Rural Interprofessional Longitudinal Scholars serve rural communities
Carolina, UNC Pembroke and UNC Wilmington collaborate on this program to address the state’s health workforce shortage.
In North Carolina, 87 out of 100 counties have a primary care provider shortage, while 90 lack mental health providers and 76 lack dental health resources.
“The reality is, no single profession can solve the challenges facing rural health care,” said Meg Zomorodi, Carolina’s senior associate provost for academic excellence. “It takes teams. It takes trust. And it takes sustained partnerships.”
That collaborative approach defines the Rural Interprofessional Longitudinal Scholars program led by UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC Pembroke and UNC Wilmington. The scholars come from the disciplines of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, social work, dentistry, occupational therapy and public health.
Each summer, these scholars learn about, with and from each other while addressing community needs through partnerships with UNC Health Southeastern in Lumberton and Novant Health in Wilmington.
Improving rural health as a team
“This program taught me that the limits of my knowledge are not a weakness — they are an invitation to turn to the person next to me,” said Zoe Bestmann-Smith ’26 (MPH).
When Bestmann-Smith and the 22 other scholars in her cohort first came together, they arrived as students from different disciplines, campuses and experiences. Through their orientation, summer immersion projects and bimonthly seminars, they gained new perspectives while working in teams to serve rural North Carolinians.
“Others, shaped by different lived experiences and professional backgrounds, bring questions I would never think of asking, and it is in those questions that we begin to see the full picture,” said Bestmann-Smith.
The scholars traveled either to Lumberton or Wilmington to work in teams on a community-defined quality improvement project. For Bestmann-Smith, working with UNC Health Southeastern was a turning point.
Her team conducted interviews with the cardiology clinic’s staff, patients and others in the community to understand the root causes that hinder patient retention and continuity of care.
“Realizing that to get to our shared goal — understand the problem and find a solution — we need to know who to ask in the room,” said Bestmann-Smith. “It became clear just how essential interprofessional collaboration is to meeting the unique needs of rural communities.”
Training and retaining a rural workforce
Tuition is often a barrier to pursuing a health professions degree. With support from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust through the Rural Interprofessional Health Initiative, the program provides up to three semesters of tuition assistance to scholars.
Since Rural Interprofessional Longitudinal Scholars launched in 2021, 72 students from the three institutions have participated. All have gone on to serve rural communities as either direct care providers or through public health roles.
The program continues to grow and shape the future of rural health, with a new cohort of 24 scholars beginning in June.
