Designing Policy Solutions to Build a Healthier Rural America

Sameer Vohra¹, Carolyn Pointer¹, Amanda Fogleman¹+3

• ¹Sameer Vohra, M.D., J.D., M.A., F.A.A.P., is the Founding Chair of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine's (SIU SOM) Department of Population Science and Policy. A general pediatrician, Dr. Vohra is also an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Medical Humanities, and Law. Dr. Vohra completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Chicago (Chicago, IL), as well as earning a Master of Arts in public policy at the University of Chicago (Chicago, IL), a medical doctorate at SIU SOM (Springfield, IL), a juris doctorate, graduating first in his class, at SIU School of Law (Carbondale, IL), and a Bachelor of Arts with honors at Northwestern University (Evanston, IL). Carolyn Pointer, J.D., is an Assistant Professor in Medical Humanities, and the Policy Director in the Department of Population Science and Policy at the SIU School of Medicine (Springfield, IL). Her background in Medical-Legal Partnerships focuses her work on the social determinants of health. Professor Pointer earned her J.D. from Boston University School of Law (Boston, MA), and a Bachelor of Science with honors at the Boston University School of Education (Boston, MA). Amanda Fogleman, M.Eng., Senior Research Project Coordinator, is one of the founding members of Southern Illinois University (SIU) Medicine's Department of Population Science and Policy (Springfield, IL). Ms. Fogleman graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwards-ville (Edwardsville, IL) with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and the University of Illinois Chicago with a Master of Engineering in Bioinformatics (Chicago, IL). T.J. Albers, M.A., is a Health Policy Coordinator at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine's Department of Population Science and Policy. He received his B.A. from Illinois College (Jacksonville, IL) and M.A. from University of Illinois - Springfield (Springfield, IL). His research focuses on rural health care delivery, policy development, and addressing rural health disparities. Anish Patel is a J.D candidate at the University of Georgia School of Law (Athens, Georgia). He received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia). He previously worked as a Research Chemist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, Georgia). Elizabeth Weeks, J.D., is Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Charles H. Kirbo Chair in Law at the University of Georgia School of Law (Athens, Georgia). She received her B.A. from Columbia University (New York, New York) and JD from the University of Georgia School of Law (Athens, Georgia). She previously served on the faculty of the University of Kansas School of Law (Lawrence, Kansas), where she was director of the medical-legal partnership clinic and has visited at University of the Pacific-McGeorge School of Law (Sacramento, California). Her research and teaching focus is in health care financing and regulation and public health law.