Primary Care Clinical Sciences at Birmingham is one of the largest centres for academic primary care in the UK and has a very substantial teaching role.

Primary care research focuses upon three main clinical areas:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Cancer and chronic disease
• Behavioural medicine and mental health research 

These are supported by cross-cutting methodology expertise in health services research, research on health related quality of life, trials methodology, and qualitative research. In addition, we have a strong cross-cutting theme on ethnicity and health. The Department has invested in and supports its research programme through the Primary Care Clinical Research and Trials Unit (PCCRTU) and large Primary Care Research Network (MidReC).

Primary Care is a major research strength within the College of Medical and Dental Sciences, as evidenced by the fact 65% of our 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) submission in this area was considered internationally excellent or world leading, including 35% of world leading quality. The RAE 2008 results place the University's primary care researchers as amongst the top in the UK.

Our research crosses all stages of the translational spectrum, from early stage studies through to implementation research and service delivery research. We do research on devices, pharmacological, psychological, and organisational interventions to improve health. 

The Studentships in Primary Health Care 2013 competition is now open

• Behavioural medicine in the field of tobacco control and addictions; Behavioural medicine in treatment of obesity 
  Contact: Dr Paul Aveyard
  
• Quality of life.
  Contact: Dr Melanie Calvert
  
• Behavioural medicine: effects of exercise in clinical populations and community groups.
  Contact: Dr Amanda Daley 
  
• Cardiovascular trials; anti-coagulation in primary care; near patient testing; asthma; decision-making.
  Contact: Professor David Fitzmaurice
  
• Health inequalities, including ethnicity; prescribing; evidence-based practice.
  Contact: Dr Paramjit Gill
  
• Complementary medicine; patient self-management; prescribing.
  Contact: Dr Sheila Greenfield
  
• Thyroid disease; evaluation of undergraduate teaching programmes.
  Contact: Professor Jim Parle
  
• Impact of chronic diseases; evaluation of complementary or psychological therapies; irritable bowel syndrome.
  Contact: Dr Lesley Roberts
  
• The language of spoken and written medical communication; medical education.
  Contact: Professor John Skelton
  
• Community based mental health
  Contact: Dr Liz England
  
• Reproductive technology and responsibility, specifically the ethical and philosophical implications of genetic relatedness; ethics and transplantation; ethical decisions at the end of life.
  Contact: Dr Heather Draper
  
• Moral concern and vulnerable groups; ethical issues at the beginning and end of life.
  Contact: Dr June Jones 
  
• Cancer and Chronic Disease, Epidemiology, Screening
  Contact: Dr Sarah Damery
  
• Public policy and service delivery
  Contact: Dr George Dowswell
  
• Patient narratives or accounts of illness or particular treatment interventions; Cross-cultural studies of illness beliefs or management; Self-management, Complementary and alternative medicine: user perspectives, regulation, professional development and standards, practitioner education, use in particular conditions or patient groups; Implementation of service improvement programmes
  Contact: Nicola Gale
  
• Strategies to improve primary care mental health; Quality improvement in primary care; The quality and outcomes framework; Early intervention in mental health
  Contact: Professor Helen Lester
  
• The relationship between culture, faith and health; Chronic illness and self-management in minority ethnic communities; 'Novel methods' in applied health research; Patient and public involvement in research; New ways of delivering health services for children; Socoptechnical aspects of IT implementation and patient safety
  Contact: Dr Sabi Redwood
  
• Recovery from serious mental illness; Mental health inequalities; Global mental health; The role of self-care in serious mental illness
  Contact: Dr Lynda Tait

Following graduation, Postgraduate Researchers in the College MDS gain employment in a variety of areas though with a majority continuing in research, mostly in Academia but also in the Health,  Pharmaceutical, and Biotechnology sectors.  Others pursue careers in Education, Publishing, Intellectual Property Protection, Technology Innovation, Business, and more besides.