Family Medicine: Finding Its Way on the Federal Research Roadmap

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Medical Education Funding
• Primary Care Research

Background:

• Securing substantial research funding for Family Medicine (FM) from major sources like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) remains a persistent challenge.
• Previous analyses indicated stagnant FM research funding, necessitating an updated investigation into recent trends.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze federal funding trends for Family Medicine research over the past decade (2014-2023).
• To investigate the impact of multidisciplinarity on research funding success within Family Medicine Departments.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the NIH RePORTER database to identify grants awarded to Family Medicine Departments (DFMs) between 2014 and 2023.
• Included awards from various federal agencies, primarily the NIH.
• Assessed if DFMs with multidisciplinary names had higher funding success rates.

Main Results:

• Out of 131 accredited DFMs, 73 received funding.
• Total NIH funding and the percentage allocated to DFMs increased over the decade, yet remained under 1% of total NIH awards.
• Multidisciplinary DFMs were more successful in securing research funding than those solely identified as FM.

Conclusions:

• A modest upward trend in FM research funding was observed, but significant challenges in obtaining substantial federal support persist.
• While limited by excluding non-NIH sources, the study highlights the current landscape of federal funding for FM research.
• Sustained efforts are crucial for advancing federal research funding in Family Medicine.