Supporting the future development of research in Texas

This is part four of a special four-part series. To access the other parts, follow the links below:

+ Part 1: Examining the health of family medicine research
+ Part 3: Outcomes of Foundation-supported research
+ Part 4: TAFP Foundation-based support for research in Texas

As the previous articles have demonstrated, there has been steady growth in family medicine research activity and outcomes in Texas over the past two decades. In 2007, the TAFP Foundation developed a strategic plan for research support to provide guidance for the Research Grants Committee and a blueprint for the future. This plan focuses on three areas of research development: funding support for research, support for research infrastructure and dissemination of research results.

Funding Support for Research Studies

Currently, the Foundation commits between $25,000 and $30,000 annually to support unsolicited research studies with a maximum of $5,000 per study. The plan seeks to expand the support for unsolicited studies as well as instituting an annual solicitation of studies on an area of Texas-related medical need. Eventually, the Foundation seeks to expand its support for unsolicited studies from its current annual level to $100,000 with a maximum limit of $20,000 per study. This would enable us to permit financial support for investigator research time as well as direct expenses of the research.

In addition to supporting unsolicited studies on any relevant topic, the Foundation wants to begin focusing on specific medical needs for patients in Texas. To accomplish this, the Foundation would annually seek grant applications on a different clinical topic each year chosen with input from the TAFP membership. This program would commit $50,000 each year to support one to two studies.

Support for Research Infrastructure

Major research often depends upon results of pilot work to establish feasibility and guide research design. Such preliminary study requires continual support of research staff, even between periods of external funding. In addition, the presence of permanent research staff facilitates the participation of residents in research. Since the termination of Title VII funding, federal support for research infrastructure has largely ended. Ideally, each Texas family medicine residency program should have a half-time research assistant available permanently to meet this need. However, based upon minimal salary with fringes of around $10,500, providing all 28 Texas-based residency programs with such research infrastructure would require $294,000 annually. Although a worthwhile goal, such support is currently beyond the capabilities of the Foundation.

However, the Foundation can support research infrastructure in other ways. The Foundation seeks measures to support faculty development of research skills, practice-based research networks, or PBRNs, in Texas and for presentation of resident research results at national research meetings.

Because many faculty in community-based residencies lack research skills, the plan would provide travel support for five such faculty members to attend one of two annual research meetings that focus on development of research skills: the AAFP PBRN Convocation and the Primary Care Research Methods and Statistics Conference. Recipients would be chosen by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Second, the Foundation would support Texas-based PBRNs in two ways. To facilitate cooperation among these PBRNs, an annual meeting of their directors would occur in conjunction with the Interim Session to promote exchange of information. The Foundation would also provide $50,000 annually to support one to two studies conducted by TAFP’s PBRN, the Statewide Primary care Ambulatory Research and Resource Consortium, or SPARRC. Finally, recent surveys among U.S. family medicine residents show that although many residents express interest in attending research-related conferences, travel funds to attend research conferences are generally not available to residents, even if they are to present results of research they have conducted. The Foundation plans to support two residents each year to present results of their research at an annual family medicine research meeting, like the AAFP Scientific Assembly, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine annual conference and the North American Primary Care Research Group.

Dissemination of Research Results

To promote recognition of the value of Foundation-supported research and encourage research-related donations to the Foundation, it is important to periodically evaluate and disseminate the results and impact of Foundation-supported research to the TAFP membership. The Foundation proposes dissemination of research results at Annual Session and the routine assessment of the impact of Foundation-supported research.

Currently, research results do not figure prominently in the program of the TAFP scientific assembly. The Foundation proposes that the presentation of research posters be re-established into the TAFP Annual Session. In addition, the Foundation plans to work with the TAFP Program Committee to establish a plenary presentation at the scientific assembly that includes research results generated through a Foundation-supported study. This presentation should occur during a high-profile position in the schedule and the research results should be integrated into a more general clinical topic.

Previous assessment of the outcomes of studies receiving Foundation support revealed that most led to publication and/or presentation of results, or were instrumental in the pursuit of subsequent major funding from external agencies. However, such evaluations are not currently performed on a regular basis. The Foundation will contact funded investigators every five years to determine the impact of their studies in terms of subsequent publications, national presentations, grant proposals and research awards. Such results should be disseminated in TEXAS FAMILY PHYSICIAN and at the TAFP Annual Session.

Cost of the Proposed Developments

Although the plans for dissemination of results and for an annual meeting of Texas-based PBRNs are without cost and currently being pursued, the other measures involve significant costs. The proposals for funding support for research studies will cost $150,000 annually. The proposals for support of research infrastructure would cost $5,000 in support of faculty development for community-based residency faculty and $3,000 for resident travel to present the results of their research. The proposals in support of Texas-based PBRNs would cost $50,000. Thus, full implementation of this strategic plan will cost the Foundation $208,000 annually.

Seeking to build upon the success of efforts to develop and expand family medicine research in Texas, this strategic plan attempts to take research in Texas to the next level. But, to succeed, this will require significant commitment from the Foundation and its financial supporters.