PR01: What does effective patient, clinician, and care team engagement in research look like? Best practices and success indicators
Anna Templeton, DNP

Friday, November 21st | 8:00 am -12:00 pm

Rationale: Patient and Clinician Engagement, or PaCE, within NAPCRG is committed to a research culture that prioritizes partnerships and collaborations with patients, clinicians, primary care teams, and health researchers. Engaged research is essential to producing relevant, representative evidence for effective person-centered care and outcomes. PaCE workshops use interactive, reflective activities to co-develop and iterate engagement approaches and concepts and create opportunities for shared learning. This session will contribute to ongoing discussion and community building within PaCE and NAPCRG around how we can cultivate and strengthen engagement in research teams. Audience Participation: Following a brief welcome, introduction to PaCE, and summary presentation of learning from previous PaCE workshops, PaCE members will present an overview of what patient- and clinician-partnered research looks like in practice. We will then facilitate a 3-4 person panel to share examples of best practices and indicators of success from patient, clinician, and researcher perspectives. Attendees will break into small groups (6-8 people) for a co-development exercise building from previous PaCE workshops to consider best practices for partnered engagement, optimal structures and approaches to facilitating team-based research, and opportunities to transform research structures to support engaged research. Small groups will: 1) discuss indicators and measures of successful engagement, 2) recommend and reflect on approaches, tools, processes, and resources that contribute to success, and 3) produce a list of key supports and infrastructure patients and clinicians can expect research teams to provide. Attendees will re-convene for report outs from each small group and facilitated discussion. We will close with a ‘final word’ from each participant. Content to be Presented: We will share a brief introduction to PaCE and our work including learning from previous PaCE workshops at NAPCRG’s annual and practice-based research network meetings. PaCE members will present best practices and expectations for partnered research followed by panelist examples of engagement practices, expectations, and supporting infrastructure in the context of primary care research to inform and spark discussion. Method of Evaluation: Post-session satisfaction survey. We will collect, analyze, and disseminate small group output. Prerequisite knowledge: None.

Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to:

1. Describe hallmarks and benchmarks of successful patient and clinician partnerships in engaged research teams.
2. Identify 1-2 key recommendations on core supports, structures, and indicators of successful engagement in research teams they can implement or integrate in their teams

Fee: $0

PR02: CASFM Complexity Science and Methods: Systemic Evaluations of High-Utilization Interventions – Concepts, Methods and Models 
Carmel Martin, PhD, MBBS, MSc, FRACGP 

Friday, November 21st | 8:00 am -12:00 pm

High-utilization patients (HUP) are a perennial economic concern for health policy makers, but a more nuanced consideration of this issue raises important questions:

• Does this small group of patients really cost the system too much for not achieving the right health outcomes?
• Is the intent of policy makers to reduce utilization or to better support people who happen to be passing through a temporary high-utilization state?
• Is high utilization a failure of medical care, or a failure to understand and deal with those patients’ multidimensional health and psychosocial needs?
• What outcome measures matter and who decides?
• If high utilization is even a malevolent problem that requires resolution, then how could the effectiveness of interventions be reasonably evaluated given the well-recognized regression to the mean of utilization outcomes for many of these patients (emergency visits and hospitalizations, eg)?

This workshop will explore innovative and dynamic approaches to understanding and addressing HUP. It will bring together CASFM members, researchers and frontline providers to critique the underlying tacit assumptions, and methodological robustness and real-world applicability of evaluation frames of current and potential HUP interventions. The workshop will explore how artificial intelligence, system modelling, human-centered evaluation frameworks, and developments such as pragmatic trials, might provide opportunities for new analytical strategies to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate and optimize patient care.

The care of HUP is a complex problem whose understanding requires complex systems analysis. This workshop will focus on finding best possible ways to incorporate real-world personal experiences and real-time analysis of the dynamics of individuals’ health trajectories to contextualise hospital-based service utilization and their associated metrics. Discussions will focus on both leveraging existing approaches and considering new research methods; and the advancement of data sciences, predictive modelling, and dynamic evaluation techniques to evaluate potential interventions that are rigorous and clinically meaningful.

Through applied case studies and interactive small group discussions, we aim to begin a cross-disciplinary approach to develop a statement that provides a systemic approach to address the dynamic interconnected and interdependent nature of caring for HUP.

Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to:

1. Identify and describe the numerous medical, psychosocial, and systemic factors associated with high-utilization patients.
2. Identify and describe the best methods for evaluation HUP interventions, including new approaches using artificial intelligence and other methods from data sciences, predictive modelling, and dynamic evaluation techniques.

Fee: $105 

PR03: From Silos to Synergy: Building Research Capacity Through Strategic Connections

Friday, November 21st | 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Rationale: This preconference workshop aims to provide primary care researchers with the tools and strategies necessary to build and maintain lasting, productive research partnerships beyond departmental boundaries. By strengthening interdisciplinary, interinstitutional, and practice-based collaborations, researchers can tackle complex primary care challenges more effectively, help secure funding, and advance careers in academic medicine.

Audience Participation: Participants will actively engage in identifying key networking opportunities, including those within their own institutions, across different departments, and with other research institutions or practice-based research networks. They will participate in small group discussions, hands-on activities, and personalized feedback sessions, allowing them to formulate tailored networking strategies and action plans.

Content to be Presented: 1) Identifying key networking opportunities within and outside of one’s department, including interdisciplinary, interinstitutional, and practice-based collaborations. 2) Developing effective strategies for building and maintaining long-term research partnerships. 3) Exploring successful collaborative research models and how they can be adapted to the participants' own research contexts. 4) Creating actionable networking plans tailored to each participant’s specific goals and institutional environment.

Method of Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on participant engagement throughout the interactive activities and group discussions. Additionally, participants will develop personalized action plans, which will be reviewed and refined during the session. Feedback will be provided during group activities, allowing for tailored recommendations on improving networking strategies.

Prerequisite Knowledge: No specific prerequisite knowledge is required, although participants should come prepared to engage actively in discussions and exercises. It is helpful for attendees to reflect on their current research collaborations and think about potential opportunities for expanding their networks before attending the workshop.

Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to:

1. This workshop empowers researchers to expand networks beyond their departments, fostering collaboration, capacity, and impact.
2. Identify key opportunities for networking beyond their department/institution to enhance research collaboration and capacity.

Fee: $105

PR04: Trainee Pre-conference: Exploring the Landscape of Primary Care Training—Challenges, Opportunities, and Action
Taylor Bosworth, BSc, MD/PhD Student

Friday, November 21st | 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm | This pre-conference workshop is for trainees & mentors only

Rationale:
Trainees make up a third of NAPCRG’s membership—but 100% of our future. Supporting early-career researchers is essential to advancing primary care research. The Trainee Pre-conference offers a valuable opportunity to connect, learn, and build community ahead of the main meeting, especially for first-time attendees. This workshop helps trainees engage with peers and mentors they can lean on throughout the conference, aligning with NAPCRG’s mission to grow the primary care research workforce.

The trainee pre-conference workshop will consist of skill building and career development sessions, as well as relevant topical sessions on primary care challenges and opportunities. This workshop will consist of didactic sessions (e.g., presentations), as well as group discussion and activities. This pre-conference workshop will allow for ample opportunity for both formal and informal discussion with peers. The skill building and career development sessions will consist of:

1) Presentations and discussion. Firstly, the NAPCRG Trainee Committee will debrief trainees on actions from last year's conference/work of the committee. We hope to connect trainees to the National Strategic Plan, discuss the Letter to the Board from last year's pre-conference, and a manuscript and poster regarding the Trainee Needs survey.

Trainees will engage with NAPCRG mentors to discuss strategies for disseminating research. Two to three keynote speakers to present their respective case studies discussing primary care challenges and opportunities for trainees. After each presentation open discussion will be done to elicit ideas to address concerns and challenges, as well as evaluate similarities between the cases

2) Human-Centered Design Thinking (HCDT) session: Following the HCDT methodology, we will explore the following topic: “Trainee Pre-conference: Exploring the Landscape of Primary Care Training—Challenges, Opportunities, and Action.” With this session, we hope to engage the NAPCRG trainees to think innovatively about these challenges and opportunities, through collaborative round table discussion.

Method of Evaluation: To evaluate this workshop, we will administer an electronic survey to gather feedback from attendees on strengths and areas for improvement.

Prerequisite Knowledge Needed: None

Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to:

1. This forum supports trainee growth and offers insights to guide NAPCRG efforts, including contributions to the National Strategic Plan.
2. Describe key challenges, needs, innovations, and opportunities to improve primary care for trainees.

Fee: $0

PR05: Enhancing Primary Care Research through Effective Mentorship: A Workshop on Optimizing Mentor-Mentee Relationships
Kristin Boman, MPH; Melanie Steiner, PhD

Wednesday, November 20th | 1:00 pm-5:00 pm

Growing the primary care research workforce by expanding pathways and strengthening mentoring is one of the top three priorities in the National Research Strategy for Family Medicine. Effective mentoring is essential for the development of early-career researchers and for advancing the field of primary care research. The Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER), founded in 2015 at the University of Wisconsin, has become a trusted leader in supporting mentor-mentee relationships. One of CIMER’s trainings, Entering Mentoring, offers an evidence-based, interactive curriculum aimed at helping mentors optimize their mentoring relationships. Completion of this curriculum is increasingly required by institutions with federally funded training programs.

The co-facilitators have been certified by CIMER to deliver the Entering Mentoring curriculum and will guide the participants through a half-day session covering four themes from the curriculum. The themes in this workshop will include: 1) introduction to mentoring, 2) maintaining effective communication, 3) aligning expectations, and 4) assessing understanding. These topics are critical for enhancing the quality of mentoring relationships and ensuring that mentees have the tools and support they need to succeed in their research careers. The content will be delivered in an interactive, hands-on format that encourages discussion and skill-building.

Ideal attendees for this workshop are those with interest in mentoring trainees and faculty members in research settings. Participants will have opportunities to reflect on their own mentoring experiences, share insights with peers, and learn from the diverse experiences of others.

Participants will be asked to complete a pre-post survey on the learning objectives. Additionally, participants will be encouraged to provide feedback on the workshop’s effectiveness in meeting their needs and improving their mentoring capabilities.

Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to:

1. Mentors will obtain an intellectual framework, an opportunity to experiment with various methods, and a forum in which to solve mentoring dilemmas with the help of their peers. 
2. Mentors will have articulated their personal style and have a toolbox of strategies they can use when faced with difficult mentoring situations.

Fee: $105

If you have any questions about pre-conference workshops, please email our team at napcrgoffice@napcrg.org.