Texas Rural Health Survey

ABOUT THE PROJECT

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Sponsor:

THRC's Community Health and Economic Resilience Research (CHERR) Center of Excellence

PI:

Dr. Elizabeth Ekren and Dr. Shadi Maleki

Research Pillar(s):

An icon of a road with a leaf cluster as the middle pavement marking.
A briefcase icon with a Red Cross symbol, meant to represent the STEM and Healthcare Workforce priority.
A head icon with a heart in place of a brain, meant to represent the Personal Health and Wellbeing pillar.
An icon of an medical monitor showing heart beat activity, meant to represent the Digital Healthcare Transformation pillar.
An ambulance moving at high speed with the siren on, meant to represent the Emergency Preparedness pillar.

This project aims to understand how individuals in rural Texas manage health issues, particularly in Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) and counties without hospitals. 

This research examines factors such as race/ethnicity, language/education, and food/housing insecurity among other social determinants of health that influence whether individuals seek or avoid health services, such as screenings, emergency care, and specialty care. Examining these factors may offer insights into how to better support individual behaviors and improve available health services.

Researchers & Collaborators

Headshot of Dr. Elizabeth Ekren.

Dr. Elizabeth Ekren

Researcher, THRC
Headshot of Dr. Shadi Maleki.

Dr. Shadi Maleki

Researcher, THRC
Headshot of Dr. Melinda Villagran.

Dr. Melinda Villagran

Executive Director, THRC

PARTNERS

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