Elise Blaseg, M.D., (right) a third-year resident at St. Mark’s Family Medicine Residency in Salt Lake City, poses with Robert Graham Center Health Policy Fellow Diana Rubio, M.D., (left) and former Graham Center scholar Colleen Fogarty, M.D., M.Sc., at the Graham Center. Blaseg was a visiting scholar at the Graham Center in October.
Nov. 14, 2024
Family Medicine Visiting Scholarship at the Graham Center: A Day in the Life
Elise Blaseg, M.D.
Editor’s Note: Elise Blaseg, M.D., is a third-year resident at St. Mark’s Family Medicine Residency in Salt Lake City. During October, she was a visiting scholar at the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care. This post offers a glimpse into the day in the life of a Graham Center scholar.
6 a.m. — Though I’m not normally a runner, I’ve decided to maximize my limited time at sea level to augment my fitness regimen. The scholar’s apartment is conveniently located close to Rock Creek Park. I finish my run (far more out of breath than I have any right to be) and enjoy the relative quiet before the city wakes in earnest.
7:30 a.m. — I sip some tea as I pen a quick note to my husband. He is back in Salt Lake, taking care of our two dogs. This is the longest we’ve been apart in our seven years of marriage, and I wish I could bring him along on my D.C. adventures. Instead, he gets a postcard from my recent trip to the National Mall wherein I attempt to capture the joy of silently admiring the works in the National Gallery of Art.
9 a.m. — I arrive on the 11th floor of the Graham Center’s Connecticut Avenue offices. In addition to boasting some of the most dedicated and incredible family medicine and primary care researchers, the Graham Center also features an admirable tea collection. I brew a cuppa herbal and settle in to revise my article based on feedback I received yesterday. In typical family medicine fashion, I’ve been working on a wide variety of topics while in D.C., ranging from artificial intelligence integration in EHRs to resource utilization based on the social deprivation index (an ingenious, validated metric the RGC created to assess area-level socio-economic variation in health care outcomes).
10 a.m. — Time for research meeting! I was so blown away by the openness and collaboration at my first meeting in early October. The RGC is like family medicine in miniature: motivated people from different backgrounds and experiences coming together with a shared passion for primary care practice and policy.
At the beginning of my research month, Jeongyoung Park, PhD., pistachio croissant aficionado and research director, described three overlapping spheres of influence: policies and funding, clinical processes and patient outcomes. As she sees it, the job of a RGC researcher is to highlight the evidence-based practices that optimize clinical processes and improve patient outcomes, so family physicians have the tools necessary to advocate for policy change. The work at RGC brings national attention to the primacy of family medicine in health care.
Noon — I spend lunch enjoying the views from the office and chatting with a Georgetown medical student applying to family medicine residencies during this Match cycle. I also inspect the small cut on my finger I got from cracking open a lobster last night with colleagues, wishing I could recall which antibiotic I would need to fend off Vibrio vulnificus.
Be a Graham Center Scholar or Fellow
The Robert Graham Center hosts a scholar each month in Washington, D.C., for its Larry A. Green Visiting Scholars program, which is supported by the American Board of Family Medicine’s Pisacano Leadership Foundation. Scholars work directly with Graham Center staff on original research, as well as ongoing Graham Center research, to publish nationally significant work. Most scholars are booked a year in advance.
The Graham Center also co-sponsors a yearlong Robert L. Phillips, Jr. Health Policy Fellowship in health policy and faculty development in collaboration with Georgetown University for graduates of primary care residencies. Fellows work with Graham Center staff on original research in a topic of their interest that addresses primary care health policy issues. Applications for the 2026-2027 fellowship will open on July 1, 2025.
2 p.m. — My biggest decision of the day so far: which chair to sit in for my meeting with Alison Huffstetler, M.D., FAAFP. Being the multi-faceted and welcoming individual she is, her office boasts a plethora of seating options. Deciding not to compromise on comfort, I settle into a cozy chair and Alison, the Graham Center’s medical director, joins me as we discuss next steps in my research.
It is incredibly fortunate that Alison has taken on the role of directing aspiring researchers because she takes the time to share insight and guidance at all levels of expertise. Some scholars arrive with a well-defined research question but others, like me, are exploring our nascent research interest. Not being afflicted with false modesty, I know I am not yet a gifted researcher and the only preparatory work I did prior to coming to D.C. was watching the musical “Hamilton.” Alison’s intentionality and thoughtful recommendations have transformed research from a daunting venture to a welcoming world of possibility.
3 p.m. — Before my rotation at RGC, I had no understanding of the collaborative research RGC does with data collected by the American Board of Family Medicine. This survey data is used to advocate for the value of family physicians across the country. My month here has reinforced the importance of filling out all those research surveys at the end of exams that I have previously been guilty of ignoring. Better late than never, I guess! Fending off the dread of my impending board exam, I register for an exam date in April before taking a few minutes to stretch and chat with colleagues.
5 p.m. — Done for the day! Having experienced serious decision fatigue following The Great Chair Conundrum, I am happy to follow certified foodie and brilliant Health Policy Fellow Diana Rubio, M.D. to her choice of eating establishment. With D.C.’s walkability and my new running habit, I’ve hit my step milestone every day. As expected, Diana — whose knowledge of the D.C. food scene is augmented by her time as a Georgetown resident — has nailed it and we enjoy some tapas with the RGC’s economist extraordinaire (and tango savant) Hoon Byun, Dr.P.H.
7 p.m. — We meet up with Colleen Fogarty, M.D., M.Sc., chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Rochester and past RGC scholar, at the Library of Congress happy hour. Despite practicing in New York, Colleen has her finger on the pulse of D.C. activities. We sip wine as we explore the many exhibits and discuss the finer points of whose EHR has the most opportunity for improvement.
9 p.m. — As I take my seat on the Metro, I reflect on the whirlwind of my month in D.C. I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn from these amazing leaders and feel inspired to make changes in my own clinic when I return. I can’t wait for tomorrow.
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