Research

At the Forefront of Research

The Department of Family Medicine at Western University is at the forefront of research in primary health care. Among the areas of focus for research are patient-centred care, clinical practice guidelines, health promotion, population health, care of the elderly, health services and information technology.

There are a number of well-known research programmes led by faculty within our department:

Centre for Studies in Family Medicine

The Centre for Studies in Family Medicine is an interdisciplinary centre committed to enhancing primary health care provided by family physicians.

The Diabetes Alliance

The Diabetes Alliance is located in the Centre for Studies in Family Medicine at Western University, and pursues a diverse research portfolio to close the gap in chronic disease care, while enhancing its understanding and clinical management. Under the leadership of Dr. Stewart Harris, the Diabetes Alliance has completed over 40 projects, partnered with more than 30 Indigenous communities and healthcare partners, and brought-in over $25-million in research funding.

The Lifestyle Research Team

The Lifestyle Research Team, under the direction Dr. Robert Petrella (Principal Investigator) and Dr. Dawn Gill (Research Manager & Scientist), focuses on community-based studies of lifestyle interventions for chronic disease prevention, management and control. This research is dedicated to furthering multi- and inter-disciplinary research on aging, physical activity, lifestyle management, chronic diseases, and innovative technologies to improve the quality of life of Canadians across their lifespan. 

The Population and Community Health Unit 

The Population and Community Health Unit engages in epidemiological, analytical and evaluative research and health data collection. The unit focuses on a population health approach with a special interest in the communities of London and Southwest Ontario using health prevention and health promotion principles.