University of Alabama Institute for Rural Health

09/03/2025

Upcoming event: 24th Annual Rural Health Conference, "Stroke and Vascular Disease in Rural America",

The Rural Health Conference is hosted by the Institute for Rural Health Research which is operated by the College of Community Health Sciences at The University of Alabama. The annual conference brings together health care professionals, community leaders, researchers, government officials and pol...

07/18/2024

2024 West Alabama Region 4 Stroke Symposium🐘🚑

06/28/2024

Starting June 28, 2024, The University of Alabama will stop enrolling new All of Us participants and collecting biosamples such as blood, urine, or saliva in-person. New participants can still join online at JoinAllofUs.org. New participants can provide saliva samples from home by mail, if asked, and can also provide blood through Quest, if available.

The All of Us Research Program will continue after this change. There will be no change to your participant status. University of Alabama at Birmingham will continue to provide support for current All of Us participants in Birmingham, AL as they complete new surveys or other activities.

By remaining an active All of Us participant, your health information is helping researchers learn more about health and disease. Scientists are already making discoveries about conditions like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and depression—to name just a few. Participating in All of Us is always free and always optional. You can leave the program at any time.

Please know we value your partnership and your many contributions to the All of Us Research Program. We are deeply grateful for all you have done to support the program. As we navigate these changes, we will keep you informed about any updates.

If you are a current participant and have further questions, please feel free to contact our office number at (205) 348-6991 or email us directly at allofus@ua.edu. Our office will be open past June 28, 2024.

06/20/2024

Come by and see our booth at the Alabama Academy of Family Physicians Conference!

04/25/2024

Come join us Today!

04/19/2024

04/18/2024

Rural Health Conference: Day 2

04/17/2024

Great start to the 23rd Annual Rural Health Conference with an informative panel “Addressing Gender Based Violence and S*x Trafficking in Alabama”

04/16/2024

Join us on Thursday, April 18th to hear from presenter Curt Harper at the 23rd Annual Rural Health Conference.

Dr. Curt E. Harper has over 15 years of experience as a Forensic Toxicologist. He was appointed Chief Toxicologist for the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences (ADFS) in 2012. As Chief Toxicologist, he oversees technical operations, method development and validation, and the quality assurance/quality control program, manages productivity, serves as training coordinator, and develops and maintains standard operating procedures. Dr. Harper has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology and a Master’s of Science in Forensic Science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He holds board certification as a Fellow of the American Board of Forensic Toxicology (F- ABFT) and serves as Chair of the Oral Fluid Committee and former Chair of the SOFT/AAFS Drugs and Driving. In addition, he acts as a President for the International Association for Chemical Testing (IACT) and member of the National Safety Council’s Alcohol, Drugs and Impairment Division (NSC-ADID). Dr. Harper serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the Department of Justice Sciences, adjunct professor at Oklahoma State University within the School of Forensic Sciences, and faculty for the Borkenstein Alcohol Course at Indiana University. His interests include oral fluid drug testing, DUI/D testing and interpretation, and drug facilitated crimes. ADFS is the first state crime laboratory to implement a comprehensive DUI/D oral fluid drug testing program in the United States. As an Alabama Peace Officer, Dr. Harper has been certified as a Drug Recognition Expert since 2015 and acts as a member of the Alabama Impaired Driving Prevention Council. Prior to his appointment as Chief Toxicologist at ADFS, he served as Toxicology Supervisor in Richmond for the Virginia Department of Forensic Science for two years. Dr. Harper has testified on the effects of alcohol and other drugs in over 225 criminal or civil cases during his tenure in Alabama and Virginia.

For more information, visit rhc.ua.edu/
CME/CE Opportunity: rhc.ua.edu/continuing-education/

04/16/2024

Join us tomorrow to hear from presenter Rebekah Boswell at the 23rd Annual Rural Health Conference.

Rebekah Boswell serves as the Forensic Pathology Manager at the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. As a board-certified Forensic Toxicologist with 20 years of experience, Rebekah is dedicated to aiding the Medical Examiners in the interpretation of toxicological findings, managing the agency’s three medical facilities, and enhancing medicolegal death investigation services in Alabama. Her unwavering commitment to public service shines through her work in an agency devoted to applying science and medicine to uphold justice.

For more information, visit rhc.ua.edu/
CME/CE Opportunity: rhc.ua.edu/continuing-education/

04/15/2024

We are just TWO DAYS from the 23rd Annual Rural Health Conference! Join us Wednesday afternoon, April 17th, to hear presenter Jason Kokoszka, PhD.

Dr. Kokoszka has been employed with the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences since 2005, initially serving as the Forensic Biology Section Chief in the Mobile Regional Laboratory. In 2017, he was appointed as the Forensic Biology Discipline Chief, and his responsibilities include overseeing the casework and databank activities statewide, as well as the technical operations, training program, and quality assurance program within Forensic Biology. Dr. Kokoszka holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Lehigh University and a Master’s degree in Forensic Sciences from George Washington University. Dr. Kokoszka received a PhD in Genetics in Molecular Biology from Emory University, where his graduate work spanned the fields of population genetics, biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology. Following graduate school, Dr. Kokoszka worked at Orchid Cellmark, a private forensic DNA testing company, for approximately three years prior to joining ADFS in 2005.

For more information, visit rhc.ua.edu/
CME/CE Opportunity: rhc.ua.edu/continuing-education

04/12/2024

Join us next Wednesday, April 17th, at 2p.m. to hear presenter Truman Fitzgerald at the 23rd Annual Rural Health Conference.
For more information, visit rhc.ua.edu/
CME/CE Opportunity: rhc.ua.edu/continuing-education/

Truman Fitzgerald joined the Birmingham Police Department in July 2011. After completing the police academy, he was assigned to the Patrol Bureau as a patrol officer. In July 2020, he joined the Public Information Division, where he currently serves as an assistant public information officer.

Truman Fitzgerald obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (2016). He obtained a Juris Doctorate from Birmingham School of Law (2020) and then became a member of the Alabama State Bar in April 2021.

The annual Rural Health Conference offers Continuing Education credits to registered physicians, nurses, social workers, and EMS (Emergency Medical Services) personnel.