Cultivating the roots of the BRANCH initiative
As director of BRANCH, Ashley Duggan, PhD, has been seeding this initiative for most of her professional life. Ashley brings two decades of research, leadership, and teaching focused on relationship science applications in healthcare.
Defining the essential aspects of BRANCH
B – Building capacity: Creating the conditions such that people and organizations are equipped to solve problems and laying the groundwork for relationship science to be integrated into primary care in meaningful and scalable ways.
R - Relationship science: Understanding how people build and maintain relationships and ways to improve the quality of relationships.
A – Advanced communication: Supporting research, education, and advocacy that advances effective and compassionate communication between patients and clinicians.
N – Networks: Leveraging the power of networks—of people, professions, institutions, and ecosystems—and applying network-related science and discipline to collaborate, learn, and implement broad-scale, positive change in healthcare delivery.
C – Communication: Fostering meaningful, interpersonal conversations around health and illness among patients, clinicians, and families.
H – Health: Considering the context of health, which includes healthcare, health and illness, public health, and health advocacy.
Our background of interconnected root systems
Building Research Capacity fellowship
Ashley completed the Building Research Capacity (BRC) fellowship with NAPCRG (North American Primary Care Research Group) and ADFM (Association of Departments of Family Medicine) in 2021-2022. The fellowship project focused on building capacity for connecting relationship science and human communication research with primary care by facilitating and nurturing international, interdisciplinary collaboration. ​​​​​​
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Fulbright Ireland-USA
As a Senior Fulbright Fellow in Medical Sciences / Medical Education in 2023, Ashley served as a Fulbright US Scholar in Ireland with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) University of Medicine and Health Sciences. She collaborated with Pádraic Dunne, PhD, and the RCSI Centre for Positive Health Sciences to connect relationship science and human communication research with lifestyle medicine and positive psychology. The Centre for Positive Health Sciences inspires and empowers people internationally to take better control of their physical and mental health through public education, postgraduate development of health professionals, and ongoing collaboration with business and health sectors.
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Relationship-centered, patient-centered healthcare research
Innovation in clinician-patient communication in primary care is the focus of a 10-year, ongoing research collaboration between Ashley and Allen Shaughnessy, PharmD, (affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine and Cambridge Health Alliance). Their research projects have focused on applying reflective practice—a process of examining one's experiences and actions to learn and improve—to relationship-centered, patient-centered healthcare.
An Ignite grant for innovation from Boston College enabled Ashley and Allen to conduct a listening and learning tour to discover how other people have formed new organizations, initiatives, or centers. They gathered learnings from international consultants, interdisciplinary researchers, thought leaders, and large grant recipients aligned with BRANCH’s vision.
The Department of Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine matched the Ignite grant, which enabled Ashley and Allen to develop an initial organizational and research structure to test theoretical models of ways people and systems can work together to develop solutions. Allen’s leadership in evidence-based medicine and medical education brings innovation to how BRANCH will carry out its vision.​
The Branding of BRANCH
Building Research Capacity fellowship
The Tufts University School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine had engaged Bernard Ewigman in 2019 to assist with developing a research program as a consultant through the BRC program. Soon after, Ashley, Allen, and Wayne recognized the potential for large-scale collaboration, and sought his involvement with their vision. Bernard served as initial co-director of the initiative alongside Ashley in what they formally branded in 2023 as the BRANCH initiative. In July 2025, the team separated. Ashley moves the BRANCH initiative forward from her leadership of the international, interdisciplinary consortium, current mission and commitments (see mission tab), and ability to articulate and implement relationship science for the greater good. Ashley continues to work closely with her long-time friend and co-investigator Allen Shaughnessy (see people tab).​​
Bernard Ewigman, MD, MSPH (Co-director, 2023-2025)
Bernard’s role as initial BRANCH co-director drew upon his 40+ years of experience as a practicing family medicine physician; medical practice leader; educator, trainer, and mentor; researcher; and innovative leader. Bernard focused on organizational development, strategic planning, project management, financial management, external funding, mentoring, and collaborating with communication and relationship scientists to integrate their expertise into research, education, training, advocacy, and policy in primary care.
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Wayne Altman, MD (BRANCH sponsoring chair and lead for policy and advocacy, 2023-2025)
Wayne actively facilitated the BRANCH initiative branding and scaling through leadership, administrative support, and financial support through the Department of Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. In addition, he has made critical connections with the foundations funding BRANCH development and projects. In addition to serving as lead for policy and advocacy for BRANCH, Wayne was an initial champion for the initiative’s implementation. Wayne also facilitated initial “seed projects.”
