David Line Denali and Mary-Katherine Smith present at National Rural Health Association conference

David Line Denali, Ph.D., M.P.H., LMSW, E.M.T., and Mary-Katherine Smith, DrPH, M.P.H., MCHES, adjunct professors for the Graduate Programs in Public Health, were keynote presenters at the National Rural Health Association Multicultural Multiracial Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 14. The title of their presentation was, "A Collaborative Approach to Address Health Disparities in Rural America". 

Traditionally, healthcare providers focus on treatment, while public health practitioners focus on prevention. This presentation focused on the need for a collaborative approach to address health disparities, access issues and social determinants of health in minority and under served populations in rural America.

Using water scarcity as an example of an environmental determinant of health, and access to care as an example of a social determinant of health, Line Denali and Smith discussed how a collaborative effort between public health professionals and direct care practitioners would reduce health disparities in rural populations.