School of Public Health (SPH) Associate Professor Carrie Henning-Smith was recently elected to two new leadership positions at the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). Beginning this month, Henning-Smith will serve as chair of the NRHA’s Research and Education Constituency Group, and she will also serve on the NRHA’s Board of Trustees. With more than 21,000 members across the country, the NRHA is the nation’s largest professional organization focused on rural health.

“In my new roles as a member of the NRHA Board of Trustees and Chair of the Research and Education Constituency Group, I’m excited to further strengthen my relationship with NRHA and my connections with rural stakeholders from across the country,” Henning-Smith says, adding that her “ultimate goal is advancing rural health equity.”

Henning-Smith has been a member of NRHA since 2015 and has held several leadership roles within the organization, including serving on the Health Equity Council, being chosen as a Rural Health Fellow, and being appointed to the Government Affairs Committee. She also served as Chair of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Rural Health, NRHA’s scholarly journal, from 2019-2022. In 2022, she was honored as the NRHA Volunteer of the Year.

In addition to being an associate professor at SPH, Henning-Smith serves as deputy director of both SPH’s Rural Health Research Center and the CTSI/OACA Rural Health Program. Henning-Smith’s research focuses on advancing health equity, with a particular focus on illuminating structural and political barriers to health and well being.