Julie Donohue

So with these changes on the horizon, I wanted to learn more about what exactly do we mean when we say rural health? Who does it include? What are some of the unique challenges faced by people living in rural communities? And what opportunities may stem from the RHTP? So I did what I always do when I have a health policy question.

I asked my wife, Julie Donohue, who is a professor and chair of Health Policy and Management at the University of Pittsburgh and deputy editor at JAMA Health Forum.

Julie suggested we chat with Mark Holmes.

Mark is an economist and health policy expert who leads the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at UNC in Chapel Hill.

The Sheps Center has been one of the top rural health research centers in the United States for decades.

And at work, people call me Eeyore 'cause I'm usually a downer, and there are some downer elements here.

We need to make sure that money is deployed in responsible ways and things that is gonna be important and, and dedicated to improving rural health.

Um, and it is, to your point, Julie, just an unprecedented opportunity, and we're gonna learn so much.