The Department of Family and Community Medicine, Division of Community Medicine is dedicated to preventing and reducing the disproportionate burden of disease affecting vulnerable communities, and developing appropriate and effective models of health in all communities. The division’s programs recognize that the factors contributing to health are largely beyond the reach of traditional medical practice and that the solutions to existing health problems generally reside within the affected communities themselves. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a collaborative approach to developing replicable models for understanding health and disease determinants, and supporting mechanisms for promoting healthier lives for individuals, families, neighborhoods, and communities. Using CBPR principles, the division has developed collaborative relationships based on trust for better understanding the true causes of disease and developing means for eliminating disease causality in communities of need.

To see the various aspects of our community medicine program, please use the links on the left.