Medical education research may include evaluation of the transfer or acquisition of knowledge, attitudes or skills in any topic relevant to human health among any type of learner, including health professionals, students in the health professions, and patients. Topics often fall into one of the six professional core competencies (i.e., patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, systems-based practice, and professionalism) defined by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education. Legitimate outcome measures include changes in knowledge, attitudes, skills, behaviors, and even patient outcomes. 

The Division of General Internal Medicine has faculty actively pursuing medical education research throughout all of medical training (i.e. medical school, residency training, and continuing medical education) as well as patient education. Areas of study have included patient care, medical knowledge, clinical skills, communication skills, ethics, and professionalism. Funding has come not only from NIH grants but from an internal, philanthropic-based scholarship fund, The Osler Fund for Clinical Scholars. The Johns Hopkins Internet Learning Center was also developed by members of the Division as a teaching and evaluation tool for medical residents that has launched several medical education studies.

Information about faculty working in medical education research is provided below.

Bimal Ashar, MD, MBA, FACP
Associate Professor of Medicine 
Director, Advanced Medicine Clerkship
Medical Director, Executive Health Program
Research Interests: Improving patient and physician knowledge of dietary supplements, role of continuing medical education
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

Sarah Clever, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, School of Medicine  
Director, Ambulatory Medicine Clerkship
Research Interests: Improving medical students’ communication skills, impact of academic advisors
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

Joseph Cofrancesco, Jr., MD, MPH, FACP
Associate Professor of Medicine
Attending Physician, General Internal Medicine
Director, Clinician-Educator Mentoring and Scholarship Program
Director, Center for Excellence in Education
Medical Director, Moore Clinic at Green Spring Station
Director, HIV Lipodystrophy and Metabolic Complications Clinic
Research Interests: Promotion committee decision-making criteria, teaching portfolios, impact of duty hours on resident and student education
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

Lisa Cooper, MD, MPH
Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Policy and Management
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research 
Director, Center to Eliminate Cardiovascular Health Disparities
Research Interests: Patient-provider communication skills, cultural competency training, reduction of racial disparities in healthcare quality through physician awareness
To see publication abstracts: PubMed  

John Flynn, MD, MBA, MEd, FACP
D. William Schlott Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Molecular and Clinical Rheumatology, and the School of Nursing
Clinical Director, Division of General Internal Medicine
Research Interests: Teaching rheumatology to medical students and residents, ambulatory education
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

Redonda Miller, MD, MBA, FACP
Associate Professor of Medicine
Vice President of Medical Affairs, Johns Hopkins Hospital
Research Interests: Effectiveness of continuing medical education, impact of duty hours regulations, leadership curriculum
To see publication abstracts: PubMed  

Amit Pahwa, MD
Instructor of Medicine and Pediatrics
Hospitalist Program
Research Interests: Curriculum development, Internet learning curriculum

Stephen Sisson, MD
Associate and Philip A. Tumulty Professor of Medicine
Director, Johns Hopkins Internet Learning Center
Research Interests: Internal medicine residents’ knowledge of bioterrorism, hypertension, cholesterol management, dietary supplements; computer-assisted instruction for residents, sharing resident curricula via Internet
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

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