Dr. Culpepper's research activities have been in the areas of patient safety, mental health, common illnesses
in primary care, and the development of primary care. He is the principal investigator of the AHRQ funded Boston
University Patient Safety Developmental Center. The Boston HealthNet network of 15 CHCs, the Boston Medical Center
Health Plan (managed Medicaid), and Morehouse University and its network of >150 southeastern CHCs are working with
this Developmental Center. This Center is developing 5 research initiatives investigating the occurrence and
prevention of errors that occur in ambulatory care, particularly at the interfaces between primary and specialty care.
Examples include errors that occur in follow-up of abnormal screening results (e.g., mammograms, pap smears, colorectal
screening) and errors that occur following hospital discharge. Dr. Culpepper is also the co-principal investigator of a
project investigating the natural history of anxiety disorders in primary care patients. This project is in its third
year of collecting follow-up information on over 550 primary care patients originally diagnosed (DSM-IV criteria)
with at least one anxiety disorder. He also is analyzing data from a four country AHRQ funded study of otitis media.
Dr Culpepper also is the principal investigator for a World Health Organization-World Organization of Family Doctors
(WONCA) global survey of the status for family and general practice. This WHO survey is being completed by all
ministries of health and family practice national organization globally, and will provide an extensive data set on
the development of primary care internationally. These projects all provide major opportunities for early career
faculty to become involved in funded primary care research projects.
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