Margaret L Dobson

Margaret Dobson, MD, is an Associate Professor in the University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine and a family physician at Chelsea Health Center. Her work focuses on coaching in medicine, health system leadership, and innovation in primary care education. As Director of Primary Care Initiatives at the University of Michigan Medical School, she supports faculty career advising and advances the primary care workforce through educational innovation and strategic partnerships across Michigan and nationally. She also serves as Associate Chair for Educational Programs in the Department of Family Medicine where she supports the educational mission for her Department across the continuum of learners - from pre-med through faculty.

Dr. Dobson formerly served as Associate Chief of Staff for the University of Michigan Academic Medical Center, where she helped strengthen the faculty professionalism program, emphasizing approaches that humanize health care teams and the care they provide. She also served for 18 months as interim chair of the Department of Family Medicine and previously led the University of Michigan Family Medicine Residency Program as program director. Her work across undergraduate and graduate medical education has included coaching and mentorship, curriculum redesign, trauma-informed education, workforce development, and individualized support for learners.

Dr. Dobson has a long-standing interest in coaching physicians and learners, promoting well-being and professionalism, and developing compassionate, reflective, and systems-based approaches to workplace culture. She remains actively engaged in longitudinal clinical practice at Chelsea Health Center, provides home-based care, works at the Luke clinic a free clinic in Detroit and precepts residents caring for patients in Chelsea and Ypsilanti.

Dr. Margaret Dobson’s work focuses on coaching in medicine, medical education, and health system leadership, with particular interests in team-based care and clinician well-being. She studies practical approaches to faculty development, including group coaching, trauma-informed principles, and support for learners and faculty experiencing professional challenges. She is also interested in enhancing health system support for continuity of care and patient-centeredness. Her work explores the use of technology to redesign care while preserving human judgment, relationships, and compassion as artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into health care.