Mark your calendar for Dakota Conference in March The 23nd annual Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health, an interdisciplinary forum for sharing strategies for building and sustaining healthy rural communities, is set for March 26-28 at the Ramada Plaza in Fargo, N.D. This year’s conference, “Addressing Health Care Changes,” will offer participants a chance to hear from some of the most knowledgeable people in the areas of rural and public health. Oral and poster presentations will address health care administration, health promotion and disease prevention, environmental health and occupational health, and diverse populations and health disparities. “The purpose of an annual statewide health care conference, such as Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health, is not only to instill newfound skills, knowledge and resources,” said Lynette Dickson, project director at the Center for Rural Health at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and chair of the Dakota Conference committee, “but also to challenge and motivate people to integrate what they have learned in to their individual program, organization or facility.” This year’s keynote speakers and topics include: • “Public Health Leadership: Transforming Passion and Power into Purpose” by Linda Olson-Keller, a senior research scientist at the University of Minnesota • “The Future of Rural Health Care” by George Miller, past president of the National Rural Health Association • “Life in the Blender: Generational Diversity” by Rick Gessler, employment/employee relations manager and Jeff Franck, compensation and benefits manager, both of Altru Health System • “Advocating for Public Health” by Linda Degutis, president of the American Public Health Association For more information, visit http://ruralhealth.und.edu/projects/sorh/dakotaconf.php The Dakota Conference is facilitated and sponsored by the Center for Rural Health. Additional sponsors are Altru Health System, North Dakota Public Health Association, College of Nursing, and the Department of Family and Community Medicine. -- Wendy Opsahl, Communications Coordinator, Center for Rural Health, wopsahl@medicine.nodak.edu, 777-0871