Each resident is assigned a primary care practice where she or he serves as the PCP to a panel of patients. BWH is unique in having an exceptionally broad range of practice locations at which residents may have their continuity clinics. Despite this diversity, all practices are guided by the same overarching learning objectives which are to provide residents with a rich experience in ambulatory medicine, exposure to acute and urgent care, and an opportunity to manage chronic conditions over time. Our ambulatory sites include:
Brigham Primary Care Sites
- Our flagship teaching practice located within Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Residents are matched to a primary longitudinal preceptor, while also receiving small-group teaching from all 3-5 faculty who precept during their clinic session.
- Each resident is assigned to a team with its own RN, LPN, PA and social worker.
- Shared resources include an embedded clinical pharmacist/diabetes educator, diabetologist, geriatricians, consulting psychiatrist, pain management pharmacist, behavioral health resource specialist and community resource specialists, and population health managers
- A majority of residents’ patients are insured through Medicare or MassHealth. Patients are exceptionally diverse in terms of nationality, languages spoken, medical complexity and socioeconomic status.
- Comprehensive primary care using a patient centered, culturally competent, multidisciplinary approach. Health care teams are comprised of physician and nurse practitioner primary care providers that work together with a clinical pharmacist, clinical nurses, an RN care manager, clinical social workers, a nutritionist, and practice assistants to meet the needs of patients and families.
- We serve a diverse population that includes BWH employees as well as a multi-ethnic/cultural population from our surrounding communities and beyond.
- An innovative adult primary care practice located one mile from BWH in Jamaica Plain.
- Residents join an integrated team-based model of care, with each team comprised of physicians, a physician’s assistant, an RN, a clinical social worker, and two medical assistants. All teams share multidisciplinary staff consisting of a clinical pharmacist, a nutritionist, an RN care manager, a population health manager, a community health worker, a community resource specialist, and administrative assistants.
- Residents take care of a diverse population of patients, comprising a broad spectrum of age, socioeconomic status and healthcare needs.
- South Huntington has been a major “learning laboratory” in which to pilot innovations in primary care including robust behavioral health integration, integrated frailty care, interventions to decrease acute care utilization and improve population health, and more.
- A hospital-based adult primary care practice dedicated to high-quality, equitable health care delivery and medical education. The physicians in the group attend on their patients when admitted to BWH (the only practice at BWH that keeps this practice), providing continuity across the spectrum of care. Although not responsible for inpatient care, residents are encouraged to see their patients if admitted.
- Many of the physicians at the practice are involved in teaching and residency leadership and are committed to making clinic an excellent experience for residents and students.
- Provides comprehensive, multi-disciplinary primary care to residents of Jamaica Plain and surrounding communities. BCHC was one of the original Model Cities’ Administration Health Centers that was started by a committee of residents to establish access to high quality health care, avoid unnecessary emergency room care, and address a wide range of issues that are now termed “social determinants of health.”
- The health center provides adult, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, family planning, midwifery, dental, nutrition, cardiology, pulmonology, substance abuse services, including office-based treatment of addiction, and a wide range of mental and behavioral health services.
- Brookside’s patient population is socio-economically and culturally diverse, but the majority are disadvantaged by a combination of economic, racial, cultural and linguistic factors. Spanish fluency is required.
- A foundation for the Jamaica Plain community since 1973, SJPHC provides community-based comprehensive primary care to a diverse patient population. The health center provides the following services: adult medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, family planning, nutrition, podiatry, cardiology, nephrology, mental health, substance abuse services, and social services.
- The health center also has a Health Promotion Center that offers a variety of services and group classes including Zumba, yoga, Spanish-language cooking classes and other support groups.
- Patients represent a diversity of age, economic background, and race and ethnicity. Fifty percent of the patients are Hispanic; 11% are African-American and 39% are White. Spanish fluency is required.
- Neighborhood practice staffed by three internists who are experienced, enthusiastic teachers. They see a wide range of patients of different cultures and ethnicities from a predominantly blue-collar population.
- Patient population tends to be middle class and more complex than a typical suburban practice. The physicians are all eager and experienced teachers. You will not find a site that is more collegial, non-chaotic but also academic and innovative. Our staff supports our residents and loves having you here.
- Car access is necessary, and we are about a 40-minute door to door trip from the Brigham and a 30-minute trip from the Faulkner.
- A multidisciplinary group practice focused on women's health. The preceptors at the Fish Center are experienced academic general internists with special expertise in all aspects of women's health. Resident panels are largely comprised of women, with a smaller proportion of male patients.
- The primary care practice at the Fish Center is co-located with multiple sub-specialty providers including OBGYN, rheumatology, dermatology, orthopedics, cardiology and GI, as well as the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, facilitating close collaboration with and access to colleagues in other disciplines. The Fish Center also has an embedded model that includes social work and mental health, allowing for and facilitating robust coordination of care.
- Serves an economically and ethnically diverse panel of patients, including a large number of professional and highly educated patients. Our patients range in age from 18 through 98. Residents work as part of a collaborative team to enhance the care of complex patients through programs including a multidisciplinary behavioral health team and population health management.
- The practice is located about 20 minutes from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, so a car is necessary.
- Located on Beacon Street, a 10-minute walk from the Brigham. The population we serve is predominantly commercially insured, between the ages of 18-90. The patients have a wide variety of primary care problems. All of the physicians are actively involved in the teaching of medical students and residents.
Additional Community Health Centers
- A multiservice community health center serving a racially diverse, underserved population. A second language is not required, making this a great place to practice medicine for those without foreign language skills but interested in both working with underserved patients and immersing themselves in a vibrant, international, urban community. Patient volume is quite good, and cases represent both bread and butter outpatient medicine as well as a multitude of other problems.
- Codman Square is a 20-minute drive from the Brigham. Parking is available.
- A federally qualified health center whose mission is to serve the surrounding community and provide care to an ethnically and linguistically diverse population of patients, many of whom are from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Patient populations served by Upham’s include Latinx, Cape Verdean, Haitian and Vietnamese patients, among others. The clinic provides comprehensive care, including behavioral health, nutrition, and community advocacy services.
- The preceptors at Upham’s Corner have a strong interest in evidence-based medicine and community-based primary care, and several are trained in family medicine. Fluency in Spanish, Portuguese, French or Vietnamese is helpful but not essential. The health center is a twenty-minute drive from the Brigham and on-street parking is available. Residents often carpool or use ride-sharing services.
VA and Other Sites
West Roxbury VA Hospital
- Located a Veteran's Hospital approximately 20 minutes from the Brigham. The patient population is predominantly middle-aged and older men. This is a busy clinic with a great opportunity to become the primary care physician for a sizable panel of complex patients.
- Both clinics at the VA have a very robust system of resident support with pharmacy, behavioral health and nutritionist embedded in the clinic. Also, both clinics adhere to principles of Patient Centered Medical Home, promoting a team-based approach to care.
Jamaica Plain VA Hospital
- Located at a Veteran’s Hospital approximately 10 minutes from the Brigham. The patient population consists of young Iraq veterans in addition to middle-aged and older male veterans. Patients have multiple medical problems including CAD, substance use disorders, cancer, diabetes, and lung disease.
- A busy clinic with a great opportunity to become the primary care physician for a sizable panel of complex patients.
- Patients are Harvard faculty, staff, retirees, students, and dependents. The care is team-based with ample support from health assistants, RNs, NPs care coordinators, and a referrals team. The patient population is highly engaged, with web-booking appointments, messaging through the patient portal, and active engagement with their care. A culture of continuous quality improvement is emphasized.
Brigham and Women’s Primary Care at Massachusetts Mental Health Center (MMHC)
- MMHC is a Harvard-affiliated outpatient mental health center serving severely persistently mentally ill outpatients; it is operated by the Department of Mental Health of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
- BWH at MMHC opened out of a desire to integrate primary medical care into the comprehensive mental health and social services already in place for these patients, on the premise that fully integrating medical care into the treatment plans of mentally ill patients could help diminish the incredible disparity in mortality and medical co-morbidities between these patients and the rest of the population. We also have a focus on increasing wellness services generally to this population.
