School of Public Health Associate Professor Carrie Henning-Smith was recently appointed to CentraCare’s Board of Directors. CentraCare is considered Minnesota’s largest rural healthcare system with nine hospitals, 30 clinics, 10 senior housing facilities, and seven long-term care facilities. Henning-Smith will share responsibility with other board members for oversight of the entire system. She will also sit on the Quality and Healthcare Compliance Committee. 

“My academic perspective will be unique on the board,” says Henning-Smith who serves as deputy director of the Rural Health Research Center, an organization that conducts research to advance equity and improve health for rural residents. “I am excited to contribute my scholarly expertise in rural health and health equity. CentraCare is truly on the leading edge of rural health care delivery, and it’s exciting to serve on the board of an organization dedicated to improving rural health and open to innovating in order to do so.”

Henning-Smith’s research illuminates inequities in health, social well-being, and access to care, especially for older adults and rural residents. She also investigates the ways in living environments and geographies impacts health.