Jan 18, 2021
Michelle chats with Katie Baca-Motes, director of The Participant Center for the All of Us Research Program at Scripps Research, and Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association, about several significant rural health issues. Baca-Motes describes how the All of Us Research Program, in which individuals provide their health data to an open-source health database, is accessed by researchers to improve health outcomes. Morgan notes that rural populations are traditionally left behind in medical research and that by participating in the All of Us Research Program, rural residents ensure that their specific health situations are addressed. Baca-Motes also discusses the optimal outcomes of the All of Us Research Program: getting medical and preventative care in more convenient locations and empowering rural communities to take care of their own health. Morgan notes that racial disparities come into play with rural communities, so rural people of color are doubly under-resourced. Baca-Motes says that the best way to reverse anti-science sentiment is getting information out to clinical staff and encouraging the positive influence of peers. Morgan stresses the importance of using data so that future generations don't encounter the health disparities found in rural areas right now. This episode is sponsored by the All of Us Research Program. Join us to make a difference at joinallofus.org/RuralMatters