Philosophy

...to care for the entire family in all phases of family life.

Our mission is to train balanced physicians. Excellent physicians treat their patients using an approach that considers the biological basis of disease within the framework of the patients' social, mental health, and spiritual needs.

Residents and and faculty are encouraged to model a balanced, healthy lifestyle. Residents are trained to prepare them to meet the primary care needs of the population and to develop skills to flourish in the rapidly changing medical industry. Residents are trained to care for patients in all phases of life.

Our training sites focus on caring for an urban, underserved population, but our residents are prepared to be successful in a variety of practice settings.

Our residency training emphasizes:

• Continuity practice in the ambulatory setting - First year residents average over 2 half-days per week in the Family Health Center.
  
  
• Family Physicians trained by Family Physicians - 80% of the curriculum is taught by family medicine faculty.
  
  
• Excellence - Scholarly efforts are expected to focus on the resident's vision of his/her future practice.
  
  
• Commitment to the community - Residents become immersed in and learn to serve the community in which we live and practice.

Central to our mission is the importance of the family and the community in the context of patient care. We have a profound belief that social and psychological factors are as important as biomedical factors. Well trained Family Physicians must be able to communicate well and wisely, use the doctor-patient relationship in therapeutic ways and understand the overall context of their patients' lives and the health needs of the communities they serve.