About Greater Nebraska Rural Research Network
The Greater Nebraska Rural Research Network (GNRRN, pronounced ‘grin’) is a permanent committee of the Nebraska Rural Health Association that aims to be the unifying hub connecting rural healthcare professions and community members with researchers in Nebraska—advancing research that starts with and serves rural patients and communities. We do so through key activities:
- Advancing patient-centered research activity in Greater Nebraska to improve health outcomes tied to rural-specific best practices.
- Identifying research priorities to support rural stakeholder-initiated research and providing oversight of external proposals.
- Building and maintaining sustainable operations with the ability to identify and communicate meaningful research opportunities to membership.
Research networks facilitate research by identifying priority topics, supporting connections necessary to complete research, writing funding applications, and completing research. Typically, research networks are led by universities with advisory panels from rural communities. GNRRN collaborates with, but is independent from, academic institutions. For this reason, rural research priorities are the only priorities driving GNRRN activities.
Why It Matters
People who live in rural areas have worse health outcomes than those who live in urban areas – regardless of where they receive healthcare. In spite of this critical fact, rural patients are not well represented in healthcare research that defines “best practice.” In fact, it is not uncommon for a “best practice” to be so misaligned with rural realities that they cannot be implemented.
GNRRN is working to change all this by increasing the number of rural persons who participate in large clinical trials and by supporting research completed in rural Nebraska. Knowledge gained from this research will help patients and providers alike to make better healthcare decisions.
“Closing the rural outcome gap has not happened largely because we have lacked the emphasis on discerning what matters more and what matters less and that is supported through research.”
– David Edwards, CEO Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare System
The Greater Nebraska Rural Research Network was partially funded through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute® (PCORI®) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award (EACB-37692).
Want to be involved?
Meet our Steering Committee:
Anthony D’Agostino
Community member, Seward
Brady Beecham
NeRHA Board Member
Brian Shelmadine
Interim CEO and CMO, Box Butte General Hospital
David Edwards
CEO, Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare System
Jed Hansen
Executive Director, NeRHA
Jeremiah Hanes
CEO, Dundy County Hospital, Benkelman
Kyle Kellum
CEO, Melham Medical Center, Broken Bow
Molly Herzberg
CNO, Community Hospital, McCook
Ryan Larsen
CEO, Community Medical Center, Falls City
Shelby Regan
Community member, O’Neill
Toni Hill
Community member, Kearney
Success Stories
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