Research at the Institute of Family Medicine

We bring clinical research into everyday primary care — making it accessible, relevant, and transformative for patients and practitioners alike. 

The Institute of Family Medicine at the University of Fribourg is one of nine academic centers for family medicine (general practice/primary care)* in Switzerland.

We believe that strong primary care is the cornerstone of a resilient health system — and our mission is to generate the knowledge that makes it stronger.

Who we are

We are a multidisciplinary team of general practitioners (GPs), pharmacists, psychologists, and researchers. Together, we train and mentor the next generation of primary care professionals, supervising master’s students as well as MD and PhD theses.

What drives us

• Evidence that matters: We conduct — and help general practitioners conduct — pragmatic research rooted in everyday practice, from randomized clinical trials to implementation studies.
• Partnerships in action: We collaborate closely with general practitioners, ambulatory care providers, and academic partners across Switzerland and abroad.
• Impact beyond academia: Our work aims to improve patient care, inform policy, and support those who deliver primary care on the frontlines.
• Democratizing research: One of our core missions is to build a culture where clinical research belongs in everyday general practice. We are developing a dedicated training program for practicing GPs to facilitate their participation in interventional studies, making clinical research more accessible and sustainable in primary care.

We are proud members of the Swiss Academy of Family Medicine (SAFMED), the Swiss Society of General Internal Medicine (SGAIM/SSMIG), and the European General Practice Research Network (EGPRN) — and always open to new collaborations.

Our key research areas

• Advance care planning & reducing low-value care in primary care and beyond
• Pragmatic clinical trials in primary care, including the use of plant-based medicines for common conditions such as bronchitis (Phytobronch trial)
• Integrative and complementary medicine in cancer care and geriatrics
• Cancer care: screening, quality of life, and patient needs
• Health systems research in Swiss primary care
• Workforce research: understanding career choices and motivations of future general practitioners

*Primary care is the first point of contact in the health system. It provides continuous, comprehensive, and coordinated care that is accessible, people-centred, and rooted in long-term relationships between patients and their family doctors. It links prevention, acute care, and chronic care, ensuring that health services are both effective and equitable.

At our Institute, we use primary care in the broad sense (the system’s first point of contact), while our core expertise lies in family medicine/general practice — the medical specialty and professional role of physicians delivering comprehensive, person-centred care.