Rural Health Policy

Setup Instructions

Office of Rural Health Policy Staff List

1. The Team Structure: All staff are assigned to specific teams within the Office. These teams are: the Community-Based Team (which includes all staff who work on the community based grant programs under the jurisdiction of the Office); the Hospital-State Team (which includes all staff who serve as regional liaisons and project officers for the Office's State-based programs), the Policy-Research Team (which includes staff who oversee either regulatory issues or research issues) and the Administrative Team (which includes all staff who are charged with overseeing specific administrative duties). There are also six staff, based in Dallas, assigned to a border health team. Two staff are also assigned to working with the Director to coordinate HRSA's Intergovernmental Affairs Activities (IGA).

2. How Issues Are Assigned: All staff are also assigned issue areas. For members of the Community-Based Team, this relates to the focus areas of the grants on which they serve as project officers. For members of the Policy-Research team, this relates to policy areas they oversee. For members of the Administrative Team, this relates to those administrative issues for which they bear responsibility.

Name and Title	Team	Program or Policy Assignments	Issue Areas	Phone/Email
Tom Morris, Acting Associate Administrator	Management; Policy-Research; IGA	Oversees all aspects of the Office, including rural health policy and programs; border health, international health and intergovenrmental affairs; primary staff to HHS Rural Task Force	Budget, Personnel, Operations oversight; Legislation; Policy	301-443-0835 tmorris@hrsa.gov
Heather Dimeris, Associate Director	Management; Policy-Research; Administrative	Oversees the Administrative Team; quality-related policy activites; grants processes	Budget; personnel; Operations oversight; Regulation review; Quality improvement	301-443-4657 hdimeris@hrsa.gov
Staff
Anthony Achampong	Hospital-State; Management	Southeast Co-Regional Liaison (project officer for that region's Flex grants, SORH grants and SHIP grants); Data and Performance Measurement Coordinator; Liaison to OIT for the ORHP PIMS Contract, Representative on the HRSA IT Internal Review Board	Data and Performance Measurement Coordinator	301-594-4429 aachampong@hrsa.gov
George Brown	Hospital-State	Flex Critical Access Hospital-Health Information Technology Network (CAHHITN) Coordinator; Southeast Co-Regional Liaison (project officer for that region's Flex grants, SORH grants and SHIP grants)	Delta Small Rural Hospital Performance Improvement Initiative	301-443-7321 gbrown@hrsa.gov
Karen Beckham	Hospital-State and IGA	Northwest Co-Regional Liaison (project officer for that region's Flex grants, SORH grants and SHIP grants); Rural Best Practices Cooperative Agreement	Intergovernmental Affairs coordination for HRSA	301-443-0502 kbeckham@hrsa.gov
Julia Bryan	Management and Community-Based	Liaison to Grants Management, Division of Independent Review, Office of Financial Assistance Management	Grants Coordinator; Grants technical assistance; Recruitment and Retention; Women's Health	301-443-6707 jbryan@hrsa.gov
Jennifer Chang	Hospital-State	Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant Program (SHIP) Coordinator; Executive Secretary, National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services; Northeast Co-Regional Liaison (project officer for that region's Flex grants, SORH grants and SHIP grants)	Grant Program performance measures, OMB approval	301-443-0736 jchang@hrsa.gov
Carrie Cochran	Management; Policy-Research	Policy Coordinator; Quick Data Turnaround Cooperative Agreement; Frontier Extended Stay Clinic Cooperative Agreement; Rural Policy Analysis Cooperative Agreement; National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services staff	Medicare reimbursement including inpatient hospital reimbursement; outpatient hospital reimbursement; Skilled Nursing Care; Home Health; Medicare Advantage; Medicare GME; Supervisor for interns	301-443-4701 ccochran@hrsa.gov
Mary Collier	Administrative		Phones; meeting scheduling; travel; timekeeping	301-443-0836 mcollier@hrsa.gov
Jerry Coopey	Hospital-State	Midwest Co-Regional Liaison (project officer for that region's Flex grants, SORH grants and SHIP grants)	Rural Recruitment and Retention Network (3RNet) liaison; Access to Capital; Rural Health and Economic Development; safety-net collaboration; hospital performance improvement	301-443-7306 jcoopey@hrsa.gov
Nancy Egbert	Hospital-State	Northwest Co-Regional Liaison (project officer for that region's Flex, SORH and SHIP grants); Flex Monitoring Cooperative Agreement	Clinical Advisor; health quality; nursing; pandemic influenza	301-443-0614 negbert@hrsa.gov
Michelle Goodman	Hospital-State and Policy-Research	Southwest Co-Regional Liaison (project officer for that region's Flex grants, SORH grants and SHIP grants)	Health Workforce; Communications Coordinator	301-443-7440 mgoodman@hrsa.gov
Steve Hirsch	Hospital-State	Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program Coordinator; Rural Assistance Center Cooperative Agreement	Definitions of Rural	301-443-7322 shirsch@hrsa.gov
Eileen Holloran	Community-Based	Network Planning Grants Coordinator; Rural AED Coordinator; Project Officer for Outreach and Network grant programs	Transportation; chronic disease management; Alzheimer's	301-443-7529 eholloran@hrsa.gov
Vanessa Hooker	Community-Based	Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program (RESEP) Coordinator; Project Officer for Outreach and Network Development grant programs	Diabetes, Recruitment and Retention	301-594-5105 vhooker@hrsa.gov
Kristi Martinsen	Community-Based	Black Lung Program Coordinator; Project Officer for Outreach and Network Development grant programs	Mental health; Substance Abuse	301-594-4438 kmartinsen@hrsa.gov
Michael McNeely	Hospital-State	Midwest Co-Regional Liaison (project officer for that region's Flex, SORH and SHIP grants)	ORHP Technical Assistance Coordinator; OIT Liaison including web material coordinator	301-443-5812 mmcneely@hrsa.gov
Jeanene Meyers	Hospital-State	Northeast Co-Regional Liaison (project officer for that region's Flex grants, SORH grants and SHIP grants)	Pharmacy & 340B	301-443-2482 jmeyers@hrsa.gov
Keith J. Midberry	Hospital-State; Management	State Offices of Rural Health Program Coordinator	Human Resources Coordinator; 340B liaison	301-443-2669 kmidberry@hrsa.gov
Erica Molliver	Policy-Research	Targeted Rural Health Research grants; National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services, Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance	Physician fee schedule; ambulance fee schedule; Medicare Part D; Medicaid waivers; HHS J1 Visa waivers; health professional shortage areas; Frontier health	301-443-1520 emolliver@hrsa.gov
Nisha Patel	Community-Based	Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant Program Coordinator; Project Officer for Network Development grant program	Cardiovascular health; obesity; nutrition; elder care	301-443-6894 npatel@hrsa.gov
Michele Pray-Gibson	Management; Hospital-State	Budget Coordinator; National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services	Executive Officer; Budget Coordinator; backup on contracts coordination	301-443-7320 mpray@hrsa.gov
Sherilyn Pruitt	Community-Based	Rural Network Development Grant Program Coordinator; Project Officer for Outreach grant program	Health information technology; telehealth	301-594-0819 sadams@hrsa.gov
Elizabeth Rezai-zadeh	Border and Community-Based	Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Program Coordinator; Project Officer for Quality, Outreach, and Network Development grant programs; and U.S.-Mexico Border Health Advisor	Border Health; Central Office liaison to Dallas Division of Border Health	301-443-4107 erezai@hrsa.gov
Jacob Rueda	Community-Based	Project Officer for Black Lung, RESEP, Outreach and Network Development grant programs	Emergency medical services and trauma; pharmacy; Medicaid	301-443-0649 jrueda@hrsa.gov
Lilly Smetana	Community-Based	Grants Files coordinator; Electronic Handbook Liaison; Grants Program Administrator; RESEP, Outreach programs	Earmarks; health literacy; health professions education; oral health	301-443-6884 lsmetana@hrsa.gov
Lakisha Smith	Community-Based	Delta Network Development Program Coordinator; Delta Liaison to HST; Project Officer for Outreach and Network Development grant programs	Safety net collaboration; HIV/AIDS; minority health and cultural competence; school-based health	301-443-0837 lsmith2@hrsa.gov
Sonja Carter Taylor	Community-Based and Management	Project Officer for Rural Health Outreach and Rural Health Network Development grant programs	General rural health; school-based health; Inter-Agency agreement coordinator; backup on contracts and budget	301-443-1902 staylor@hrsa.gov
Shelia Tibbs	Community-Based	Project Officer for Network Development and Black Lung grant programs	Public health; capital construction monitoring for Delta Health Initiative	301-443-4304 stibbs@hrsa.gov
Amal Thomas	Administrative	Administrative Coordinator		301-443-0139 athomas@hrsa.gov
Kathryn Umali	Community-Based and IGA	Delta Health Initiative Program Coordinator; Southwest Co-Regional Liaison (project officer for that region's Flex grants, SORH grants and SHIP grants)	Intergovernmental Affairs coordination for HRSA	301-443-7444 kumali@hrsa.gov
Joan Van Nostrand	Policy-Research	Rural Health Research Coordinator; Rural Health Research Center Cooperative Agreement	Disability; long-term care; research data; Healthy People 2010-access chapter	301-443-0613 jvan_nostrand@hrsa.gov
April Ward	Administrative			301-443-3999 award@hrsa.gov
Sheila Warren	Community-Based and Management	Project Officer for Outreach and Network Development grant programs	Contracts Coordinator; Health promotion and disease prevention; Health education	301-443-0246 swarren@hrsa.gov
Division of Border Health
Frank Cantu	Border	Coordinates HRSA's border health activities	Budget, personnel, administration	214-767-3881 fcantu@hrsa.gov
Margarita Figueroa-Gonzalez	Border	Pan-American Health Organization contract project officer; NM border health liaison	HIV/AIDS	214-767-8068 mfigueroa@hrsa.gov
Michelle Mellen	Border	AZ border health liaison	Maternal and Child Health	214-767-3070 mmellen@hrsa.gov
Lilia Salazar	Border	CA border health liaison	Travel, administrative	214-767-3073 lsalazar@hrsa.gov
Erma Woodard	Border	Administrative support	Phones, scheduling, meetings	214-767-3171 ewoodard@hrsa.gov
Updated January 2008