Pamlico County (PC) is a beautiful rural, coastal county with about 15,000 residents, a high rate of chronic diseases, many elderly individuals, and a significant proportion living in poverty. It is also prone to hurricanes and flooding, making disaster readiness and response critical. The County has a limited primary healthcare system of 3 clinics, but no hospital.  

During the last five academic years, a Bass team, multiple GH Capstone teams, and four SRT teams worked very successfully with a variety of county partners, including a local charitable clinic, the PC Health Department, the Pamlico County Disaster Recovery Coalition (PCDRC), and HeartWorks, an NGO supporting socio-emotional and educational needs of underserved families.  The community has fully embraced Duke SRT teams (as their testimonials reveal) and is committed to continuing the Duke-Pamlico Partnership for Rural Health, our novel University-County partnership addressing local rural health care needs, access, and strengthening the rural health system.  

Project description: Students will work closely with faculty mentors and county partners to develop new research while extending past work streams, and continuing to strengthen relationships with current partners, community members, and potential new partners within Pamlico and possibly neighboring county organizations.  

 Areas of student research and engagement can include some of the following, while others may develop as aligned with need and interest: 

• Identification and documentation of disparities in health status, outcomes, and access to care within the rural population. Investigate the ‘hidden diversity’ often present in rural communities and its implications for strengths and inequities.  Writing articles with local partners like the health department (PCHD) and PCDRC to educate academic and local populations on ways university-community partnerships can improve health outcomes 
• Working with PCHD and local clinics and health partners, continue developing, implementing, and assessing key work from previous teams, such as:  
  • Recommendations emerging from the Duke-PCHD 2024 community health assessment, including development and assessment of Telehealth access, use of CHWs, and integration of other units like DSON and Duke Family Medicine 
  • Evaluation and further development of mobile outreach services  
  • Development of a broader community care-net and health surveillance system to address the critical county care gap with particular attention to capturing the impact of health policy changes disproportionately impacting rural communities.   
  • Data collection and support for an ongoing, multi-sectoral NC Rural Hypertension Study 
  • Re-examine and expand on research started with the vibrant Community Paramedic Program.   
• Grant writing and outreach to neighboring counties to support broader health advocacy and the Duke-PC model expansion. Involves examining how rural counties can create an aligned, multi-county coalition to have a larger presence with policymakers and attract more resources than their individual, small populations are able.  
• Continue integration of environmental science, emergency management, and public health in disaster readiness and response, as well as evaluation of emerging models of disaster mitigation and community resilience.                    
• Continuing work on monitoring, evaluation, database creation, and programming to support the socio-emotional services provided by key civic organization partner(s).  
• Literature review and proposed application of frugal innovations, digital technology, and innovative apps for chronic disease management 

The team will work closely with Faculty leads, previous SRT teams, and county partners over the Spring semester. There will also be opportunities for the team to engage in clinical shadowing, assisting with the identification and development of grant proposals, and volunteering in county health tasks and fairs. 

Selection criteria:

 We are looking for students with: 

• Desire and dedication to address inequities and disparities in rural healthcare  
• Interest in alternative delivery models of care, especially for chronic care and seniors 
• Interest in applying frugal and digital innovation in a rural community 
• Interest in health policy and developing models that support capacity building and sustainable transfer of implementation to local leadership. 
• Knowledge (course or experience) in research methods, data collection, and statistical analysis helpful 
• Interest and/or experience in academic writing and publishing helpful 
• Open to diverse cultural perspectives and working with people across a spectrum of ages, educational backgrounds, races and religious beliefs 
• Self-motivated learner, with excellent project management, organizational, teamwork and written and oral communication skills 
• High professionalism and cultural respect & sensitivity in working with peers, community co-workers and leaders, health workers, and NGO supervisors. 

Prior experience with any community-based organizations, community-based care delivery, community surveys, quantitative analyses, qualitative focus groups or key informant interviews, as well as experience with digital innovations in health care delivery a PLUS! 

Application Process:  

Please see the SRT website for information about how to apply. Any questions regarding the application, interview dates or general project information should be directed to Lysa MacKeen or Emilee Kerr.