Rural Health faculty experts and resource list
Posted on: November 18, 2019; Updated on: November 18, 2019
By Tenell Felder, tenell@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-3697
Nov. 21 is National Rural Health Day. The University of South Carolina has a number of faculty members who are available to offer their expertise in rural health services and research. To coordinate an interview, contact the staff member listed with each expert entry.
Rural and minority health
Jan Probst, Rural and Minority Health Research Center director emerita, leads research on health disparities in rural communities. She studies illnesses and health issues that affect minorities in rural communities and can provide expert analysis on various rural health topics.
News Contact: Erin Bluvas at bluvase@sc.edu, 843-302-1681.
Cancer treatment in rural communities
Jan Eberth is the director of the Rural and Minority Health Research Center. She studies cancer screening accessibility to understand causes of cancer treatment disparities. Her research identifies health care issues experienced by rural and minority populations.
News Contact: Erin Bluvas at bluvase@sc.edu, 843-302-1681.
Peiyin Hung researches rural health disparity, quality of care and spatial access to health services. She is a lead author on a study on rural access to cancer treatment conducted by members of the Rural and Minority Health Research Center. The study focused on health care disparities for cancer patients in rural communities. Hung is an assistant professor in the Arnold School of Public Health Department of Health Services Policy and Management. She is also a member of the 2019 cohort of the National Rural Health Association’s Rural Health Fellows Program.
News Contact: Erin Bluvas at bluvase@sc.edu, 843-302-1681.
Training in rural nursing programs
Crystal Murillo and Kristen Starnes-Ott operate Experilearn to create resources for faculty to integrate educational experiences that reflect the specific demographics of patients in South Carolina. The Office of Rural Health collaborates with practice partners across South Carolina to train faculty in rural nursing programs using simulation.
News Contact: Jan Johnson, jnjohnso@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-1842
Obesity among minorities in rural communities
Demetrius Abshire is developing a lifestyle program to address obesity in African American men living in the rural South. “Men are largely underrepresented in behavioral programs that address obesity, and efforts are needed to reach minority men who live in the rural South where obesity rates are particularly high,” Abshire says. The research aims to identify variables that are associated with weight-related behaviors and body mass index to gain insight on which factors may need to be targeted in future obesity interventions.
News Contact: Jan Johnson, jnjohnso@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-1842
Rural and Minority Health Center
The Rural and Minority Health Research Center's mission is to illuminate and address the problems experienced by rural and minority populations in order to guide research, policy and related advocacy. The center can provide insight into rural health policy effectiveness, assess rural community health care resources and develop research methods and health care needs in rural communities.
News Contact: Erin Bluvas at bluvase@sc.edu, 843-302-1681.
South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare
This center supports and develops sustainable rural and primary care education and health care delivery in South Carolina through clinical practice, training and research. This center can provide information in how the university is improving rural clinical care, increasing access to specialized services for rural communities and increasing rural health profession opportunities.
News Contact: Alyssa Yancey at alyssa.yancey@uscmed.sc.edu, 803-216-3302.
Kevin Bennett is an associate professor in family and preventive medicine and director of research of the South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare. His research focuses on care delivery for minorities and rural populations. He also focuses on how rural minorities experience problems related to access to health care services, use of these services and out-of-pocket expenditures for services.
News Contact: Alyssa Yancey at alyssa.yancey@uscmed.sc.edu, 803-216-3302.
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