Community Projects

Many academic centers and schools of public health are forming partnerships with local health departments, community representatives and health care providers. Such partnerships enhance collaborative planning, augment community resources and empower community residents. The concepts of community-based public health (CBPH) and Community-Oriented Primary Care (COPC) have emerged as dominant concepts in public health planning. A variety of community oriented programs have incorporated the help of public health departments, managed care, professional and medical organizations, community leaders and local businesses. Community hospitals have been utilized only to a limited extent as a platform for community health promotion, but experience to date is encouraging. Griffin Hospital's commitment to community service and ability to provide the appropriate context for the teaching of community medicine is revealed in its array of rotation opportunities and research projects relying on community partnerships and targeting the underserved. In the past, residents have chosen to complete research projects in preventive medicine, internal medicine, women's health, minority health, cancer prevention and control, infectious disease including HIV/AIDS, chronic disease, geriatrics, health of the underserved, social and behavioral sciences, health policy, and global health.