RMED presents at national rural residency conference

The NEOMED Rural Medical Education (RMED) program presented at the national Rural Training Track (RTT) Collaborative annual meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, on April 12, 2024.

RMED director and alum, Dr. J. Alex Heintzelman (’11), led the presentation titled: Diversity and collaboration of Ohio’s medical schools on rural programming: The Rural Physician Training Pathways (RPTP) model.

The RPTP was formed in 2019. Since then, the NEOMED RMED program has worked with colleagues across the state on shared experiential learning goals and student outcomes.

RMED is a student-centered learning community entering its tenth year in academic year 2024-2025! There are currently 58 medicine students in RMED. As of 2024, 55 RMED alumni have completed the program. Of those post-residency in practice, 70 percent of RMED students practice in rural settings. Nationally, only 10% of the physician workforce practice in rural settings, while 20% of the US population lives in rural areas.

Pictured (from left): Jayna Vossler, MEd, Wright State University, Sharon Casapulla, EdD, MPH, Ohio University, J. Alex Heintzelman, MD, NEOMED