Collaborate Around Shared Research Interests
Research Affinity Groups bring together clinicians, faculty, trainees, and interdisciplinary professionals in Family Medicine from institutions across the State of Arizona who share interests in improving healthcare through research and quality improvement.
These groups provide a collaborative space to:
- Brainstorm new research ideas
- Develop quality improvement initiatives
- Form interdisciplinary research teams
- Connect students with faculty mentors
- Identify community health priorities
Who Can Join
Research Affinity Groups are open to all family medicine faculty, residents, medical students, fellows, interdisciplinary team members, and patient/community partners across the State of Arizona.
You do not need prior research experience to participate. The goal is to bring together people with shared interests who want to improve healthcare for their communities.
Current Research Affinity Groups
- Primary Care Education and Workforce Development
Exploring ways to strengthen the primary care workforce through innovative training models and educational research. - Community and Population Health
Studying community-level health needs and developing interventions that improve population health outcomes. - Primary Care Innovation
Testing new care models and delivery approaches that improve access, quality, and patient-centered care. - Behavioral Health and Substance Use
Developing strategies to integrate behavioral health and address substance use disorders within primary care. - Technology and Innovation
Evaluating new technologies and digital tools that support clinicians and improve patient care. - Practice Improvement
Implementing quality improvement strategies that enhance clinic workflows, outcomes, and patient experience.
How Affinity Groups Work
Affinity Groups meet quarterly on Thursdays from 12:30-1:30pm.
During these meetings, participants:
- Share emerging ideas
- Form interdisciplinary research teams
- Identify opportunities for community-oriented research
- Develop pilot projects
- Prepare ideas for future grants or studies
From Ideas to Impact
Affinity Groups often lead to:
- New quality improvement projects
- Community-oriented research studies
- Student-led research teams
- Pilot projects that support grant applications
- Conference presentations and publications
The goal is to make it easier for clinicians to turn ideas into impactful research that improves patient care.
Join an Affinity Group
To receive invitations and updates about upcoming meetings: Join our mailing list.
Community Oriented Research Methods - Learn How to achieve the Quintuple Aim
Thursdays 12:30-1:30 (Virtual Lectures/Affinity Groups) Thursdays 1:30-2:30 (Work in Progress), Fridays 2-3 (Work in Progress)
| Lecture Number Affinity Group | Lecture/ Affinity Group Date | Topic | Discussion Lead | Deliverables for Community Oriented Research Curriculum | Work in Progress Fridays 2-3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2/19/2026 | Introduction to Community Oriented Research | Dr. Spielberg | 2/20/2026 | |
| Affinity Group 1 | 2/26/2026 | Primary Care Education and Workforce Development | Dr. Carsonis | 2/27/2026 | |
| 2 | 3/5/2026 | Introduction to Research Methods and Terminology | Dr. Hillier | 3/6/2026 | |
| Affinity Group 2 | 3/12/2026 | Community and Population Health | Dr. Bhalla | 3/13/2026 | |
| 3 | 3/19/2026 | Defining and characterizing the community/ Community Asset mapping | Dr. Spielberg | Community Characterization and Community Asset Map | 3/20/2026 |
| Affinity Group 3 | 3/26/2026 | Primary Care Innovation | Dr. Stephenson | 3/27/2026 | |
| 4 | 4/2/2026 | Literature Reviews - Assessing the quality of the literature for effective interventions and writing a | Dr. Hillier / Spielberg | Scoping Literature Review | 4/3/2026 |
| Affinity Group 4 | 4/9/2026 | Behavioral Health and Substance Use | Dr. Touch Mercer | 4/10/2026 | |
| 5 | 4/16/2026 | Intro to Qualitative Research - Informal Patient and Stakeholder Interviews (H-Corp) | Dr. Hillier/Dr. Spielberg | Qualitative data summary | 4/17/2026 |
| Affinity Group 5 | 4/23/2026 | Technology and Innovation | Dr. Arrend | 4/24/2026 | |
| 6 | 4/30/2026 | Detailed Assessments - Surveys of patients and | Dr. Hillier | Survey design paper | 5/1/2026 |
| Affinity Group 6 | 5/7/2026 | Practice Improvement | Dr. Espinosa | 5/8/2026 | |
| 7 | 5/14/2026 | Intro to RedCap Programming for COR1 - Survey design | Nikki/Jeanette Priefert | Survey design RedCap | 5/15/2026 |
| Affinity Group 1 | 5/21/2026 | Primary Care Education and Workforce Development | Dr. Carsonis | 5/22/2026 | |
| 8 | 5/28/2026 | Intro to RedCap Programming for COR2 - Survey reports | Nikki/Jeanette Priefert | Survey reports RedCap | 5/29/2026 |
| Affinity Group 2 | 6/4/2026 | Community and Population Health | Dr. Bhalla | 6/5/2026 | |
| 9 | 6/11/2026 | Workflow analysis and redesign | Dr. Spielberg | workflow analysis | 6/12/2026 |
| 6/18/2026 | Holiday | 6/19/2026 | |||
| 10 | 6/25/2026 | Intervention prioritization process | Dr. Spielberg | Intervention prioritization table | 6/26/2026 |
| 7/2/2026 | Holiday | 7/3/2026 | |||
| 11 | 7/9/2026 | Specific Aims | Dr. Garcia-Fillion | Specific Aims | 7/10/2026 |
| Affinity Group 3 | 7/16/2026 | Primary Care Innovation | Dr. Stephenson | 7/17/2026 | |
| 12 | 7/23/2026 | Designing a Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) QI/research | Dr. Spielberg | PDSA proposal | 7/24/2026 |
| Affinity Group 4 | 7/30/2026 | Behavioral Health and Substance Use | Dr. Touch Mercer | 7/31/2026 | |
| 13 | 8/6/2026 | AI and Digital Tools in Community Oriented Research | Dr. Spielberg | Design of AI/digital tool | 8/7/2026 |
| Affinity Group 5 | 8/13/2026 | Technology and Innovation | Dr. Arrend | 8/14/2026 | |
| 14 | 8/20/2026 | Introduction to Quantitative Analysis | Dr. Garcia-Fillion | Survey Analysis | 8/21/2026 |
| Affinity Group 6 | 8/27/2026 | Practice Improvement | Dr. Espinosa | 8/28/2026 | |
| 15 | 9/3/2026 | Return on investment analysis and Health Economics | Dr. Spielberg/Dr. Hillier | ROI analysis | 9/4/2026 |
| Affinity Group 1 | 9/10/2026 | Primary Care Education and Workforce Development | Dr. Carsonis | 9/11/2026 | |
| 16 | 9/17/2026 | Sample size, power calculations | Dr. Garcia-Fillion | Sample size, power calculations | 9/18/2026 |
| Affinity Group 2 | 9/24/2026 | Community and Population Health | Dr. Bhalla | 9/25/2026 | |
| 17 | 10/1/2026 | Analysis Plan | Dr. Garcia-Fillion | Protocol/Manual of Operations | 10/2/2026 |
| Affinity Group 3 | 10/8/2026 | Primary Care Innovation | Dr. Stephenson | 10/9/2026 | |
| 18 | 10/15/2026 | Submitting an IRB application (Exempt, Expedited, Full | Dr. Hillier | IRB application | 10/16/2026 |
| Affinity Group 4 | 10/22/2026 | Behavioral Health and Substance Use | Dr. Touch Mercer | 10/23/2026 | |
| 19 | 10/29/2026 | Introduction to manuscript writing for scientific publications, the publication process | Dr. Hillier | Select targeted journal | 10/30/2026 |
| Affinity Group 5 | 11/5/2026 | Technology and Innovation | Dr. Arrend | 11/6/2026 | |
| 20 | 11/12/2026 | Preparing effective figures, tables and photographs | Dr. Spielberg | Tables, figures and photographs | 11/13/2026 |
| Affinity Group 6 | 11/19/2026 | Practice Improvement | Dr. Espinosa | 11/20/2026 | |
| 11/26/2026 | Holiday | 11/27/2026 | |||
| Affinity Group 1 | 12/3/2026 | Primary Care Education and Workforce Development | Dr. Carsonis | 12/4/2026 | |
| 21 | 12/10/2026 | Writing the title, authors, background, methods, results, and abstract sections | Dr. Hillier, Dr. Spielberg | title, authors, background, methods, results, and abstract sections | 12/11/2026 |
| Affinity Group 2 | 12/17/2026 | Community and Population Health | Dr. Bhalla | 12/18/2026 | |
| 12/24/2026 | Holiday | Holiday | Holiday | 12/25/2026 | |
| 12/31/2026 | Holiday | Holiday | Holiday | 1/1/2027 | |
| 22 | 1/7/2027 | Preparing presentations and posters | Dr. Hillier | Presentation and Poster, submit | 1/8/2027 |
| Affinity Group 3 | 1/14/2027 | Primary Care Innovation | Dr. Stephenson | 1/15/2027 | |
| 23 | 1/21/2027 | Writing the discussion, and strength and limitations section | Dr. Spielberg | Discussion section, stengths and limitations sections | 1/22/2027 |
| Affinity Group 4 | 1/28/2027 | Behavioral Health and Substance Use | Dr. Touch Mercer | 1/29/2027 | |
| Presentations | 2/4/2027 | Presentations | Dr. Hillier | Oral and Poster presentations | 2/5/2027 |
| Affinity Group 5 | 2/11/2027 | Technology and Innovation | Dr. Arrend | 2/12/2027 | |
| Presentations | 2/18/2027 | Presentations | Dr. Spielberg | Oral and Poster presentations | 2/19/2027 |
| Affinity Group 6 | 2/25/2027 | Practice Improvement | Dr. Espinosa | 2/26/2027 |