Posted 5/5/2008

Probst named National Rural Health
Association’s Outstanding Researcher

NEW ORLEANS — The National Rural Health Association has named University of South Carolina scientist Dr. Jan Probst its 2008 Outstanding Researcher.

"I'm surprised and totally delighted to have been selected for this award," Probst said. "Rural health and rural people have been important to me for a long time, and it is very exciting and uplifting to see that folks have noticed our efforts. I'm extremely fortunate to have been able to work with lots of wonderful, talented colleagues and students across my career, and their knowledge, questions and encouragement are really behind any and everything that's in 'my' research."

Probst serves as director of the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center, the only federally funded center focusing on vulnerable rural poor and minority populations. She is also associate professor and interim chair of the Department of Health Services Policy and Management at Arnold School of Public Health.

Probst has been a major contributor to health services research at the national and state levels for more than 30 years. She was one of the first rural health researchers to utilize economic arguments to make a case for rural hospital support. She has addressed disparities experienced by rural minority populations from maternity care through childhood and adulthood with studies ranging from access to care to use of mental health services.

Her forthcoming work addresses how rural hospitals are handling low English proficiency Hispanic patients and the contribution of community health centers and rural clinics on access to effective primary care. "Dr. Probst's example has drawn other researchers to the field of rural health, and her mentorship has inspired many to pursue the topic of health disparities," says NRHA CEO Alan Morgan. "Her passion will no doubt continue to blaze the trail of rural health research." The Outstanding Researcher award will be presented during the NRHA Annual Conference on May 9 in New Orleans, LA.

The NRHA is a nonprofit organization working to improve the health and well-being of rural Americans and providing leadership on rural health issues through advocacy, communications, education and research. The NRHA membership is made up of a diverse collection of individuals and organizations, all of whom share the common bond of an interest in rural health.