The National Center for Rural Health Professions

05/29/2026

Our 2026 Six-Week Interprofessional Preceptorship (SWIP) program started this week on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. Our East Central IL AHEC host site, Gibson Area Hospital & Health Services in Gibson City, IL, is overseeing the four students while they complete six weeks of job shadowing, study about rural health and how it is delivered while completing a service-learning project for the community.

The students, from left to right in the pictures, are Caitlyn Barbour (ISU), Jack Gentes (Illinois Wesleyan University), Jimmy Chavez (Lake Forest College), and Elizabeth Giroux (SIU-Carbondale). All are aspiring to become rural health physicians. Not only will they be observing first-hand about how rural healthcare is delivered; they are able to live in a rural community to experience rural life and all it has to offer.

This year's program runs through Thursday, July 2, 2026. Keep an eye out for pictures of the students while they complete their job shadowing and service-learning project in the coming weeks. We will be posting them here!

Many thanks to Gibson Area Hospital & Health Services and the East Central IL AHEC for their continued support of the program.

For more information about SWIP, please visit this webpage: https://ncrhp.uic.edu/programs/experiences/six-week-summer-preceptorship/.

05/29/2026

Congratulations, Shruthi! We are so proud of you!

Dr. Shruthi Mekala received the Excellence in Family Medicine Award during April’s Senior Night and Awards Presentation. It’s presented to a senior student for outstanding performance on the family medicine clerkship.

She also received Craig E. Booher MD Community Health Scholarship, which was established in memory of former College of Medicine Rockford Dean, Dr. Craig E. Booher. Dr. Booher served as associate dean from 1972-1989 and acting dean in 1975. The scholarship is given to a fourth-year medical student who demonstrates financial need and who matches into a family medicine residency program.

05/29/2026

Congratulations Anna! We are proud of you!!

Dr. Anna Snider, (right) received the Dr. Charles Spencer Williamson Award for Excellence in Internal Medicine during April’s Senior Night and Awards Presentation. Here she is with Jeffrey R. Smith, MD, FACC, chair of the Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties (left).

This award was established by the faculty and friends of the late Dr. Charles Spencer Williamson, long-time head of the department of medicine. It is presented to a senior student for excellence in medicine.

05/27/2026

Congratulations Cheyenne! So well-deserved!

Cheyenne Carr, MD, (right) received the Dr. Gary Button Rural Primary Care Medicine Award during last month’s Senior Night and Awards Presentation. Here she is with Hana Hinkle, PhD, MPH, director of National Center for Rural Health Professions (left).

This award is named in memory of Dr. Gary Button, a graduate of the medical school and family practice residency program in Rockford. Dr. Button was a longtime family physician in Harvard, and faculty member in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Rural Medical Education (RMED) Program.

The award is given to a student who exhibits the qualities and characteristics of Dr. Button, is dedicated to a career in primary care and is committed to practicing in a rural community.

05/27/2026

Recently, the NCRHP welcomed the regional Illinois Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Directors to the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford campus for their annual retreat.

Illinois AHEC, a federally funded program of NCRHP, works to improve access to healthcare through workforce development, community partnerships, and educational opportunities across the state. NCRHP proudly serves as the Illinois AHEC Program Office.

The annual retreat provided an opportunity for regional directors from across Illinois to come together for program updates, collaboration, networking, and celebration of another successful year advancing rural and underserved healthcare workforce initiatives.

Thank you to all of our Illinois AHEC partners for your continued dedication to strengthening healthcare access and supporting future health professionals throughout Illinois!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOJMjJVPkKM

05/27/2026

Congratulations Blaine! So well deserved!!

Blaine Calloni, MD, received the Dr. Glenn D. Netto Humanitarian Award during the Senior Night and Awards Presentation last month.

This award is established in memory of Dr. Glenn Netto, a class of 1980 College of Medicine Rockford graduate, who loved teaching medical students and served in various roles at the Rockford campus. The recipient of this award is a compassionate and motivated individual who embodies the attributes Dr. Netto felt were important in being a great physician–a community servant, a life-long learner, an excellent educator, and a great listener.

This award is given to an M4 who is dedicated to a career in a primary care field.

05/22/2026

Several faculty and staff from NCRHP recently attended the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Annual Conference in San Diego, where they shared the Center’s work in rural medical education and pathway programming.

Dr. Kara Fess, Director of the Rural Medical Education (RMED) Program and RMED alumna, presented during the Rural Medical Educators meeting “Tour of Medical Education Programs,” highlighting the history and evolution of the RMED Program and its continued impact on preparing physicians for rural practice.

Beth Squires and Dr. Zhi Li presented their poster, “An Analysis of the Rural Health Experience: An Innovative Healthcare Pathway Program,” which showcased findings from NCRHP’s Rural Health Experience (RHE) program and its impact on student knowledge, attitudes, and interest in rural healthcare careers.

Also attending the conference from NCRHP were Dr. Hana Hinkle and Vicki Weidenbacher-Hoper.

We are proud to have our faculty and staff sharing the important work being done at NCRHP to strengthen the rural healthcare workforce pipeline across Illinois and beyond.

05/21/2026

Although we are a little late in sharing, we still wanted to highlight a wonderful visit to our campus this spring!

On Friday, April 24, 2026, we welcomed 13 rural high school students from 8 different rural Illinois high schools to the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford campus. All students previously participated in one of our 2025 summer pathway programs and returned to campus for a day of hands-on learning and exploration.

During their visit, students participated in activities in the medical simulation lab, pharmacy compounding lab, and medical biotechnology lab. They also practiced patient assessment skills in the Clinical Skills Center under the guidance of first-year Rural Medical Education (RMED) students.

Students also had the opportunity to play RePlay Health — an interactive game that allows participants to experience the U.S. healthcare system and explore ways to improve it.

The students especially enjoyed the hands-on activities and learning more about careers in pharmacy and medical biotechnology. We loved having them on campus and look forward to welcoming our 2026 summer program students next year! Thank you to Beth Squires, Assistant Director of External & Pathways Programs who organized and led the event.

05/19/2026

As we celebrate this year’s graduating class, we want to take a moment to recognize the many ways our students contribute beyond the classroom and clinic settings.

Bella, one of our graduating RMED students, has been a familiar and friendly presence at NCRHP throughout her time in medical school. While spending time in our space as our longest serving research assistant, she also found meaningful ways to stay engaged with our mission of strengthening rural health pathways.

During medical school, Bella participated in the Salud Scholars project—an initiative focused on increasing exposure to healthcare careers among rural high school students who are underrepresented in medicine. Through this work, she helped identify rural school districts and contributed to the development of a hands-on summer camp introducing students to a wide range of health professions, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, radiation technology, respiratory therapy, and even basic surgical skills like suturing.

Her involvement reflects a strong commitment to mentoring and creating opportunities for the next generation of rural healthcare professionals.

We are proud of all that Bella, and her fellow RMED classmates, have accomplished, and we look forward to the impact they will continue to make in rural communities.

Congratulations, Bella!

05/19/2026

📣 Attention medical students: We are co hosting a brand new event to connect directly with our participating programs-August 11th 5-7 pm PT-event is FREE for students to participate!!

RMTC Rural Residency Connection for Medical Students

05/14/2026

Happy Thursday! We're continuing to take some time this spring to introduce you to some of our UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy RPHARM students through our popular "Get To Know Me" social media features! Without further ado, we're excited to introduce you to Piper Rhoads!

1. What is your hometown?

My hometown is Charleston, IL

2. Which college did you attend undergraduate?

I got my bachelor's degrees in Bio & Neuroscience from Eastern Illinois University in my hometown.

3. Why did you choose to focus on rural pharmacy?

I chose to focus on rural pharmacy after growing up in a rural community and seeing the healthcare challenges that come from that.

4. What has been something you have found to be an unexpected, yet pleasant surprise during your RPHARM experience so far?

The collaboration between pharmacy and medical students as well as being able to be around others that grew up in rural communities.

5. What advice would you give to students applying to pharmacy school? How would you encourage them to consider rural health?

My advice would be to be open to anything and try new experiences. Shadow pharmacists in different environments if you can to see their typical day to day. Rural health is such an underserved area that has so much variety and connection with patients.

6. What hobbies/interests do you have outside of school?

I love to bake and decorate cakes, photography, and watch movies.

Thank you, Piper, for taking the time to let us get to know you a little better! We are so happy to have you in the RPHARM program!