The WWAMI Rural Health Research Center (RHRC) is one of six rural health research centers funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) to perform policy-oriented research on issues related to rural health care. The WWAMI RHRC, which was established in the fall of 1988, is based in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine and works closely with the state departments of health, and Area Health Education Centers in the five WWAMI states (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho) as well as other researchers and policymakers across the U.S. and internationally.
News
New RHRC Publications
- Skillman SM, Kaplan L, Fordyce MA, McMenamin PD, Doescher MP. Understanding advanced practice registered nurse distribution in urban and rural areas of the United States using National Provider Identifier data. Final Report #137. Seattle, WA: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center, University of Washington; Feb 2012. Full report. Policy brief.
- Patterson DP, Longenecker R, Schmitz D, Xierali IM, Phillips Jr RL, Skillman SM, Doescher MP. Policy brief: rural residency training for family medicine physicians: graduate early-career outcomes. Seattle, WA: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center, University of Washington; Jan 2012. Policy brief.
- Patterson DG, Longenecker R, Schmitz D, Skillman SM, Doescher MP. Policy brief: training physicians for rural practice: capitalizing on local expertise to strengthen rural primary care. Seattle, WA: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center, University of Washington; Jan 2011. Policy brief.
- Institute of Medicine. Community colleges and the education of allied health professionals in rural areas (summary of presentation by SM Skillman). In: Institute of Medicine. Allied health workforce and services: workshop summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2011:42-44.
New RHRC Studies
- The Current Contribution of Physicians, Advanced Practice Nurses, and Physician Assistants to the Rural Primary Care Workforce (funded by HRSA, Office of Rural Health Policy).
- Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Distribution in Rural and Urban Areas of the U.S. (funded by the American Nurses Association).
- Health Information Technology (HIT) Workforce Needs in Rural America (funded by HRSA, Office of Rural Health Policy).
- The Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services Workforce in Rural and Urban Areas: Implications for Community Paramedicine (funded by HRSA, Office of Rural Health Policy).
- Rural-Urban Nurse Practitioner Distribution and the Influence of Physician and Physician Assistant Supply (funded by HRSA, Office of Rural Health Policy).
Descriptions of completed and in-progress rural health studies by the WWAMI RHRC.
Links to findings from research studies by the WWAMI RHRC
Links to resources for more information about rural health and related topics