The Rural Health Research Center at the University of Missouri School of Medicine is dedicated to improving community health in rural Missouri by increasing health research, especially among rural populations.
The center will support projects in which researchers work with residents of rural communities to find solutions to persistent health-related problems. Some of these solutions may be pivotal in solving health disparities that affect rural Missourians across the state, capitalizing on the unique resources in rural communities.
Established with funding from the School of Medicine and the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, the Rural Health Research Center's goal is to build the infrastructure to create a cooperative relationship among researchers and rural communities, thereby promoting the integration of clinical and translational research efforts throughout Missouri.
The center, working with its partners, MU Extension and the Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health institute, is a collaborative effort between researchers and clinicians to:
- Provide infrastructure and resources to support rural health research.
- Promote increased representation of rural populations in the full spectrum of research opportunities, including clinical trials.
- Develop research networks linking rural community members, researchers and health care professionals.
- Cultivate full-cycle community engagement in rural health research.
- Expand research training to rural health professionals.
- Communicate research findings to inform health care practice and policy.
