The National Center for Rural Health Professions

We are excited to welcome our newest members of the RMED Program to the campus this week! We've been waiting for you!

As our new M1 students begin orientation this week, we look forward to getting to know them and supporting them throughout their medical education and their journey toward becoming physicians committed to serving rural communities.

This Friday, August 14, they will join their fellow Class of 2030 students for one of the first milestones of medical school—the White Coat Ceremony. The ceremony marks the beginning of their journey into the medical profession and symbolizes the responsibilities, compassion, professionalism, and commitment to patient care that come with wearing the white coat.

We are especially proud to welcome our new RMED students as they begin this journey, and we can’t wait to see all they will accomplish over the next four years!

Please join us in giving our newest RMED students—and the entire UICOMR Class of 2030—a warm welcome to Rockford!

The White Coat Ceremony will be held Friday, August 14, at 10:00 a.m. While attendance is by invitation, the ceremony can be viewed virtually at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/live/rd1d94uAcQo

Congratulations to Dr. Kiruthika Balakrishnan, who was selected to present a TUFH Talk at The Network: Towards Unity for Health (TUFH) Conference!

TUFH Talks are TED-style presentations delivered in just three minutes.

Dr. Balakrishnan's presentation, "Preparing Rural Health Professionals for Responsible AI in Clinical Practice," authored by Kiruthika Balakrishnan, Zhi Li, Kara Fess, and Hana Hinkle, explores the importance of equipping the next generation of rural healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills to use artificial intelligence responsibly, ethically, and effectively to improve patient care in rural communities.

As AI continues to transform healthcare, ensuring that rural clinicians are prepared to use these technologies responsibly is essential to advancing equitable, high-quality care for rural populations.

We are proud to have Dr. Balakrishnan representing the NCRHP on the international stage. Congratulations, Kiruthika!

Congratulations to Dr. Kara Fess, Director of the Rural Medical Education (RMED) Program at the NCRHP, on her oral presentation at The Network: Towards Unity for Health (TUFH) Conference!

Dr. Fess presented "A Targeted Approach to Seek Out and Admit Rural Background Students to Our Rural Medical Education Program" during the conference session "Building Resilient Health Workforces: Leadership, Education and Retention for Equitable Care."

Her presentation highlights the importance of recruiting and admitting students from rural backgrounds, an evidence-based strategy to strengthen the rural physician workforce and improve access to care in underserved communities.

We are proud of Dr. Fess representing the NCRHP’s work on an international stage. Congratulations, Kara!

The NCRHP and the RMED Program are proud to congratulate third-year RMED student Hailey Hulse on authoring three recently accepted peer-reviewed publications! Hailey is listed as an author on studies examining patient experiences (first author!), sports medicine outcomes, and orthopedic research trends.

Hailey shared: "One of the most rewarding parts of medical school has been discovering how research can bridge the gap between patient experiences and clinical decision-making. Growing up in a town of 500, I hadn't had the opportunity to do research. These projects have reinforced my passion for orthopedic surgery and inspired me to pursue questions that can make a meaningful difference for both patients and physicians."

For medical students, participating in research is about much more than publishing papers. It develops the skills to ask meaningful questions, critically evaluate evidence, understand patients' perspectives, and translate research into better clinical care. These experiences prepare future physicians to practice evidence-based medicine and improve the health of the communities they serve.

Congratulations, Hailey, on this outstanding achievement! We look forward to seeing all that you accomplish throughout your medical career.

Our last afternoon of Salud Scholars included an extra entertaining visit from Al Winstead from the Winnebago County Coroner’s Office! Last but not least, we ended the day with our Closing Blue Lab Coat Ceremony and presented them with their certificates of completion. Thank you again to ALL of our presenters who so generously donated their time and their resources to our Salud Scholars program again this year! The students loved participating in so many different activities over the course of the three busy days!

We’d like to extend a special thank you to the Rockford Fire Department for sending Lieutenants Josh Harding and Dustin Collins to present about their careers in firefighting to our Salud Scholars on Friday! Students were able to tour the ambulance, and everyone enjoyed listening to and interacting with them about the information they shared with us from their 18+ year careers they’ve held with the RFD. We hope to have you visit us again next year! 🚑 🔥 😎

Day 3 of our Salud Scholars program included "The Life of a Prescription” activity led by RPHARM mentors in the Pharmacy Compounding Lab, and a special visit and warm welcome to the UIC campus by the UICOMR Regional Dean, Trevonne Thompson! 🧑‍⚕️💊🥼🩺

Day 2 of our Salud Scholars program included presentations by Darryl Pendleton from UIC College of Dentistry in Chicago, Dr. Chastain from our UICOMR Medicine Simulation Lab, and college readiness discussions about the multiple health programs offered at Rock Valley College! In the afternoon, the Salud Scholars were able to visit the onsite clinic on campus to learn the basics of using an ultrasound machine, and they ended the day with some fun and friendly medical trivia. 👨🏼‍⚕️ 🦷 📚 🩺

Day 1 of our Salud Scholars program included a warm welcome to our UICOMR campus by Vicki Weidenbacher-Hoper, NCRHP’s Associate Director of Rural Health Workforce and Center Development. The scholars were then able to learn more about our campus with a friendly scavenger hunt! The afternoon activities included learning how to assess a patient’s vital signs and they were able to practice basic suturing skills in a hands-on session led by our amazing RMED student mentors. ☀️👩🏻‍⚕️🥼🩺🏫

This week we are hosting 14 students from 8 different rural high schools at UIC COMR for our 2026 Salud Scholars program! Two of our rising M2 RMED students, Abbigayle Gamble and Thomas Huisman, are also serving as mentors helping to lead the healthcare career activities alongside the presenters. Stay tuned for more photos of the fun we've been having with them so far on our campus!