Protocol for the 2023 CERA Department Chair Survey

Area of Science:

• Academic Medicine
• Family Medicine Education Research

Background:

• The Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance (CERA) supports educational research in academic family medicine.
• CERA facilitates surveys for academic family medicine, including an annual survey of department chairs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the methods and demographics of the 2023 CERA Department Chair Survey.
• To outline the process for developing and distributing the survey.

Main Methods:

• A call for proposals was issued, with 15 received and 5 accepted for the final survey.
• The survey included question sets from five research teams and standard demographic questions.
• The survey was sent to 227 department chairs in the US and Canada, receiving 114 responses (50.2% response rate).

Main Results:

• The 2023 CERA Department Chair Survey achieved a 50.2% response rate.
• Demographic characteristics (race/ethnicity, gender, age, region) did not significantly differ between respondents and nonrespondents.

Conclusions:

• The CERA Department Chair Survey offers a valuable framework for academic family medicine research.
• Key advantages include a national sample and strong response rates, though question limits exist.