A summit planned for Sept. 29 in Kearney will bring together community organizations, health care professionals and academic groups to discuss the pressing health challenges facing rural communities across Nebraska.
The Rural Engagement and Wellness Summit is intended to foster relationships and partnerships across the rural health and wellness landscape in Nebraska, said Emily Frankel, PhD, a University of Nebraska Medical Center assistant professor and an organizer of the event.
The summit is co-sponsored by the Great Plains IDeA Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) Network, headquartered at UNMC, and by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. It will be held at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Details:
Date: Sept. 29
Time: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Location: UNK Regional Engagement Center, 2204 University Drive in Kearney
Cost: Free
Register for the Nebraska Rural Engagement and Wellness Summit at this link.
More information is available at this UNMC event listing.
The summit comes at a time when UNMC is expanding its presence in rural Nebraska to help meet the state’s rural health workforce needs. New UNMC pharmacy students are starting in Kearney this school year, and medical students will follow in August 2026 when the new Health Science Education Center II opens.
“As UNMC’s presence in rural communities continues to grow, it is essential that we listen to and learn from those who live and work in these areas,” Dr. Frankel said. “By doing so, we can build meaningful partnerships, align resources with community priorities and advance strategies that support long-term health, wellbeing and resilience across the state.”
Two of the summit’s keynote speakers are brothers Andy and Cade Craig, both MDs, who are graduates of the UNMC College of Medicine and practice at Kearney County Health Services in Minden, Nebraska.
Both brothers participated in the Kearney Health Opportunities Program at UNK before attending UNMC and returning to their hometown to practice medicine. And both physicians continue to promote the benefits of the KHOP program.
Additional keynote addresses are scheduled by Brandon Grimm, PhD, vice dean of the UNMC College of Public Health, professor of health promotion and interim chair of the UNMC Department of Health Services Research and Administration, and by Jane McElroy, PhD, of Rural Health Research and Extension in Missouri.
Dr. Frankel said the summit will follow an “unconference” format, allowing attendees to shape and lead the conversation.
The summit’s goals, she said, also are to identify and frame the most pressing health challenges facing rural communities, support innovative and collaborative solutions and translate the work into actionable steps.
Said Dr. Frankel, “Hosting the Rural Engagement and Wellness Summit provides a powerful opportunity to bring together community members, academics, clinicians, educators, public health officials and other partners united by a shared commitment to the health and vitality of Nebraska’s rural communities.”