Our Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program is committed to accelerating clinical and translational research to address health disparities and the significant burden of conditions that disproportionately affect rural populations. Increasing the speed, efficiency and effectiveness of clinical and translational research will reduce disease burden and promote health equity in rural areas. Our CTSA Program is addressing longstanding regional health disparities through innovative, multidisciplinary approaches expected to reduce disease burden among rural populations. To address the unique needs of patients in rural communities, our CTSA program includes institutions across the country with significant representation and reach into rural areas.

Learn more about our vision for improving rural health in the April 2019 Director’s Message: Applying Translational Science to Address Rural Health Disparities as well as in the special issue edited by NCATS leadership and devoted to rural health published in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science.

Highlighted Projects

These initiatives, supported under (NOT-TR-19-015), are examples of our CTSA Program–supported efforts across the country to reduce rural health disparities.

Appalachian Translational Research

The Appalachian Translational Research Network (ATRN), which represents eight member institutions from across multiple states, facilitates sharing research expertise, experiences and resources to promote improved health in Appalachian communities. Learn more about this research network.

The Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho Region Practice and Research Network

The Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI) region Practice and Research Network (WPRN) supports collaboration between primary care practices and academic researchers to improve the health and well-being of patients in rural communities and to enhance primary care clinical practice across the WWAMI region. Learn more about this research.

Peer-Based Retention of People who use Drugs in Rural Research

Investigators in Ohio, Oregon and Kentucky led the Peer-based Retention of People who use Drugs in Rural Research (PROUD-R2) study, which addresses the epidemics of opioid prescribing, injection drug use, overdose and infectious disease transmission in rural America. Learn more about the study.

Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute

The Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute is working to understand the social and economic issues that have contributed to a decline in American life expectancy and, in particular, how these issues have affected health in rural communities. Learn more about their efforts.

Collaboration to Enhance Naloxone Distribution in Rural Areas

The University of New Mexico Clinical and Translational Science Center led a collaborative project (CONsiDER) with CTSA Program institutions to develop an innovative and sustainable model to increase the dispensing of naloxone by community pharmacists practicing in rural and underserved areas. Learn more about this project.

CTSA Program Rural Health Funding Opportunities

Find more information about rural health funding opportunities for the CTSA Program.

Featured CTSA Rural Health Stories

• N3C Data Reveal More Severe COVID-19 Outcomes in Rural Communities
• Rural Hospital Closures Fuel Rising Demand and Costs at Nearby Hospitals

Other Rural Health Collaborative Efforts

Learn about other collaborative efforts in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to improve rural health.

• NIH Pathways to Prevention (P2P) Program: Improving Rural Health Through Telehealth-Guided Provider-to-Provider Communication
• National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) Domain Team for Rural Health
• NIH Rural Health Interest Group
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Past Activities

• NIH Rural Health Seminar: Improving Rural Health Through Research Dissemination and Implementation, Nov. 17, 2022. Watch the NIH VideoCast.
• 2020 NIH Rural Health Seminar: Challenges in the Era of COVID-19, Nov. 19, 2020. Watch the NIH VideoCast.
• Linking Research to Rural Communities with the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Webinar, March 21, 2020.
• Inaugural NIH Rural Health Seminar, Nov. 18, 2019. Watch the NIH VideoCast.
• Appalachian Translational Research Network 10th Annual Health Summit—Community-Engaged Research in Translational Science: Innovations to Improve Health in Appalachia, Sept. 22–23, 2020. View the agenda (PDF - 568KB).
• The CTSA Program Un-Meeting on Rural Health and Health Equity focused on collaboration to improve rural health and achieve health equity.