Rural Collective Members

Ryan Allen, PhD

Professor and Associate Dean for Research
[email protected]
Twin Cities: Humphrey School of Public Affairs-Urban and Regional Planning
Research interests: Affordable housing

Grant Anderson, PhD

Associate Professor
[email protected]
Duluth: College of Pharmacy-Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research interests: Vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 education

Lynda Lahti Anderson, PhD

Researcher VI 
[email protected]
Institute on Community Integration
College of Education and Human Development
Twin Cities
Research interests: Research and training

Holli Arp

Program Leader - Leadership and Civic Engagement
[email protected]
Extension: Center for Community Vitality
Research interests: Leadership and civic engagement

Arianne Baldomero, MD, MS

Assistant Professor
[email protected]
Medical School-Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Twin Cities 
Research interests: Lung disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Susannah Bartlow, PhD

Community Outreach and Engagement Associate
[email protected]
Minnesota Cancer Clinical Trials Network
Twin Cities: Masonic Cancer Center
Research interests: Cancer clinical research

David Beard, PhD

Professor of Rhetoric, Scientific and Technical Communication
[email protected]
Duluth: College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences-English, Linguistics, and Writing Studies
Research interests: Health Humanities

Katie Benziger, MD, MPH

Cardiologist
[email protected]
Duluth: Medical School
Research interests: Cardiovascular disease prevention

Mitchell Berg

Associate Director of the Veden Center
[email protected]
Veden Center for Rural Economic Development
Crookston
Research interests: Community and economic development

Kristin Bomin, MPH

Practice Based Research Network Manager
[email protected]
Twin Cities: Medical School-Family Medicine and Community Health
Research interests: Primary Care

Zobeida Bonilla, PhD, MPH

Associate Professor
[email protected]
Center for Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Health
Twin Cities: School of Public Health-Epidemiology and Community Health; Maternal and Child Health
Research interests: Links to Title V and workforce development in maternal and child health

Patrick Brady, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow
[email protected]
Twin Cities: School of Public Health-Epidemiology and Community Health
Research interests: Food access

Brenna Doheny, PhD, MPH

Postdoctoral Associate
[email protected]
Medical School-Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health
Duluth
Research interests: Community engaged research, social and environmental determinants of health

Rebecca Dosch Brown, MFA

Interdisciplinary Education Director
[email protected]
MN LEND; Institute on Community Integration
Twin Cities
Research interests: neurodevelopmental disabilities, health equity, intersectionality of race/disability in youth mental health policy, and increasing MCH workforce across rural MN 

Macey Buker, PhD, CPA, CHFP

Program Director Health Management
[email protected]
Business Department
Crookston
Research interests: Improving population health through access and cost initiatives

Caitlin Carroll, PhD 

Assistant Professor
[email protected]
School of Public Health-Health Policy and Management
Twin Cities
Research interests: Hospitals

Dana Carroll, PhD, MPH

Assistant Professor
[email protected]
Twin Cities: School of Public Health-Environmental Health Sciences
Research interests: Commercial tobacco prevention and control

Devon Charlier, MPH

Evaluation & Communications Manager
[email protected]
Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center
Twin Cities: School of Public Health-Environmental Health Sciences
Research interests: Agricultural health and safety (farmers, farmworkers, agriculture communities, producers) in the Upper Midwest region

Tonya Connor

Research Project Coordinator
[email protected]
Duluth: Medical School-Family Medicine and Community Health
Research interests: Health equity, increasing COVID-19 and Influenza vaccine uptake, and health literacy

R. Adams Dudley, MD, MBA

Professor of Medicine, Public Health, and Informatics
[email protected]
Medical School and School of Public Health-Health Policy and Management
Twin Cities
Research interests: Social determinants of health and COPD

Rebecca Emery, PhD, LP

Postdoctoral Fellow
[email protected]
Duluth: Medical School-Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health
Research interests: Rural perinatal outcomes

Joel Farley, PhD 

Professor
[email protected]
College of Pharmacy-Pharmaceutical Care and Health Systems
Twin Cities
Research interests: Pharmacy service delivery

Joshua Fergen, PhD

Senior Research Associate
[email protected]
Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team
Duluth: Medical School
Research interests: Alzheimer's, dementia, and quality of life

Teresa Fong, DDS

Pediatric Dentist
[email protected]
School of Dentistry-Pediatric Dentistry
Twin Cities
Research interests: Oral health care and education

Alyssa Fritz, MPH, RD, CLC

Research and Policy Fellow
[email protected]
Rural Health Research Center
Twin Cities: School of Public Health-Health Policy and Management
Research interests: Maternal and child health and maternal morbidity and mortality

Linda Bane Frizzell, PhD

Associate Professor
[email protected]
School of Public Health-Environment
Twin Cities
Research interests: American Indians and nutrition

Abby Gold, PhD, MPH, RD

Program Leader
[email protected]
Center for Family Development
Extension
Research interests: Food access and health equity

Allison Gustavson, DPT, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow
[email protected]
Medical School-Physical Therapy
Twin Cities
Research interests: Access to health care 

Keri Hager, PharmD, BCACP 

Associate Professor & Co-Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs
[email protected]
College of Pharmacy-Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Duluth
Research interests: Health care and care delivery, pharmacy services, and comprehensive medication management

Neil Hanson, MD

Associate Professor
[email protected]
Twin Cities: Medical School-Department of Anesthesiology  
Research interests: Clinical Access and perioperative medicine

Carrie Henning-Smith, PhD, MSW, MPH 

Associate Professor and Deputy Director
[email protected]
Rural Health Research Center
School of Public Health-Health Policy and Management
Twin Cities 
Research interests: Health equity, structural determinants of health, older adults, social connectedness, health policy 

Jody Horntvedt

Extension Educator, Leadership & Civic Engagement
[email protected]
Extension: Center for Community Vitality
Research interests: Building the leadership and civic engagement capacity of rural leaders to lead in their communities

Megan Hruby

SNAP-Ed Educator
[email protected]
Extension: Center for Family Development, Health and Nutrition Programs
Research interests: Food access for people with low income

Julia Interrante, PhD, MPH

Research Fellow/Statistical Lead
[email protected]
Rural Health Research Center
Twin Cities: School of Public Health-Health Policy and Management
Research interests: Maternal health, health policy, health equity and access to care

Kristen Jacklin, PhD

Professor and Associate Director
[email protected]
Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team
Medical School-Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health
Duluth
Research interests: Aging, dementia, indigenous and rural, and culture

Marie Johnson, PhD

Adjunct Professor
[email protected]
Twin Cities: Department of Biomedical Engineering
Research interests: Pediatric asthma

Harshada Karnik

Researcher
[email protected]
Center for Public Health Systems
Twin Cities: School of Public Health-Health Policy and Management
Research interests: Systemic challenges to local health agencies

Mary Jo Katras, PhD

Program Leader
[email protected]
Center for Family Development
Extension
Research interests: Family resiliency

Dana Ketcher, PhD, MPH

Senior research associate
[email protected]
Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team
Duluth: Medical School
Research interests: Health and dementia

Amanda Klein, PhD, MS

Assistant Professor
[email protected]
College of Pharmacy-Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Duluth
Research interests: Opioids

Eydie Kramer-Kostecka, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
[email protected]
Twin Cities: School of Public Health-Epidemiology and Community Health
Research interests: Physical activity outcomes among rural youth and families

Katy Backes Kozhimannil, PhD, MPA

Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Director
[email protected]
Rural Health Research Center
School of Public Health-Health Policy and Management
Twin Cities
Research interests: Health policy and maternal health 

Megan Lahr, MPH

Research Fellow
[email protected]
Rural Health Research Center
School of Public Health-Health Policy and Management
Twin Cities
Research interests: Health care, aging in rural communities, and rural hospitals

Kamakshi Lakshminarayan, PhD, MBBS, MS

Associate Professor
[email protected] 
School of Public Health-EpiCH and Medical School-Neurology
Twin Cities
Research interests: Cardiovascular disease and brain health

Meg Little, EdD, RN, BC-NC

Assistant Professor
[email protected]
College of Pharmacy- Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Duluth
Research interests: Research and teaching

Lacey Loomer, PhD

Assistant Professor
[email protected]
School of Business-Economics and Health Care Management
Duluth
Research interests: Post-acute care

Hannah MacDougall, PhD, MSW

Assistant Professor
[email protected]
School of Social Work
Twin Cities
Research interests: Health equity and nonprofit hospital community benefits

Argie Manolis, MFA

Director of Civic Learning and Engagement
[email protected]
Center for Small Towns; Center for Community Partnerships
Morris
Research interests: Community-engaged research

Cathy McCarty, PhD, MPH 

Professor and Associate Dean for Research
[email protected]
Center for Bioethics
Medical School-Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health
Duluth
Research interests: Community-engaged research 

Ira Moscovice, PhD 

Mayo Professor
[email protected]
Flex Monitoring Team
School of Public Health-Health Policy and Management
Twin Cities
Research interests: Quality 

Peter Nalin, MD, MBA ,CPE

Associate Dean for Rural Medicine; Professor and Department Head
[email protected]
Medical School-Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health
Duluth
Research interests: Regional medical education, rural residency tracks, and rural recruitment and retention

Sue Nankivell

Director of Business Development and Community Relations
[email protected]
Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing
Twin Cities: Health Sciences
Research interests: Providing free and accessibly priced virtual and online programming and resources supporting whole-person health and wellbeing

Hannah Neprash, PhD

Assistant Professor
[email protected]
Twin Cities: School of Public Health-Health Policy and Management
Research interests: Workforce and quality of care

Sayeh Nikpay, PhD 

Associate Professor
[email protected]
School of Public Health-Health Policy and Management
Twin Cities
Research interests: Access to acute care/emergency care in rural communities, rural hospital transfer networks, and rural emergency medical services

Kaiya Novacek

4-H Extension Educator
[email protected]
Extension (Kittson County): Center for Youth Development
Research interests: Youth development and education through school/community programming and the county fair

Olihe Okoro, PhD, MPH, MPharm

Assistant Professor
[email protected]
College of Pharmacy-Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Duluth
Research interests: Health

Anthony Olson, PhD, PharmD, MEd

Research Scientist
[email protected]
Essentia Institute of Rural Health
College of Pharmacy- Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Duluth
Research interests: Community-integrated care, health-related social needs, and person-centered pharmacy practice in rural communities

Emily Onello, MD

Assistant Professor 
[email protected]
Medical School-Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health
Duluth
Research interests: Physician workforce development

Kristin Osiecki, PhD

Assistant Professor
[email protected]
Center for Learning Innovation
Rochester
Research interests: Health equity, social determinants of health and environmental justice

Laura Palombi, PharmD, MPH, MAT, AE-C

Associate Professor
[email protected]
Duluth: School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research interests: Community engagement to address substance use in rural and tribal areas

Barb Peterson, PhD, RN, CNS

Clinical Associate Faculty
[email protected]
Twin Cities: School of Nursing, Psychiatric Mental Health Doctor of Nursing Practice
Research interests: Psychiatric nursing

Marie Rahne, MBA

Director
[email protected]
Minnesota Cancer Clinical Trials Network
Twin Cities: Masonic Cancer Center
Research interests: Access to cancer clinical trials

Doug Reed

Director of Morris Challenge
[email protected]
Chancellor's Office
Morris
Research interests: Engage with teams in rural communities who will identify the challenges that are of greatest importance to their rural communities

Mark Rosenberg, MD

Vice Dean for Education
[email protected]
Medical Education Outcomes Center
Medical School-Office of Medical Education
Twin Cities
Research interests: Educationally sensitive workforce outcomes and determinants of rural practice

Katie Rydberg, MPH

Program Manager
[email protected]
Rural Health Research Center
School of Public Health-Health Policy and Management
Twin Cities 
Research interests: Rural health equity

Charles Salmen, MD

Director, Mfangano Community Health Field Station
[email protected]
Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility
Twin Cities: School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
Research interests: Capacity building for locally-directed community health promotion and development among remote and indigenous populations in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Megan Schossow, MS

Outreach Director
[email protected]
Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center
Twin Cities: School of Public Health-Environmental Health Sciences
Research interests: Agricultural occupational health and safety

Jonathan Schroeder, PhD

Research Scientist
[email protected]
Minnesota Population Center; IPUMS; Rural Health Research Center
Office of the Vice President for Research-Institute for Social Research and Innovation
Twin Cities
Research interests: Population and population change

Mary Schroeder

Extension Educator - Health and Nutrition
[email protected]
Center for Family Development
Extension: Regional Office of Willmar
Research interests: Food access, early childhood health, school health, and nutrition

Liz Sopdie, PhD 

Operations & Program Development Director
[email protected]
Medical School-Rural and Metropolitan Physician Associate Program
Twin Cities
Research interests: Physician education and primary care

Teresa Spaeth

Chair of the Veden Center
[email protected]
Veden Center for Rural Economic Development
Crookston
Research interests: Nexus of research, education, and programming 

Rachael Starcher, MD

Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellow
[email protected]
Twin Cities: Medical School-Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine
Research interests: Health disparities

Michele Statz, PhD

Assistant Professor
[email protected]
Medical School-Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health
Duluth
Research interests: Access to justice

Sharon Stewart, PhD

Associate Professor
[email protected]
Math Science and Technology
Crookston
Research interests: Rural health care- small hospitals and nursing homes, nutrition dietetics education

Laurissa Stigen, MS, BN

Coordinator
[email protected]
Twin Cities: School of Nursing/Campus Partnerships
Research interests: Nursing education and workforce and health initiatives with rural populations

Sandra Stover, MD

Assistant Professor
[email protected]
Medical School-Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health
Duluth
Research interests: Rural health care workforce, obstetrical services, and EMS

Tim Stratton, PhD, RPh, FAPhA 

Professor of Pharmacy Practice
[email protected]
College of Pharmacy- Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Duluth
Research interests: Rural pharmacy practice

Alexis Swendener, PhD

Rural Health Equity Postdoctoral Associate
[email protected]
Rural Health Research Center
Twin Cities: School of Public Health-Health Policy and Management
Research interests: Social determinants of health

Andrew Traynor, PharmD, BCPS

Assistant Dean for Experiential Education and Professor
[email protected]
College of Pharmacy-Pharmaceutical Care and Health Systems
Twin Cities
Research interests: Student learning experiences

Alysa Tulibaski

Extension Educator
[email protected]
Extension (Marshall County): Center for Youth Development
Research interests: Youth development & adult volunteers

Mariana Tuttle, MPH 

Research and Communications Fellow
[email protected]
Rural Health Research Center
School of Public Health-Health Policy and Management
Twin Cities
Research interests: Rural health equity, social determinants across the lifespan, and maternal and child health

Rachel Vogel, PhD

Assistant Professor
[email protected]
Twin Cities: Medical School-Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health
Research interests: Cancer prevention and survivorship

Steve Waring, PhD, DVM

Principal Scientist
[email protected]
Pharmacy School-Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Duluth
Research interests: Aging, brain health, and precision medicine

Wayne Warry, PhD

Professor
[email protected]
Memory Keepers
Medical School-Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health
Duluth
Research interests: Dementia and its associated risks and co-morbidities in collaboration with Indigenous and rural communities

Ben Winchester, MS

Rural Sociologist
[email protected]
Center for Community Vitality
Extension
Research interests: Demographic analysis, leadership and community development, and economic development

Gao Vang

Communications Specialist
[email protected]
Twin Cities: Office of Academic and Clinical Affairs
Research interests: Amplify the work of Rural Collective members

Jane VanHuevelen

Contract Assistant Professor
[email protected]
Twin Cities: College of Liberal Arts-Sociology
Research interests: Health socialization