Julie M. Schirmer, MSW

Director, Behavioral Medicine
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Vermont College of Medicine
Department of Family Medicine
 Maine Medical Center
272 Congress
Portland, Maine 04101
(207) 662‑7355 Office
(207) 874‑1918 Fax
schirj@mmc.org

Biosketch

I received an MSW from Catholic University, Washington, DC, a BA in psychology from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and completed a two‑year post‑graduate training program in Systemic Family Therapy at York County Counseling, Saco, Maine. Prior to my 1990 appointment as Family Medicine faculty, I worked in health and mental health facilities and taught undergraduate courses at USM. I currently am responsible for behavioral medicine curriculum for residents; see patients for counseling; and am an active part of the department competency committee and resident development team. I consult in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to assist in the development of family medicine in the country.

Research Interests

I am interested in research on doctor patient communication, the influence of family in health care, and in health care interventions for patients with chronic diseases. I recently lead a collaborative study with eight family medicine educators from around the country to assess fifteen instruments measuring physician‑patient communication competency.   I currently have a five year research grant funded by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Robert Wood Johnson foundation looking at the effect of family participation in Chronic Disease Self‑Management Groups on patient management of diabetes. This randomized control study has recruited over 200 patients and family members into a six‑week psychoeducational treatment group. Patients are randomized into groups with or without family members looking at outcomes that include blood sugar levels, functioning, health and mental health symptoms and use of medical services. We are currently analyzing the cumulative results. Lastly, I am working on developing Shared Medical Appointments as part of our residency training program. We are looking for funding to combine outcomes of Shared Medical Appointments for patients with diabetes and with cardiac symptoms with 7‑9 other family medicine residency programs around the northeast United States.

Selected Publications

Schirmer, J. Montegut, A, Cartwright, C, Stovall, J, Dreher, G. Issues in Developing Behavioral Medicine Program in Vietnam. Families, Systems, and Health (publication pending).

Montegut, A, Cartwright, C, Schirmer, J, and Cummings, S. An International Consultation: Inauguration of the Specialty of Family Medicine in Vietnam. Journal of Family Medicine, 2004. 36(5):352‑6.

Schirmer, J and Yahr, J.  Collaborative Care in a Competitive Environment.  Collaborative Family Health Care Coalition Newsletter, March, 2003.      

Schirmer, J, Campbell, P, Cyr, PR.  It Never Hurts to Ask.  You May Save A Life: Screening, Assessment, and Management of Domestic Violence in the Primary Health Care Setting (training video). National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Portland, Maine. 2003.

Schirmer, J. The Seventh Chair: Illuminating Professional Identity Crises and Ethical Dilemmas in Medicine, Family Medicine, 2003. 35(1):20‑2.

Schirmer, J. & Ninh, LH. The Vietnam Family Medicine Development Project: A Cross‑Cultural Collaboration, Families, Systems and Health, 2002. 20(3):303‑10.

Schirmer, J. Multiple Methods for Teaching Depression in Family Practice in McCutchan, FC, Sanders, DE, Vogel, ME, “Resource Guide for Behavioral Science Educators in Family Medicine,” Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, Leewood, Kansas, 1999.