What does it mean to build research capacity?

The family of family medicine organizations has identified clinical and practice-based research as a high priority for our specialty. This is based on the vision that all family physicians have a role in the generation and application of new knowledge to improve the health of individuals, families, and communities. This goal can only be achieved by increasing the number of trained and experienced family medicine researchers and enhancing the value of research to practicing family physicians, their patients, and the public. To meet this goal, the Committee on Building Research Capacity of the North American Primary Care Research Group and representatives from all of the Academic Family Medicine Organizations groups developed a strategic plan. The plan focuses on the training, funding, infrastructure, and linkages required to develop new family physician researchers and to change the culture of family medicine to accept research as integral to our specialty. In addition, the plan acknowledges the need to enhance the reputation of family medicine research and increase family medicine research publications by assuring that we ask the right questions.