Session 3: Rural Health Disparities
This session will examine how hospital closures have exacerbated rural health disparities by examining: 1) the intersection of closures and Social Determinants of Health; 2) declining access to care; and 3) lack of Medicaid expansion. Each presenter will provide a brief overview, followed by questions.
Panelists: Mark Gaylord, MD, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, UT Medical Center. Amanda McHale, DrPh, MPH, Research Associate & Program Management Specialist, ORAU. Tracey Stansberry PhD, APRN, AOCN
Mark S. Gaylord, MD is a Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville. He is a Past President of National Perinatal Association and for 12 years a Board Member, Executive Board Member, Vice President of the organization and past member of the National Perinatal Foundation Board. He is a Past-President of the Knoxville Pediatric Society, member of the East Tennessee Chapter of the March of Dimes, and Past President and Board Emeritus Member of the East Tennessee Ronald McDonald House. He was a founding member of Knoxville’s Friendly Access Project and a National Advisory Board Member of the Lawton and Rhea Chiles’ Center Friendly Access Project. He was voted and outstanding alumni of the University of Tennessee Center Health Sciences Center. For the past two years, he has served as a Board Member of the Tennessee Health Care Campaign and an active member of the Rural Health Committee.
A Memphis native, he earned both his B.S. and MD from the University of Tennessee and completed a Pediatric Residency and Neonatal Fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He spends his leisure time boating and enjoys most outdoor activities. Mark is married to nurse PhD and recently retired Associate Dean of the UTK College of Nursing, Nan, and has two adult children, Curtis, a Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon in Knoxville, and Leah a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, in Charlotte. He greatly enjoys his 6 grandkids, ranging in age from 3-9 years of age. His passion is improving Perinatal Health in his community, region and state.
Amanda McHale, DrPH, MPH, is a Research Associate and Program Management Specialist at ORAU with 9 years of experience in the public health field. As a Research Associate, Dr. McHale provides subject matter expertise and technical assistance on public health and emergency preparedness projects for governmental agencies and academic institutions. She specializes in qualitative research, gathering rich insights into the behaviors, experiences, and perspectives of diverse populations and translates these findings into actionable recommendations. As a Program Management Specialist, she supports the implementation and execution of educationally based internship programs sponsored by federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy, through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.
Furthermore, Dr. McHale serves as the Chair of the Rural Health Equity Committee at the Tennessee Healthcare Campaign since 2022. She holds a Master of Public Health and a Doctor of Public Health from the University of Tennessee Knoxville.
Tracey T. Stansberry, PhD, MSN, APRN, is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse with nearly two decades of experience providing adult oncology care in the rural sector. Stansberry earned her BSBA in 1989, MSN in 2001, and PhD in Nursing in 2022, all from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Dr. Stansberry is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the College of Nursing and coordinates the Graduate Certificate in Health Policy Program. Her scholarly focus is rural health equity, rural hospital closures, and rural disaster preparedness. She also concentrates on the benefits of the APRN workforce to rural and underserved communities. Dr. Stansberry focuses on rural health community service, as well. Currently, she serves on Big South Fork Medical Center’s Community Advisory Board and Med Exec Committee, the Scott County Department of Health’s Advisory Board, the Tennessee Nurses Association District 2 Board, Mountain Peoples’ Health Council (an FQHC) Board of Directors, and the Tennessee Health Care Campaign Board of Directors and Rural Health Equity Committee. Stansberry is a member of the American Nurses Association, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the Oncology Nursing Society, Phi Kappa Phi, Academy Health, and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.