ENHANCING COMMUNITY HEALTH BY IMPROVING PHYSICIAN PARTICIPATION

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Public Health
• Community Engagement

Background:

• Medical associations advocate for enhanced professionalism, including public advocacy and community engagement.
• Physician community participation can bolster public trust and contribute expertise to community health initiatives.
• Current medical training lacks sufficient focus on community-based participation and leadership.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a model program for integrating community-based organization (CBO) placement into family medicine residency training.
• To enable residents to engage with social, economic, and environmental health determinants in underserved populations.
• To foster physician leadership in community health activities.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a community-based organization (CBO) placement program for family medicine residents in Harlem, New York City.
• Residents partnered with CBOs addressing social, political, economic, and environmental determinants of health.
• Residents assumed leadership roles in community health initiatives.

Main Results:

• The program facilitated resident engagement with community health issues and underserved populations.
• Residents developed leadership skills through active participation in CBOs.
• The model demonstrated a framework for enhancing physician community participation.

Conclusions:

• Community-based organization (CBO) placement in medical training can effectively enhance physician community participation and leadership.
• This model promotes medical professionalism and addresses health disparities by tackling social determinants of health.
• Broader implementation in diverse settings can sustainably improve community health and physician engagement.