About

Mission

The Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health integrates community health with social and behavioral medicine, focusing on training physicians who will practice in rural and Native American communities, with research in rural and Indigenous health, and community engaged service, to improve the quality of life in tribal and rural communities.

The Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health, located on the Duluth Campus, is a community of faculty and staff who come from multiple disciplines. We share a commitment to the creation of an enriching and supportive academic environment in which students pursue excellence in medical education. We also strive to create an environment where faculty and students can join in the generation of new knowledge through research. The department offers experiential and research training opportunities for medical students throughout their academic career in medical school.

 

Values

Values
Our mission and our work are guided by five core values: 

Integrity
We value honesty, ethics, and fairness in all our efforts

Responsibility/Accountability
To each other and to the communities we serve

Social Justice
As a community of scholars, we are committed to the principles of inclusion, diversity and collaboration. We support health equity for all while acknowledging the Indigenous peoples as traditional owners of Minnesota's lands.

Cultural Focus
Awareness of cultural processes and their influences on health

Meaning
In our work, both individually and as a community of scholars

 

Vision

Aligned with our mission, the Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health is devoted to excellence and to enhancing the broader mission of the University of Minnesota Medical School in teaching, scholarship, professional activities, and service.

We are devoted to
  • Unifying practice, education, and research through innovative approaches that improve community health.
  • Promoting culturally and research informed training and education for medical students and students of other disciplines from undergraduate through post graduate programs.
  • Conducting transdisciplinary collaborative research.
  • Fostering professional activities that emphasize community engagement and clinical services with health care delivery systems, and with rural and tribal communities.
  • Providing service in collaboration with colleagues throughout the University of Minnesota, complementary academic institutions, and national and professional organizations.
Our mission will be furthered by elevating
  • Scope and quality of our training, research, and clinical-community programs.
  • Intellectual, social, and physical resources and opportunities for staff, students, and faculty.
  • Our vision extends to enhancing knowledge and health equity across Minnesota, the U.S., and globally, striving for equity and the benefit of all people.
  • In keeping with our mission, the Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health is devoted to excellence and to enhancing the broader mission of the University of Minnesota Medical School in teaching, scholarship, professional activities, and service.