Spencer named National Rural Health Association Fellow The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) named Kathleen Spencer, an information specialist in the Rural Assistance Center at the UND Center for Rural Health (CRH), as a 2010 Rural Health Fellow. After the completion of a competitive review process, seven fellows were selected to participate in this yearlong, intensive program aimed at developing leaders who can articulate a clear and compelling vision for rural America. "We are very pleased to announce this new class of fellows as this program enters its fourth year. Once again, this class represents various levels of rural health care expertise. With the successes achieved by the previous three classes, we look forward to continuing the tradition of building rural health care leaders through this valuable program,” said Alan Morgan, NRHA CEO. Fellows will gain valuable insights and build critical skills in three primary domains: (1) personal, team, and organizational leadership; (2) health policy analysis and advocacy; and (3) National Rural Health Association governance and structure. The 2010 Rural Health Fellows are as follows: • Janelle Ali-Dinar, vice president, Research & Capital Development, Mary Lanning Hospital/HealthCare Foundation; Hastings, Neb. • Evonne Bennett, capacity building specialist, Office of Minority Health Resource Center; Rockville, Md. • Patrick Cross, assistant professor of physical therapy, The University of South Dakota; Vermillion, S.D. • Ed Pitchford, president and CEO, Charles Cole Memorial Hospital; Coudersport, Pa. • Kathleen Quinn, program director-MU AHEC; University of Missouri School of Medicine; Columbia, Mo. • Kathleen Spencer, information specialist; Rural Assistance Center—CRH; Grand Forks, N.D. • Janice Wilkins, vice president of Healthcare Services; The Landmark Group; Stuart, Va. The NRHA is a national nonprofit organization, with more than 20,000 members that provides leadership on rural health issues. The Association’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of rural Americans and to provide leadership on rural health issues through advocacy, communications, education and research. The NRHA membership is composed of a diverse collection of individuals and organizations, all of whom share the common bond of an interest in rural health. The UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences is the home for the Rural Assistance Center, which is a collaboration of The University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health, the Rural Policy Research Institute and the federal Office of Rural Health Policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Funding comes from ORHP and stems from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Rural Initiative, which seeks to create a more integrative framework for the Department's rural portfolio—a portfolio including some 225 programs. -- Denis F. MacLeod, communications coordinator, Center for Rural Health, dmacleod@medicine.nodak.edu, 777-3300