Department of Family Medicine

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Department Highlights

Goutham Rao, MD, lead author in American Heart Association Scientific Statement on Obesity

NorthShore Medical Group physician, Goutham Rao, MD, Vice Chair of the Department of Family Medicine, is the lead author of a new Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) that offers specific recommendations about how to address obesity with patients in busy out-patient settings, which research shows physicians too often don't do.

The statement was published online in August 2011 by Circulation, Journal of the American Heart Association. Obesity is a significant public health issue in the United States but according to research, physicians and other healthcare professionals are poorly equipped to tackle the problem. "The number one barrier to physicians discussing obesity with their patients, we learned, is they simply don't know what to say and do," said Goutham Rao, MD, and lead author of the AHA statement, New and Emerging Weight Management Strategies for Busy Ambulatory Settings. "And even if they have the confidence to address an obese patient about their weight, they too often don't have the skills to make an effective weight-loss plan."

Kohar Jones, MD, featured in article in The Chicago Reporter on medically underserved Chicago communities.

Kohar Jones, MD, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine, was featured in an article in The Chicago Reporter entitled: "Patient-to-doctor ratios in 12 Chicago neighborhoods equal to third-world countries". The article, in the section "Chicago Muckrakers" by reporter Megan Cottrell, was published in The Chicago Reporter on August 19, 2011, and discussed Dr. Jones' work serving underserved patients at the the Chicago Family Health Center at 10536 S Ewing Ave in Chicago.

Message from the Chairman

The department began operations in September of 2002 and has a required family medicine clerkship, faculty practicing in federally qualified health centers, an active research program, key roles in The University of Chicago Urban Health Initiative and Institute for Translational Medicine and a family medicine residency program at our major affiliate, NorthShore University Health System.

In the years since our founding, the department has become an active partner in our community, working to enhance the access, quality, and safety of primary health care in southwest Chicago and near suburbs. We place clinical faculty in local practices, collaborate with health systems and practices on implementation and outcomes research, and actively participate in the "community of scholars" that characterizes The University of Chicago.

Each of us in the department loves being at the University of Chicago. It is an extraordinary place with extraordinary people, and the opportunities for intellectual stimulation, collegial work across disciplines, and community partnerships seem unlimited. Read more...