Support for Health Costs and Access Disparities in AppalachiaUNC-CH Sheps staff will construct a county level database for the Appalachian region using publicly available and proprietary data sources and use these data to develop indices of health care needs and capacity. Thomas Ricketts, Ph.D.10/1/2010-12/31/2011
North Carolina Healthcare Quality Alliance ContractThe North Carolina Healthcare Quality Alliance (NCHQA) is a collaboration of leaders in the delivery of healthcare in North Carolina.Warren Newton, M.D., M.P.H.07/01/2010 – 06/30/2013

Practice Based Research Network (PBRN)NCNC brings together North Carolina-based Primary Care-Practice Based Research sites, three based at UNC-CH, one based at Duke University, and one based at Atrium Health, and one based at Eastern Carolina UniversityKatrina Donahue, M.D., M.P.H.; Jacquie Halladay, M.D., M.P.H.Ongoing