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NAPCRG turns 50!

NAPCRG, the North American Primary Care Research Group, celebrated its 50th Anniversary at its annual meeting held in Phoenix, Arizona November 18-22, 2022. NAPCRG was founded in 1973 by our Department’s first research director, Dr. Maurice Wood, who invited a small group of fellow primary care researchers from the US and Canada to gather in Newport News, Virginia in order to share their work and discuss potential future research projects. Those first attendees implored Dr. Wood to hold similar conferences every year going forward, and NAPCRG was born. Although originally a binational organization, NAPCRG now typically draws 1,000 primary care investigators from around the globe. Our Department served as the administrative home until 1995, and the NAPCRG annual award for lifetime achievement in primary care research is named after Dr. Wood.

Our team was proud to represent the PBRN’s work in Phoenix with 30 presentations, posters, and workshops at the conference - including distinguished papers by Dr. Michelle Rockwell of Virginia Tech Carilion and Dr. Jacqueline Britz of VCU.

Michelle Rockwell, Screening for Unhealthy Alcohol Use among Virginia Primary Care Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions

Jacqueline Britz, Bright Spot Communities: Understanding Community-Level Protective Factors to Improve Opioid Outcomes in Virginia