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.