Scholarly Activity

The Clinical Scholars Curriculum at the Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center for Family Medicine and Residency has been an area of tremendous growth in recent years. Several faculty are actively engaged in grant funded research on nutrition and bipolar disorder, mindfulness-based interventions in the setting of addiction, and the impact of narrative medicine on the patient-doctor relationship.  We recently received a major federal grant to investigate how to deliver medication-assisted treatment for opiate use disorder to the rural and remote Native American populations of our State. As part of the curriculum, there is focused time during the fall of intern year learning about critical reading of journal articles, developing good clinical questions, and thinking about research design in the analysis of the medical literature. Residents present to their colleagues and faculty at least once per year on a prevention topic, a journal club, a case conference, and a Morbidity and Mortality case (M&M). These presentations are highly supported by faculty advisors and help residents become confident in navigating the medical literature and communicating about clinical cases in a variety of ways.

The resident required scholarly projects are highly flexible with the goal of allowing residents to pursue a question they are passionate about answering. Extensive support and potential funding from the Eastern Maine Medical Center Clinical Research Center is available for those with passion for research.   Protected longitudinal time as “Scholarly Activity Days” help support forward momentum for resident projects.  Furthermore, we participate in Family Physicians Inquiries Network (FPIN) providing a structured format and support for Residents to contribute to a growing body of evidence-based medicine literature.  Every PGY 1 Resident has the opportunity to write a GEM (Good Evidence Matters) through FPIN to meet one of their required scholarly activities, learn an approach to critically reading journal articles, and get published!

All residents in their PGY 3 year are expected to produce a poster from a Quality Improvement or Research project that is presented at the EMMC Annual Student and Resident Research EXPO in June an interprofessional event for the family medicine residents, pharmacy and nursing residents, and students from all of these programs. Some residents may additionally participate in multidisciplinary case reports for publication, grant writing, and presenting and regional or national conferences, for which there is financial support available. 

Interested residents can develop a research rotation and work with a faculty mentor to produce a publishable paper during the course of their residency. Coursework and resources are available to support residents in these activities with our faculty, our EMMC Office of Research, and the nearby University of Maine.