Rebecca Etz, PhD

Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Population Health, Virginia Commonwealth University

Rebecca S. Etz, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Population Health at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Co-Director of the Larry A. Green Center – Advancing Primary Health Care for the Public Good. Dr. Etz has deep expertise in qualitative research methods and design, primary care measures, practice transformation, and engaging stakeholders. Her career has been dedicated to learning the heart and soul of primary care through three main lines of inquiry: 1) bridging the gap between the business of medicine and the lived experience of the human condition, 2) making visible the principles and mechanisms upon which the unique strength of primary care is based, and 3) exposing the unintended, often damaging consequences of policy and transformation efforts applied to primary care but not informed by primary care concepts. As a member of the VCU Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, and previous co-director of the ACORN PBRN, Dr. Etz has been the Principal Investigator of several federal and foundation grants, contracts and pilots, all directed towards making the pursuit of health a humane experience. Recent research activities have included studies in primary care measures, behavioral health, simulation modeling, care team models, and adaptive use of health technologies. Dr. Etz currently leads the fielding of a weekly survey regarding the response to and impact of COVID-19 on U.S. primary care practices. Dr. Etz currently serves on the National Academies of Medicine consensus study, “Implementing High Quality Primary Care.”