ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the need for primary care research, while acknowledging its lack of institutional support. It is the department's responsibility to provide a supportive environment for individual and departmental scholarship. To meet the administrative responsibilities of the position, the research director must focus on leadership, resource development, administrative structure, faculty development, and relationships. Although it is possible for the chair to provide the necessary leadership for the research program, this is unlikely when the chair lacks research experience and is not fully committed to the generation of new knowledge. As director of a division within an academic department, the research director must be able to build teamwork, delegate responsibilities, allocate resources, and manage projects. The director should come to the position with research and statistical skills as well as a track record of publishing research.
