A profile of family medicine scholarship 1978-1995: an analysis of national presentations.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Presentations at the annual meetings of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine were analyzed to determine trends in the content of the work and the types of work represented.


METHODS
All program presentations from 1979, 1986, and 1993-1995 were analyzed. Content classifications were based on historic analyses of family medicine literature. Classifications of types of scholarship came from a 1990 Carnegie Foundation report, Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate.


RESULTS
Results showed that a wide variety of scholarly activities were presented, but application of educational work was predominant. Many presentations crossed interdisciplinary boundaries, including behavioral science, faculty development, and health services.


CONCLUSIONS
Contributions of family medicine scholarship may be applicable to other medical fields. The variety of family medicine scholarship may warrant a redefinition of reward systems for faculty.