Family Medicine Research

In an effort to develop real solutions to society’s problems to improve the health and lives of the residents of Indiana, the Department of Family Medicine research faculty and staff collaborate on a variety of research projects that offer new vision and hope for Indiana’s health care utilization and system outcomes. Together, the Department of Family Medicine’s Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy and other departmental investigators work collaboratively to support this mission.

Research Centers

Expert Interview

To schedule an interview with an IU School of Medicine investigator or learn more about research studies underway, contact the Communications team.

Contact a researcher

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Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy

The Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy provides expert technical assistance and research expertise on health workforce issues, evaluations, and strategic planning support. Through partnerships with state agencies, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, health professionals, employers, and community advocates, the Bowen Center analyzes complex health workforce challenges to inform policy and programming. Topics such as supply, demand, and distribution of health professionals in Indiana, Medicaid enrollment, and policies affecting health professionals are central service activities. Other expert research activities include producing technical resources from the collection and management of health workforce information, and the tracking and analyzing of the impact of policy trends across different states to inform evidence-based policy decisions in Indiana. Hannah Maxey, PhD directs the IU School of Medicine Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy.

Health-Education Research

The educational arm of the Department of Family Medicine is active in health-education research at the national and international levels. The department’s Indiana Area Health Education Centers Network has secured federal funding from Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA). Other research includes continuous improvement in educational settings, faculty development, flipped classroom, behavioral health integration and tobacco cessation.

Research News

IMPD Deputy Chief Kendale Adams, Antonia Bailey, Ashlynne Walker, Lauren Magee and Damon Lane

IMPD program combines research and compassion to support non-fatal shooting survivors

Research led by Lauren Magee is enhancing support for gun violence survivors and generating data that contributes to safer community outcomes through the IMPD’s Non-Fatal Shooting and Advocacy Support Program.

May 28, 2025

Clair Francomano head-and-shoulders portrait with blurred window light in background

IU Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome expert educates health care providers throughout the world

Clair Francomano, MD, is one of the world’s foremost experts in Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and hypermobility spectrum disorders. She educates health care professionals and people worldwide through outreach work with the Ehlers-Danlos Society, YouTube videos and international lectures.

May 28, 2025

two researchers working in a lab

Researchers investigating how gut bacteria impacts Alzheimer’s disease progression

A team of researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine is investigating a bacterial connection between the gut microbiome and microglia actions in Alzheimer’s disease. Growing evidence has shown that the gut can impact a person’s neurological health and potentially the progression of neurodegeneration.

May 28, 2025

Two researchers in a lab look at a computer monitor

Study investigating why people who sustain traumatic brain injuries have a higher chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine are investigating why individuals who have experienced traumatic brain injuries — whether from a single or repeated impacts — have nearly two to four times greater the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life.

May 20, 2025

Individual wearing an IU School of Medicine labcoat and working with equipment.

Clinical trials in ALS help researchers test potential therapies, track disease course while aiming for a cure

Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disease that weakens muscles throughout the body. It can occur in anyone, anywhere, at any age and has no known cure. Researchers at IU work to understand the disease and search for a cure while making life as comfortable as possible for those who are affected.

May 19, 2025