Overview

The Department of Family Medicine at Mayo Clinic is committed to providing the highest quality health care to individuals, families and communities. Our care spans a wide range of medical, health and wellness concerns, including minor illnesses, screenings, prevention services and palliative care.

The department's research section embraces a research agenda that strives to continuously improve the health of patients, enhance the quality and value of care, and further the training of family physicians. Our research is driven by the needs of patients in clinical care, taking a path of discovery toward better understanding of disease causes, treatments and prevention, along with improvements in quality and practice.

Research in the Department of Family Medicine-Research focuses on two areas:

• Clinical research. Our clinical research efforts help pinpoint the causes of disease and identify effective methods of prevention and treatment. Read more about clinical research.
• Quality and practice improvement research. Research efforts related to quality and practice improvement focus on cervical cancer screening, Pap tests, prenatal care, triage, virtual care and more. Read more about quality and practice improvement research.

Department leadership

• David R. Rushlow, M.D., is chair of the Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Rushlow is a family physician at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and an assistant professor of family medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester, Minnesota. Read more about Dr. Rushlow.
• Thomas (Tom) D. Thacher M.D., is vice chair of research for the Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Thacher, a family physician at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is also a professor of family medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester. Read more about Dr. Thacher.