Focused on improving healthcare outcomes in rural areas
Those living in rural areas—including more than 50% of the 1.9 million people Dartmouth Health serves in northern New England—have higher risks of chronic disease and death than more urban residents.
While these poorer health outcomes can be linked to socioeconomic factors, including less access to healthcare, affordable housing, transportation and insurance coverage, Dartmouth Health is committed to deepening its understanding of the unique challenges affecting the delivery of rural healthcare.
Leading rural healthcare delivery science
Dartmouth Health is a proven leader in developing innovative care models that serve rural communities. This multidisciplinary Center builds on that expertise and expands it to provide infrastructure to train and support the development of a critical mass of early-career clinician-scientists.
Through expert mentoring in research and professional development, high-quality data analysis and community-focused collaboration, the Center works to advance rural healthcare outcomes in northern New England—and throughout the nation.
Grounded in vision, enriched by innovation
The Center exists to address—and better understand—rural health disparities to help improve outcomes. Learn more about:
- The Center How we are advancing the biomedical research infrastructure.
- Meet our team Our research mentors and content experts.
- Our cores Our cores provide the foundation for the success of each research program.
- Rural healthcare research Our researchers study various aspects of rural healthcare.
- How to contact us We welcome inquiries and feedback about our work.
Building a rural health research community
While nearly 20% of Americans live in rural areas and experience greater health challenges than those living in cities, research on this issue has been limited.
The Center for Rural Health Care Delivery Science is dedicated to disrupting that trend. Our mentorship model supports the work of early-career researchers—those transitioning into independent careers focused on the study of rural health disparities—developing a wealth of data, system infrastructure and stronger community partnerships to improve rural healthcare delivery and rural health services.
What is rural healthcare?
The healthcare available to people living in rural areas. Rural residents typically have to travel longer distances for emergent and specialty care and have poorer health than those living in metropolitan areas.