Diplomate - American Board of Family Medicine

Dr. Michael Flanagan’s research and scholarly interests include the nutritional aspects of health, medical education and teaching and learning theory. He has participated in collaborative research on the metabolic effects of beet root juice supplementation, the effects of almond butter supplementation on glucose control in patients with diabetes and the effects of Vitamin D on injury and illness rates among athletes. In addition, Dr. Flanagan has conducted scholarly work on health professional education at regional medical campuses and serves on the editorial review board of the Journal of Regional Medical Campuses. He and his colleagues have received funding to develop and study culinary medicine instruction and food as medicine initiatives among medical students. Previous areas of scholarship have included pertussis infection and treatment, dermoscopy in primary care and the development of regional medical campuses to promote medical education. His book, “The Regional Medical Campus: A Resource for Faculty, Staff and Students” was published in 2018. More recently, Dr. Flanagan has become interested in facilitating medical education through incorporating the use of arts and humanities. He is currently participating in the Art Museum-based Health Professions Education Fellowship with faculty from Harvard School of Medicine.

The incorporation of culinary medicine, the nutritional aspects of health and the use of arts and humanities to facilitate health professional instruction are emerging areas of interest in medical education that Dr. Michael Flanagan has facilitated at the Penn State College of Medicine. Moreover, the incorporation of the arts to train medical students has been recognized by the Association of American Medical Colleges as a valuable resource to improve both observational and communication skills. Dr. Flanagan developed and teaches the course, “Impressionism and the Art of Medical Communication”, which embraces active painting and art-making to teach advanced communication skills to upper level medical students. He regularly teaches medical and physician assistant students in his clinic and has been recognized with the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, as well as receiving the student-nominated 2019 Excellence in Teaching Award. Dr. Flanagan has presented both nationally and internationally on teaching and learning for healthcare students. He frequently serves as a faculty collaborator for Medical Student Research Projects, a requirement for graduation at the College of Medicine. He also provides educational presentations to Family Medicine residents annually. As Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, he serves as the academic advisor for medical students at the University Park Campus, mentoring them through the residency application process. Dr. Flanagan was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2020 at the Penn State College of Medicine.

Dr. Michael Flanagan has been practicing the full scope of Family Medicine for the past 30 years. He serves as the Vice-Chair for Family and Community Medicine at the Penn State College of Medicine University Park Campus, where he also functions as the medical director of the largest primary care office there. He is interested in clinical leadership and effective administration, and is an alumni of the Penn State Health Leadership Academy for Excellence in Academic Medicine. Dr. Flanagan has been recognized multiple times with the annual Best State College Doctor Award by State College Magazine and consistently scores above the 90th percentile in patient satisfaction. His clinical interests include nutrition and health, men’s health, dermoscopy in primary care, pertussis infections and patient-centered care. He also serves as the faculty advisor for a student-run free clinic, Lion Care, which provides clinical care to uninsured patients in the community.

Dr. Michael Flanagan also holds a joint appointment in the Department of Humanities, Penn State College of Medicine.