Rural Health Research Institute Leader Participates In White House Panel

Dr. K. Bryant Smalley, the co-executive director of Georgia Southern University’s Rural Health Research Institute and the associate director of clinical training in the University’s Department of Psychology,  participated in a White House Rural Council event on May 1.

Smalley was among only 26 rural health leaders nationwide invited to the event, where the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture announced new innovations in rural health care and discussed their plans for rural health in the upcoming year. The 26 attendees were asked to comment on the plans and provide input on future directions for the work of the White House Rural Council. The event provided an unprecedented opportunity for participants to engage members of the president’s administration, including HHS leadership, on rural health interests and challenges. The information gathered from this meeting will help inform the ongoing work of the White House Rural Council and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The White House Rural Council was formed by President Obama in 2011 to enhance federal programs serving rural communities and is comprised of the U.S. Secretaries, the White House Domestic Policy Council, the National Economic Council and other federal officials.

Georgia Southern University’s Rural Health Research Institute is an interdisciplinary Institute led by researchers from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, and the College of Health and Human Sciences.  Its mission is to improve health in rural areas by promoting cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research and outreach that connects faculty from diverse fields.  To learn more about the Rural Health Research Institute, visit http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/RHRI .