Rural Medical Educator’s Interest Group of the National Rural Health Association

1. Rural Medical Educator’s Interest Group of the National Rural Health Association Joe Florence, MD Director of Rural Programs – East Tennessee State University NRHA RME Senior Co-chair Rural Educators Day - Quebec November 2, 2006

2. NRHA: Mission Statement • The National Rural Health Association is a national membership organization whose mission is to improve the health of rural Americans and to provide leadership on rural issues through advocacy, communications, education and research.

4. Mission Achieved Through: • Advocacy • Communications • Education • Research

5. The NRHA Offers… Information Access: • Policy experts • Organization linkages • Congress • Federal Agencies • Publications • Conferences • Website: www.NRHArural.org

6. History • Founded in 1978 as the National Rural Primary Care Association. • Reached 10,000 members in 2005. • Administrative Offices in Kansas City, Missouri. • Government Affairs Offices in Alexandria, Virginia.

7. The NRHA is: • The voice for rural healthcare. • A 10,000 member non-partisan, non-profit membership organization. • A source of information for policymakers. • A trusted resource for State Rural Health Associations. • Highly regarded.

8. Organizational Structure • Board of Trustees • Rural Health Policy Board • Standing Committees • Councils • Constituency Groups • Issue Groups

9. Constituency Groups and Councils • Clinical Services • Community – Operated Practices • Frontier • Hospitals & Health Systems • Population-based Services • Research and Education • Rural Health Clinics • Statewide Health Resources • Community Members • State Office Council • State Association Council

10. RURAL MEDICAL EDUCATORS (RME) The RME Group is a special interest group of the Research and Education Constituency Group of the NRHA.

11. The Mission of the RME Group is: To advance the training of physicians for rural practice through network development and advocacy.

12. Our Beginnings • Group of Rural Physicians active in the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) • Partnering with the National Rural Health Association

13. First RME Annual Meeting • May 2001 in conjunction with the NRHA Annual in Dallas, Texas. • Over 70 attended this event • agenda for rural medical education

14. Membership • Physicians and Health Professionals from: • Academics • Rural Communities • Administrators • Researchers • Students

15. 2006

16. Organizational Structure

17. Core Member — "Voting Member" • Member of the NRHA • Actively involved in rural education • Participate in at least one national rural medical education related group meeting every two years • Complete a core membership dataset annually

18. Associate Member — "Interested Party" • NRHA membership is not required • Interested in Rural Medical Education • Complete a limited membership dataset annually

19. Affiliated Organizations • State Rural Health Organizations • AAFP • STFM • AFPRD • Rural Research Centers • AHEC • State Offices of Rural Health • Office of Rural Health Policy • Others

20. Executive Committee • Past Co-Chair - John Wheat, MD, University of Alabama • Senior Co-Chair - Joe Florence, MD, East Tennessee State University, • Junior Co-Chair - James G. Boulger, Ph.D., University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth • Member-at-large - David Squire, Chief Financial Officer, Utah Medical Education Council (UMEC) • Member-at-large - Don Pathman, MD, UNC Chapel Hill, Research Director and Professor of the Department of Family Medicine • Membership Chair - Randy Longenecker, MD, Assistant Dean for Rural Medical Education, The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health • Education and Research Constituency Group Chair - Roxanna Jokela, director of Rural Health Education Network, University of Nebraska Medical Center • staff support from the NRHA • Amy Elizondo, NRHA-VP, Program Services, • Jennifer Friedman, NRHA-VP of Government Affairs & Policy

21. Goals • to foster collaboration among members and with a larger community of stakeholders • to promote creativity and to generate new ideas in rural medical education • to remain uncomplicated and adaptable to changing circumstance

22. Focus – Best Practices • Pipeline • Curriculum • Medical School • Residency • Policy • Funding • Communications - Networking

23. Advocacy • Promote Rural • Issues of Quality • Issues of Interdisciplinary • Issues of Need and Service to the Underserved

24. Policy • Issues of Rural Medical Education Funding • Balanced Budget Act • Grant Support (Title VII) • Issues of Reimbursement • Medicare • Issues of Placement • NHSC

25. Speakers Group • Promoting “Rural” at regional and national conferences

26. Writer’s Group • Focusing on • Pipeline • Curriculum

27. Networking and Communications • Web Site • NRHA – Rural Medical Educators (RME) http://www.nrharural.org/groups/sub/RME.html • World of Rural Medical Education http://www.unmc.edu/Community/ruralmeded/indexRME.htm maintained by Robert C. Bowman, M.D. • RME List Serve • bowman@unmc.edu maintained by Robert C. Bowman, M.D.

28. Annual Conference "Responding to the Challenge of Providing Doctors for Rural America” Tuesday, May 16, 2006Reno, Nevada"TOUR OF RURAL MEDICAL EDUCATION"

29. Tour of Rural Medical Education 2006

30. 2007 Conference Rural Medical Educators Conference May 15, 2007 Anchorage, Alaska In conjunction with NRHA Annual Conference; May 16-18, 2007; Anchorage, Alaska YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND!

31. Rural Medical Educators