Fort Smith, Ark. – The Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE) announced the start of its first Doctor of Public Health in Leadership for Rural Health and Sustainable Development program, welcoming a cohort of 21 students in August. The three‑year, part‑time degree is delivered fully online, allowing working clinicians and public‑service professionals to earn a doctorate while continuing their jobs.
Focus on Rural Arkansas
Don Simpson, dean of ACHE’s School of Population Health, highlighted that roughly 44% of Arkansas residents live in rural areas. The new program is designed to equip graduates with the leadership skills needed to secure grant funding, keep community hospitals open, and expand telehealth services for those underserved populations.
“They’ll be the ones to get the grant funding for the rural areas, to keep the community hospital open or to create new telehealth activities, so that rural populations can be served and reached appropriately,” Simpson said.
Student Profile and Goals
The inaugural class includes physicians, nurse practitioners, and professionals from government agencies, hospital systems, and health‑focused nonprofits such as the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership. Students aim to apply their training to real‑world projects—whether that means devising new transportation solutions to reach distant clinics or developing policy briefs that advocate for increased prosthetic funding for diabetic patients.
Simpson emphasized that the program seeks tangible outcomes, not just academic papers. “We want them not to come up with a paper that sits on a shelf or lives on a file on their computer. We want a product that they leave behind in the community they’re serving,” he explained.
Looking Ahead
The first cohort is expected to graduate in 2029, and officials hope graduates will spark a “renaissance” in public health across Arkansas. Simpson noted that federal funding cuts and a broader devaluation of health and education have made the need for skilled rural health leaders more urgent than ever.
ACHE recently celebrated its first Master of Public Health graduating class, which offered concentrations in nutrition, indigenous health, and rural and community health. The new doctoral program builds on that foundation, aiming to create a lasting professional network that supports graduates throughout their careers.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
