SUMMARY
Floyd B. Willis, M.D., is a family physician with a focus on community-based participatory research. He leads and participates in multiple community-based projects dealing with community outreach, recruitment and engagement in underrepresented populations. These underrepresented groups include people from various racial and ethnic backgrounds, people with low or no income, and people without health insurance.
Dr. Willis studies risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, dementia and cancer in cross-cultural populations. He recruits people from underrepresented groups to participate in research projects to improve the accuracy of diagnoses, treatments and biomedical science more broadly. Dr. Willis addresses the health disparities present in society and thus works to improve care for all people.
Focus areas
- Alzheimer's disease and dementia in people from various racial and ethnic backgrounds.
- Cancer, especially prostate cancer in Black men.
- Outreach programs for underrepresented populations.
- Health and healthcare disparities in cross-cultural populations.
- Caregiving techniques involving people with cognitive dysfunction, especially for Black caregivers.
- Genetic factors in Black people with Alzheimer's disease.
- Telemedicine.
Significance to patient care
Having a diverse pool of participants in medical research is critically important. If a significant part of the population is excluded, misdiagnosis or underdiagnosis is likely. For effective care and scientific accuracy, it is crucial that all populations be represented in biomedical research. Dr. Willis strives to include underrepresented groups in scientific studies.
Professional highlights
- Mayo Clinic in Florida:
- Director, Mayo Foundation Office of Population Health Management, 2012-present.
- Associate professor, Department of Family Medicine, 2000-present.
- Chair, Department of Family Medicine, 2007-2016.
- Member, Diversity Committee, 2010-2014.
- Fellow, American Academy of Family Physicians, 1996-present.
- Co-investigator, Establishment of an Inclusive Cancer Care Research Equity (iCCaRE) for Black Men Consortium, Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, 2022-2024.
- Co-investigator, Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center supplement: Identification and Measurement of Influences on Brain Donation Decision Making in African Americans, funded by National Institute on Aging, 2022-2024.
- Member, board of directors, Florida Medical Association, 2014.
- Reviewer, Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, 2005-2010.