Doctoral Dissertation Research: Maintenance of Tradition Amid Organizational Pressures to Change

University Of California-San Diego, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

This dissertation project investigates how a distinct subgroup may create novel organizational practices by preserving traditional knowledge and practices in a contemporary setting. The setting is a unique organization: a medical clinic owned by the subgroup. To treat patients both from the subgroup and not from the subgroup in their clinic, the subgroup’s approach to treatment centers on the integration of distinct modalities including conventional, integrative, and traditional treatment. This project examines the impact of subgroup ownership of the clinic on the creation of new forms of treatment. It also examines how distinct treatment modalities, often considered incompatible because they involve different theories, practices, and evidence, are negotiated in a single institution. This project reveals how practitioners collaborate across epistemological and methodological divides in their attempt to establish more efficient and effective practices. In so doing, it contributes to the sociology of science and technology and medical sociology as it explores changing boundaries. The methods for this study involve participant observation, interviews, and document analysis. Participant observation allows answering questions concerning subgroup healing practices and combining modalities. Approximately 40 interviews are being held with subgroup personnel involved with the establishment and operation of the clinic. Documents analyzed include media reports, clinic promotional materials, and internal documentation of the clinic’s development. As integrative clinics proliferate, this research will help practitioners anticipate the problems that may arise in attempting to combine disparate modalities. Further, this project will provide insight into the challenges and opportunities in creating culturally tailored services for treatment.   This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.