About Us

The Southwest Rural Health Research Center (SRHRC) represents Texas A&M School of Public Health as a nationally funded and recognized rural health research center (RHRC) - it is also home to Rural Healthy People. Its unique combination of faculty strengths in health policy, health economics, long-term care, aging, health law, epidemiology and biostatistics, and chronic disease enable the SRHRC to address the needs of rural, underserved populations across Texas and the nation. 

Purpose

The SRHRC seeks to meet the needs of special rural populations, understand distinctive health needs of minority populations, eliminate or reduce health disparities in those populations, and build, maintain and evaluate the capacity of rural health systems and health services delivery.

The SRHRC is home to nationally recognized Rural Healthy People 2010: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2010 and Rural Healthy People 2020. Both are multi-volume books which identifiy health priorities in rural settings and offer literature reviews on each priority, as well as descriptions of community-based programs that serve as successful models in reaching rural and minority populations.

Rural Healthy People is a one-of-a-kind national resource providing federal and state health policy planners with valuable information, and rural leaders and health care providers with critical tools for responding to the needs of the rural communities they serve.

Collaborations

At the heart of the SRHRC is a strong and robust cadre of researchers and programs that are dedicated to the needs of rural and underserved populations. Our collaborations provide unique opportunities for expansion across the spectrum of rural-related health services research, and provide a platform for advancing rural health policy issues on the national level.

Contact

Alva Ferdinand, JD, DrPH - PI   |   aferdinand@tamu.edu

Jane Bolin, RN, JD, PhD - Co-PI   |   janebolin@tamu.edu

Natasha Johnson, MBA - Program Coordinator   |   nyjohnson@tamu.edu