About Us
The mission of the WWAMI RHRC is to carry out national and regional research that informs policy related to:
- Training and supply of rural health care providers and the content and outcomes of the care they provide.
- Availability and quality of care for rural women and children, including obstetric and perinatal care.
- Access to high-quality care for vulnerable and minority rural populations.
Staff Directory
Investigators and Staff
- Mark Doescher, MD, MSPH, Director and Principal Investigator
- Susan Skillman, MS, Deputy Director
- Holly Andrilla, MS, Investigator and Biostatistician
- Laura-Mae Baldwin, MD, MPH, Investigator
- Frederick Chen, MD, MPH, Investigator
- Meredith Fordyce, PhD, Investigator
- Brenda Hoskinson, MA, Administrative Assistant
- J. Elizabeth Jackson, PhD, Research Scientist
- Gina Keppel, MPH, Research Scientist
- Denise Lishner, MSW, Research Associate
- Tom Norris, MD, Investigator
- Davis Patterson, PhD, Investigator
- Martha Reeves, BS, Program Coordinator
- Roger Rosenblatt, MD, MPH, Investigator
Other investigators involved in RHRC projects
- Steve Andes, American Osteopathic Association
- Pat Butterfield, WSU Spokane College of Nursing
- Leighton Chan, Center for Medical and Medicine Section, UW
- David Grossman, Dept. of Pediatrics, UW
- Walter Hollow, Native American Center of Excellence, UW
- Eric Larson, Medex Northwest, UW
- Dana Lynge, Dept. of Surgery, UW
- Wendy Mouradian, UW School of Dentistry
- Shilpeh Patel, Dept. of Radiation Oncology, UW
- Jonathan Sugarman, Qualis Health
Expert Work Group
The WWAMI RHRC benefits from guidance provided by an Expert Work Group whose members suggest policy relevant research topics, assist in the employment of appropriate methodology, review Center products and ensure that the work of the Center is practical and useful to policy makers, practitioners, and rural communities.
- Kevin Grumbach, MD, is Chair and Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and Director of the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University of California, San Francisco.
- Wayne Myers, MD, is a trustee of Appalachian Regional Healthcare, which operates hospitals and clinics in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia, and is a trustee of the Maine Health Access Foundation.
- Howard Rabinowitz, MD, is Professor of Family Medicine and Director, Physician Shortage Areas Program, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA.
- Thomas C. Ricketts III, PhD, MPH, is a Professor of Health Policy and Administration and Social Medicine, and the Director of the Health Policy Analysis Unit in the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also co-directs the American College of Surgeons Policy Research Institute.
Researchers-Users Network
The WWAMI RHRC Researchers-Users Network helps the Center anticipate the route of communication preferences and information needs of end users.
- Roxanne Fulcher, Director of Health Professions, American Association of Community Colleges.
- Beth Landon, MBA, MHA, President-Elect, National Rural Health Association, and Director, Alaska Center for Rural Health.
- David Keepnews, PhD, JD, RN, FAAN, Editor, Journal of Policy, Politics and Nursing Practice, and Associate Professor, Adelphi University School of Nursing.
- Robert L. Phillips, Jr., MD, MSPH, Director, Robert Graham Center, American Academy of Family Physicians.
- Kristina M. Sparks, Director, Office of Community and Rural Health, and Member, National Rural Health Association Policy Congress.
- John T. Supplitt, Senior Director, American Hospital Association, Section for Small or Rural Hospitals.
- Laura H. Tobler, Program Director, Health Program, National Conference of State Legislatures.