Rural Health

Research on rural health in our department focuses on understanding and addressing health disparities in rural populations.

Studies explore factors impacting muscular and neuromuscular rehabilitation, tobacco use, suicide rates, and substance abuse, emphasizing the unique challenges faced by individuals in rural areas. Researchers investigate the effects of pro-tobacco advertising, tax rates, geographic isolation, and poverty on health outcomes, as well as the physiological mechanisms linking stress to diseases prevalent in Appalachia. Efforts include developing user-friendly, remote-capable technologies to improve access to care, training future MSTEM scholars, and promoting psychological health in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Dr. Armshaw’s research aims to integrate behavior analytic science with technology to improve muscular and neuromuscular rehabilitation (such as knee rehabilitation). His work emphasizes the development of user friendly and remote capable technology to reduce the disparity in access to care faced by individuals in rural areas. Studies typically follow a bench-to-bedside model, where research goes from the laboratory to the clinic.
Dr. Blank's research seeks to identify factors that differentially impact rural areas (e.g. pro-tobacco advertising, product tax rates) to make them vulnerable to tobacco use.
Dr. Fiske’s research seeks to understand the factors responsible for the higher rates of suicide in rural compared to non-rural areas.
Dr. Larkin conducts research in clinical health psychology with a special focus on the physiological mechanisms responsible for how exposure to stress is linked with prominent diseases in Appalachia, including cardiovascular disease and hypertension.
Dr. Patrick's lab focuses closely on place-based health disparities among middle-aged and older adults. Her AGE-ADAR Scholars Program is training the next generation of MSTEM students to address health disparities among older adults in Appalachia.
Dr. Strough is interested in factors that promote psychological health in rural populations in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
Dr. Turiano is interested in how geographic isolation and poverty lead to health disparities in terms of substance abuse and health outcomes across the lifespan.