Hundreds convene to address rural health disparities
Virginia Tech’s Whole Health Consortium brought together more than 250 professionals to discuss a whole health approach for advancing rural health care during the Whole Health, Whole Communities: Dialogues to Reduce Rural Health Disparities symposium.
Virginia Tech brought together hundreds of professionals from different backgrounds to help develop holistic solutions for an urgent concern – rural health disparities.
“We’re at a critical moment in health care, especially in rural America, and it's clear we need a radical shift,” said Tina Savla, director of the Whole Health Consortium at Virginia Tech.
More than 250 researchers, practitioners, community leaders, and industry partners took part in the consortium’s Whole Health, Whole Communities: Dialogues to Reduce Rural Health Disparities symposium at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center on May 19.
Virginia Tech was one of 18 institutions nationwide chosen to convene a regional forum as a part of the Strengthen Pathways for Health Research initiative, which is led by the Doris Duke Foundation, eight partner philanthropies, and various anonymous donors. The findings will inform a national blueprint for shaping new funding models, policy changes, and industry investments that promote disease prevention, early interventions, and improved care delivery and clinical outcomes.
“The goal of this symposium was to spark new ideas, build connections, and take collaborative action that’s grounded in community values and lived experiences, not only to manage illness, but to help people and communities truly thrive,” said Savla, who is also a professor of human development and family science.
The whole health approach to health care is one that encompasses all aspects of a person's well-being, including physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health. Through guest speakers, group discussions, and the interactive research display “data walk,” attendees explored applying this approach to the multifaceted health challenges facing rural communities.
“There’s real energy when compassionate, like-minded people come together,” said Pamela Chitwood, population health manager of the West Piedmont District for the Virginia Department of Health. “This symposium gave us space to connect researchers, policymakers, health workers, and community members. I left with new ideas, new partnerships, and a real sense that we’re moving toward change together.”
Hosted by the university’s Whole Health Consortium, the event built on the momentum of the groups’ inaugural 2024 meeting, aimed at identifying concrete steps to improve rural health outcomes. Housed in Virginia Tech’s Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment, the consortium was founded in 2023 with the mission of harnessing a range of expertise to revolutionize systems, research, practices, and policies that affect holistic health and well-being.
“This symposium brought the mission of whole health to life,” said Karen Roberto, founding executive director of the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment. “It created space for people from across disciplines and sectors to come together, share ideas, ask hard questions, and think deeply about what communities truly need. It’s not about having all the answers. It’s about showing up, listening, and grounding research, practice, and policy in what matters most to the people we serve."
This year’s event was made possible by support from the American Cancer Society and an anonymous donor through the Collective to Strengthen Pathways for Health Research.
“At the American Cancer Society, we're deeply committed to advancing health equity, preventing cancer, and detecting it early,” said Christina Annunziata, senior vice president of extramural discovery science at the American Cancer Society. “The whole health model is a powerful, community-centered approach that helps identify problems before they start, making it an effective strategy for cancer prevention. That’s why we’re proud to support this symposium.”
Michael Friedlander, executive director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and Virginia Tech’s vice president for health sciences and technology, provided opening remarks, and the symposium included two keynote speakers: Tracy Gaudet, co-founder of Cornerstone Collaboration for Societal Change, and Alexander Krist, professor of family medicine and population health at Virginia Commonwealth University and Inova primary care physician in family medicine. As a former executive director of the Veterans Health Administration's National Office of Patient-Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, Gaudet spoke to the importance of whole health research, and Krist discussed the impact of whole health approaches on community health and well-being.
A flash funding opportunity also was announced during the symposium, intended to help teams refine research questions; bring together multidisciplinary researchers, health care providers, and community partners; and lay the foundation for external funding or larger pilot studies that advance the whole health framework.
The event concluded with a networking reception for attendees to engage with one another. While many arrived at the event approaching health care from varying perspectives, the majority left knowing they share a unified overall mission.
“The question isn’t, ‘Why whole health?’— it’s, ‘Who’s going to do it?’ And our answer is: We are,” Savla said. “Success means taking ideas from the symposium to the front porch of every rural community, and we believe Virginia Tech’s Whole Health Consortium is ready to lead that change.”
