A.T. Still University's Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) is seeking a full time, exempt Director of Rural Health Initiatives on the Kirksville, Missouri campus. Under the guidance of the Vice Dean/Rural Health Transformation Program Senior Director, the Director of Rural Health Initiatives drives operational ownership, strategic execution, and portfolio management across ATSU-KCOM’s broader rural health initiatives. Designed to build organizational capacity and mitigate operational risk, this position supports the expanded workload expected through Missouri’s broader Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funding—extending well beyond the ToRCH Care Hub Anchor initiative—while providing essential wrap-around professional support and administrative bandwidth for the RHTP Hub 16 Program Director and the Hub as a whole.
In alignment with College priorities, this position supports rural clerkship and community initiatives, leads in evaluating the feasibility of a Center for Rural Health, assesses funding opportunities for readiness and competitiveness, collaborates on the development of extramural grant/contract proposals, tracks health policy developments, and fosters cross-functional institutional alignment.
Additionally, the Director will work closely with University Advancement and Alumni Relations to engage and mobilize alumni networks to expand rural health initiatives, establish clinical training sites, and build a robust mentorship framework for osteopathic medical students dedicated to rural practice. The position maintains continuous health policy surveillance, analyzing state and federal legislative developments, CMS rules, and Medicaid payment transformation to translate policy insights into active rural health programming. Operating as an active advocate, this position leads state and federal government advocacy efforts on behalf of the College to promote policies, reimbursement models, and legislative initiatives that ensure high-quality healthcare and improved patient outcomes for rural and underserved communities.
As an institutional peer to the RHTP Hub 16 Program Director and other ATSU-KCOM leaders overseeing related initiatives, this position leads complementary College-level rural projects, drives competitive grant pursuits to generate extramural funding, and advances scholarly dissemination (e.g., policy briefs, poster presentations, manuscripts). Operating as a high-level individual contributor, the Director provides administrative guidance, operational backup, and cooperation across KCOM’s rural health entities while executing overall rural health strategy, policy translation, advocacy, and project integration.
Duties & Responsibilities
(Listed in order of importance)
- Strategic Rural Health Portfolio Leadership: Drive operational ownership, project roadmaps, and execution for KCOM’s broader rural health portfolio, including supporting rural clerkship and residency pipeline expansion, curricular enhancements, and community-based health initiatives.
- Alumni Engagement & Mentorship Strategy: Partner strategically with ATSU University Advancement and Alumni Relations to mobilize KCOM and ATSU alumni. Cultivate network involvement in rural health initiatives, help to secure alumni preceptors and clinical training sites, and design/oversee structured mentorship opportunities for osteopathic medical students interested in rural medicine.
- Grant Strategy & Revenue Generation: Partner with the Hub 16 Program Director to translate regional readiness assessments and Hub operational data into competitive extramural grant applications and RFP responses. Spearhead strategic scoping/writing and development of competitive grant/contract proposals to secure external funding for and sustain College rural health priorities, collaborating closely with ATSU Sponsored Programs workflows and best practices.
- Health Policy Intelligence & Analysis: Routinely monitor state and federal rural health policy legislation, CMS regulatory shifts, and Medicaid payment transformation. Synthesize policy insights to deliver executive, actionable recommendations and risk assessments for College leadership.
- State & Federal Healthcare Advocacy: Lead advocacy initiatives at the state and federal levels to champion policies, legislative actions, and funding that promote high-quality healthcare, expand workforce pipelines, and improve patient health outcomes across rural and underserved populations.
- Center Feasibility Study & Strategic Planning: Lead a comprehensive feasibility study to evaluate the institutional, operational, and financial viability of establishing a Center for Rural Health. Assess regional health needs, analyze organizational models, map potential revenue streams, and synthesize findings into executive recommendations, sustainability strategies, and institutional frameworks to guide leadership decision-making regarding the formal launch and positioning of the Center.
- Hub Operational Integration: Work alongside the RHTP Hub 16 Program Director as a strategic institutional peer to add administrative bandwidth and ensure operational coverage for maintaining Leadership Board meeting distribution schedules, official decision log entries, Community Information Exchange (CIE) closed-loop referral monitoring, and State Stage Gate reporting deliverables during peak activity periods or absences/vacancies. Cross-train across Hub workflows to sustain local programs, regional stakeholder engagement, and overall Hub operations.
- Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaboratively develop, nurture, and strengthen community partnerships across northeast Missouri and beyond, thereby building a strong foundation for future, extramurally funded rural health initiatives.
- Scholarly Activity: Lead synthesis of initiative outcomes, drafting policy briefs, shaping conference presentations/posters, and supporting manuscript development to advance rural health scholarship at KCOM.
- Institutional Collaboration & Brand Stewardship: Work closely with the Vice Dean to promote KCOM’s national visibility as a leader in rural workforce development, particularly among existing and potential clinical training partner sites and preceptors. As needed, support College-led rural graduate medical education planning, development, and sustainability.
- Data & Fiscal Tracking: Oversee performance tracking metrics and work collaboratively with ATSU Sponsored Programs and Finance to track line-item project spend against approved budgets, ensure audit readiness, and maintain ongoing programmatic and fiscal compliance.
Job Responsibilities
Programs or Services
- Drives operational execution, tracking, and reporting across KCOM rural health education, workforce development, and community engagement projects as well as extramurally funded grants/contracts.
- Directs the strategic feasibility analysis and organizational assessment for a potential Center for Rural Health, evaluating operational viability, resource requirements, sustainability/revenue strategies, and institutional frameworks to inform executive decision-making.
- Fosters cross-functional collaboration and operational synergy across internal units engaged in rural health activities and external partners; serves as a strategic resource and cross-departmental bridge to expand operational bandwidth, leverage shared expertise, and ensure institutional alignment for KCOM’s rural health initiatives.
- Works collaboratively with ATSU University Advancement and Alumni Relations to engage alumni in student mentorship, clinical precepting, and rural health strategic objectives.
- Advances legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts at state and federal government levels focused on healthcare quality, equity, and sustainable healthcare delivery models for rural/underserved communities.
- Leads health policy surveillance, performs risk forecasting, and translates regulatory developments into strategic institutional insights.
- Spearheads grant proposal development, application assembly, and funding strategies to strengthen and sustain the College’s rural health initiatives.
- Provides administrative guidance, cooperation, and coverage to the RHTP Hub 16 Program Director as an institutional peer, aligning KCOM resources with regional priorities.
- Directs initiative dissemination by organizing evaluation data, authoring policy briefs, and overseeing conference poster development.
