Research | UC Davis Department of Family and Community Medicine

Implementation of an electronic point‑of‑care reminder for clinicians to discuss prostate cancer screening with prostate specific antigen (PSA) led to a substantial increase in PSA test ordering among men aged 55–69, according to findings reported in a new study. Smaller but still significant increases also occurred in non‑targeted age groups, suggesting that such reminders may have spillover effects beyond their intended population. The study was co-authored by Joshua Fenton, a professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, and published in Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

A new paper in BMC Proceedings highlights consensus recommendations from the 2024 Revitalizing Primary Care Summit to strengthen the U.S. primary care system. Department of Family and Community Medicine faculty led efforts to create seven priority actions to improve equity, workforce development, payment models, and research investment. The paper's publication follows a February 2026 webinar featuring primary care experts, including department Chair Anthony Jerant, discussing how they’re working to improve primary care.

What does it mean to design a study with patients, not just for them, and why does that shift matter for kidney care outcomes? Na’amah Razon answered these questions and more in the Hot Topics in Kidney Health podcast with the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). Razon is a physician and assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. 

Joshua Fenton, a professor and vice chair of research in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, was recognized for his dedication to mentoring aspiring researchers. He received the 2024 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring from the UC Davis School of Medicine. 

Academic Medicine published a review of U.S. studies that found persistent stigmatizing attitudes among health care professionals toward patients with substance use disorders. Elizabeth Magnan and Joy Melnikow, coauthors of the review and Department of Family and Community Medicine faculty, concluded their review with a call for more research to understand and address this type of stigma in healthcare. 

The UC Davis Department of Family and Community Medicine hosted the Revitalizing Primary Care (Rev PC) Summit in October 2024 to discuss the crisis in primary care in the U.S. In June 2025, a 30-member expert panel that was first convened at the summit released its recommendations. The expert panel include family and community medicine faculty Anthony Jerant and Joshua Fenton. The 50-page report made seven recommendations to improve the state of primary care.

A qualitative study found that people experiencing homelessness often delay seeking care due to past dehumanizing healthcare encounters, while street medicine teams help restore trust through respectful, patient‑centered engagement. Department of Family and Community Medicine faculty Alicia Agnoli and Na'amah Razon were coauthors on this BMJ Public Health study with family medicine resident Ren Bruguera.

New guidance recommends all women get screened for breast cancer every other year starting at age 40. The recommendation issued by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) comes alongside a new systematic evidence review and modeling study published in JAMA that helped inform the updated recommendations. Joy Melnikow, a professor emeritus in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, contributed to the USPSTF evidence review and co-authored the systemic evidence review in JAMA.

Department of Family and Community Medicine faculty members Joshua Fenton, Elizabeth Magnan, and Alicia Agnoli co-authored a paper that investigates how overdose events affect whether patients on long-term opioid therapy stay enrolled in their health plans. The study highlights concerns regarding the social consequences of overdose events, including potential loss of health insurance, which could limit patient access to care.

Na’amah Razon, an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, co-authored an article that discusses the benefits of using anthropological methods in primary care research. It emphasizes that primary care plays a crucial role in health management and connects communities with the healthcare system.

In a systematic review, Department of Family and Community Medicine faculty members Elizabeth Magnan and Joy Melnikow explored how common and severe stigmatizing attitudes are among healthcare professionals and trainees toward patients with substance use disorders. They examined research on interventions aimed at reducing this stigma. The review concludes that while stigma against patients with substance use disorders persists among healthcare professionals, some interventions have shown promise in reducing it.

Adeola Oni-Orisan, an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, authored an article on the impact of maternal death narratives on perceptions and experiences of pregnancy and childbirth in Africa. Through fieldwork in southwest Nigeria, the study explores how pregnant and birthing women navigate diverse sources of care.