FAMILY MEDICINE FOR GUYANA

Family Medicine for Guyana: building capacity in academic primary care and public health. INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE This project is a collaboration between the Departments of Family Medicine of two Ontario (Canada) medical schools, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, in Guyana, and Academics Without Borders. It seeks to build capacity in locally relevant primary care and research methods—both areas in need of strengthening in Guyana. Until recently, there were no locally trained family physicians in the country. It is important to give these residents academic skills to be able to become leaders of the future. METHOD Multi-modal evaluation of curricular modules in research methods and public health for residents in family medicine, in collaboration with the Masters of Public Health program in Georgetown. The focus in two fold, and complements the clinical curriculum: the epidemiological skills to understand population health needs; as well as the research skills required to engage with those needs. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS This approach will ensure a new cadre of physicians, not just expert primary care clinicians, but scholars invested in system-level thinking and change, based on rigorous data collection and research. We are evaluating the project based on several dimensions: ability to carry out a research project and disseminate it in peer reviewed literature; ability to influence change at the policy level; and ultimately, retention of the physician work force in Guyana as such influence improves. (233 words)