Consistent with the tripartite mission of the school of medicine, that is, patient care, medical education and research, we seek to improve the health and health care of families and communities in the Los Angeles metropolitan area through the provision of cost effective, accessible, high quality medical care for all. Further, we sponsor an extensive medical education program for medical students, family medicine residents, fellows and other trainees. Finally, our research division addresses the intercept between academia and community through a focus on vulnerable, elderly and underserved populations.
It has been my privilege to have practiced family medicine for 30 years in settings as disparate as Chicago's Cook County Hospital, a migrant health center on the Mexican border, Brown University and UCLA. Long ago I concluded that medical care was a unique social good as opposed to a market commodity, as it is necessary to function in society. Cognizant of the challenges the nation faces as it moves forward with health care reform, we are especially interested in the science of health care delivery, that is, how we can provide cost effective care of the highest quality to individuals and their families.
Family Medicine remains a most crucial component of our health care system as it concentrates on the individual as opposed to a specific organ or age group with an emphasis on continuity of care in the context of family and community. In that context we are working with other academic centers to develop a new model of care, often called a "Patient Centered Medical Home," to more effectively diagnose and treat individuals and families impacted by the nation's epidemic of chronic diseases.
Our focus is on the provision of scientifically-based comprehensive care, for individuals as well as family members of all ages. We provide pediatric, pre-natal, obstetric, adult and woman's health as well as geriatric care. Further, we offer preventive care, cancer screening and immunizations for all age groups. The UCLA-Santa Monica Family Health Center is our primary clinical site.
We hospitalize our pediatric and adult patients, including obstetrical services, at the Santa-Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital, a teaching hospital which is part of the larger UCLA Healthcare system. Should you require more specialized care, such as a liver transplant or high risk neonatal care, you will be cared for at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center or the Mattel Children's Hospital located on the main UCLA campus. Mindful of the large medically indigent and underserved population in our community, we also provide care at the Mid-Valley Family Health Center which is located within an LA County Dept. of Health facility in Van Nuys, the federally supported Venice Family Clinic in Venice and its newest site, the Colen Family Health Center in Mar Vista.
Our faculty includes more than 45 nationally recognized clinicians, educators and researchers. Their research and educational interests are varied and all linked to UCLA's broader mission.
As one of the largest academic medical universities in the country, UCLA sponsors many exceptional training programs including our family medicine residency program which consists of 36 residents. Further, our fellowship programs include Sports Medicine as well as the Primary Care and Health Services Research Fellowship program and the Robert Woods Johnson Clinical Scholars program. The latter is one of only four such programs in the US and focused on policy as well as research. Moreover, we are involved in educating UCLA medical students during all four years. Finally, we house the innovative UCLA Hispanic International Medical Graduate (IMG) program.
Consistent with UCLA Healthcare's broader mission our department is innovative, academic, clinically oriented and dedicated to improving your health as well the health of all in the community. I invite you to explore this site for additional information.
Regards,
Patrick T. Dowling, MD, MPH
The Kaiser Permanente Professor of Community Medicine
Chair, Dept. of Family Medicine
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
50-078 Center for Health Sciences
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1683
Grand Rounds:
Time: 8:00AM (unless otherwise noted)
Date: Every Wednesday
Location: Classroom B, Santa Monica Hospital.
Coffee, juice, and other refreshments will be provided.