SPH Rural Public Health Practice Initiative

Bridging Oregon’s rural communities and public health education to build a stronger, more connected workforce.

Connecting Across Oregon

Rural Public Health Practice (PHP) Initiative

Launched in 2025, the Rural PHP Initiative is dedicated to expanding access to graduate education in rural Oregon and ensuring that our programs reflect the voices and priorities of rural communities. Our work focuses on:

Building Partnerships

With rural public health agencies, community organizations, and undergraduate institutions to create sustainable pathways into public health careers.

Strengthening Curriculum

By integrating rural perspectives, content, and practice experiences so graduates are prepared to advance health equity in rural communities.

Expanding Access

By aligning outreach and enrollment efforts with rural needs and increasing opportunities for students in rural Oregon to pursue a Masters of Public Health (MPH) while living and working in their home communities.

Supporting Students

Supporting students from rural and underrepresented backgrounds through mentorship, leadership development, and opportunities to build community and belonging.

Together, these efforts aim to grow and sustain a more representative public health workforce prepared to serve Oregon. Funding for this work comes from OHSU’s 30-30-30 Initiative, which seeks to address healthcare workforce shortages in Oregon and to build a more diverse public health workforce, with a strong emphasis on rural areas. This work is guided by the Rural PHP Advisory Group consisting of students, alumni, and community partners invested in supporting these goals.

For more information about the Rural PHP Initiative, please contact Alice Gates, Associate Professor and Director of Rural Workforce Development in the School of Public Health.

REQUEST MORE INFORMATION

Subscribe to Rural PHP Newsletter

Please complete the form to learn more about the Rural PHP Initiative, subscribe to our newsletter, and connect with Alice Gates, Associate Professor and Director of Rural Workforce Development in the School of Public Health.

For questions email gatesal@ohsu.edu

Rural Public Health Practice Advisory Group

The Rural PHP Advisory Group brings together students, alumni, and community partners who share a commitment to strengthening the rural public health workforce and expanding access to graduate training in public health practice across Oregon.

Specifically, the Advisory Group will:

Offer guidance on curriculum enhancements that make the MPH–Public Health Practice program more relevant to rural learners and communities.
Inform strategies for building partnerships with local organizations and health leaders in rural regions.
Advise on ways to expand pathways and access so that students from rural and underrepresented backgrounds to enter, thrive, and graduate.

Group members of the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Rural PHP Advisory group sitting in a circle with clipboards and paper discussing the meeting agenda

Alice Gates

Associate Professor and Director of Rural Workforce Development

Alice Gates is an associate professor in the School of Public Health and faculty lead for the 30-30-30 Initiative. Gates teaches courses on social justice, policy, and practice, and her work focuses on expanding access to graduate public health education, particularly for rural and underrepresented communities across Oregon.

Gates’ research centers on advancing health equity through engaged teaching, community partnerships, and policy change. She has collaborated extensively with Oregon’s Latinx immigrant and farmworker communities to address inequities in labor rights, caregiving, and health. Her community-based research contributed to the passage of Oregon’s FAMLI Equity Act, the state’s paid family and medical leave policy enacted in 2019. Gates has also published on antiracist pedagogy and curriculum development.

For questions email gatesal@ohsu.edu
Vanport Building, Room 523C