OBJECTIVE: The National Institutes of Health Rural Health Special Interest Group works to raise awareness of rural health issues and improve biomedical, behavioral/social science, intervention and implementation research aimed at improving disease prevention, self-management, and care delivery across the care continuum. Our goal is to advance our understanding of rural health disparities and stimulate research to identify multi-level, evidence-based solutions to improve rural health outcomes. The group connects clinical, community-based interventionists, and translational scientists from diverse disciplines across the NIH to research communities and decision makers, as well as to provide opportunities for professional development, networking, and community engagement.

ABOUT THE SEMINAR: The 2021 Rural Health Seminar will advance our understanding of the structural-level determinants of health that contribute to rural health disparities. The seminar will highlight research to build effective interventions that address the multiple, structural-level health inequities faced by rural communities. The 2021 seminar is organized around three tracks where speakers will discuss: 1) sociocultural and economic determinants in rural settings, 2) physical environmental determinants in rural settings, and 3) evaluation and policy. Attendees will come away from this virtual seminar with an understanding of the impact of structural determinates on rural populations and the need for multi-level interventions to reduce rural health disparities.

Rural Health Seminar Webpage: https://nimhd.nih.gov/news-events/conferences-events/rural-health.html

The seminar will be available by NIH VideoCast: https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=43942

Co-Sponsoring NIH Institutes and Centers:

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Planning Committee:

Priscah Mujuru DrPH, MPH, RN, NIMHD, Chair Xinzhi Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., NHLBI, Co-Chair Madhumita Sinha, M.D., NIDDK, Co-Chair Diane Adger-Johnson, MPH, NIAID Ligia Artiles, M.A., NIMHD, Michael Banyas, M.S., NIMHD Sujata Bardhan, Ph.D., NICHD Rick Berzon, DrPH, NIMHD Behrous Davani, Ph.D., NIGMS, Brandin DeChabert, B.A. NIDA, Troy Dildine, BA, NCCIH, Qi Duan, Ph.D., NIBIB Andrew Eron, M.A., NIMHD Melissa Green Parker, Ph.D., OD Tanetta Isler, M.S., NCATS, Patricia Jones, DrPH, MPH, NIA Lindsey Martin, Ph.D., NIEHS Shelly Pollard, MBA, NIMHD, Antonello Punturieri, M.D., Ph.D., NHLBI

AGENDA:

11-11:05am Opening Remarks

Priscah Mujuru, DrPH, RN (NIMHD), Xinzhi Zhang, M.D., Ph.D. (NHLBI), Madhumita Sinha, M.D. (NIDDK)

11:05-11:20am Welcome Remarks & Introduction of Keynote Speaker

Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, M.D. Director, NIMHD

11:20-11:30 Remarks on State of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources, and Services

Tom Morris, Associate Administrator, Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP)

Keynote Session

11:30am-12pm Keynote Address

Karen Winkfield, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Director Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Session 1: Sociocultural & Economic Determinants of Health in Rural Settings

12-12:05pm Remarks from Richard J. Hodes, M.D. Director NIA

12:05-1pm Panelists:

Alex Adams, M.D., Ph.D., Montana State University

William C. Knowler, M.D., DrPH, NIDDK Intramural Research Program

Leif Jensen, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University

Shannon M. Monnat, Ph.D., Syracuse University

Moderator: Amelia Karraker, Ph.D., Program Director, NIA BSR

1-1:20pm Lunch Break

Session 2: Physical Environmental Determinants of Health in Rural Settings

1:20-1:25 pm Remarks from Rick Woychik, Ph.D., Director, NIEHS

1:25-2:30pm Panelists:

Jani Ingram, Ph.D., Northern Arizona University

Tony Ward, Ph.D., University of Montana

Paloma Beamer, Ph.D., University of Arizona

Jonathan London, Ph.D., University of California, Davis

Moderator: Lindsey Ann Martin, Ph.D. (Program Officer, NIEHS PHB)

2:30-2:40pm Break

Early-Stage Investigators Research Presentations

2:40-3:40pm Brittany L. Smalls, Ph.D., University of Kentucky

Georgia Kayser, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego

Whitney Zahnd, Ph.D., University of Iowa

Chesleigh N. Keene, Ph.D., University of Northern Arizona

Andreas Thorsen, Ph.D., Montana State University

Moderator: Behrous Davani, Ph.D., (Program Director, NIGMS)

3:40-3:50pm Break

Session 3: Evaluation, Measurement & Policy Implications

3:50-4:50pm Speakers:

Anna María Nápoles, Ph.D., MPH, NIMHD Intramural Research Program

Melody Goodman, Ph.D., New York University School of Global Public Health

Brian Rivers, Ph.D., Morehouse School of Medicine

Moderator: Melissa C. Green Parker, Ph.D., (Scientific Advisor, OD, NIH)

4:50-5:25pm Closing Remarks: Structural Interventions to Address Rural Health Disparities

Arleen F. Brown, M.D., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

5:25-5:30pm Adjournment

Priscah Mujuru, DrPH, RN (NIMHD), Xinzhi Zhang, M.D., Ph.D. (NHLBI), Madhumita Sinha, M.D. (NIDDK)

Special Accommodations: Individuals with disabilities who need Sign Language Interpreters and/or reasonable accommodation to participate in this event should contact Edgar Dews at Edgar.Dews@nih.gov, 301-402-1366, and/or the Federal Relay (1-800-877-8339) at least five business days before the event.