BRANCH initiative
“The BRANCH initiative strives to apply relationship science to healthcare in ways that support clinicians in today’s challenging environment and improve health outcomes and patient satisfaction.”
BRANCH initiative efforts consider positive age beliefs and thriving later in life, in alignment with the Law Stroud mission.
The BRANCH initiative is researching, developing, and deploying creative solutions that restore meaning and purpose for clinicians and support them in adapting to today’s challenging healthcare environment. These solutions will lead to better experiences for patients and improved outcomes.
BRANCH stands for Building Relationship Science for Advanced Networks in Communication and Health.
As the founding cornerstone sponsor, The Law Stroud Foundation is supporting the BRANCH initiative’s efforts to form an international consortium of researchers, physicians, educators, and advocates dedicated to improving the experience of clinicians and patients. The goal is to establish sustainable partnerships and long-term collaborations that increase compassion in healthcare.
“The U.S. healthcare system has undermined clinicians’ ability to build meaningful relationships with their patients. Social movements, transformative leadership, and innovative models of care are critical pathways to restoring the powerfully healing relational elements of primary care informed by relationship science.”
The Law Stroud Foundation’s three-year grant enables BRANCH to:
Follow a proven approach to building sustainable international partnerships that work productively for all involved members.
Recruit formal consortium members to inform development of a comprehensive strategic plan and mission, as well as vision and values statements.
Build a network of researchers and physicians whose knowledge and perspectives inform BRANCH’s efforts to build consensus on how to deliver healthcare with greater empathy.
Advance the vision of BRANCH through meetings with consortium members and others at conferences, focused think tank discussions, and other methods of sharing innovations.
Develop capacity to ascertain levels of awareness among clinicians and patients of issues in relationship science and healthcare, and assess beliefs about the nature of these issues, their causes, and potential solutions.
Aquire resources to produce illustrative stories and cases, qualitative assessments, descriptions of active programs or initiatives devoted to these issues, and recommendations for implementing positive change.
Create the BRANCH initiative website and write A Way Forward in Primary Care: Making Healing Work, a book to support clinicians in building trusted close relationships with patients.