Appalachian State University has received a grant of $838,276 from Dogwood Health Trust to support its role in the Health Policy Research Consortium. The consortium addresses health issues such as physical and mental health challenges, substance use and misuse, and housing and food insecurity in Western North Carolina.
Dr. Adam Hege, associate dean for research and graduate education at App State’s Beaver College of Health Sciences and principal investigator for the grant, said the funding targets problems that have existed in the region before Hurricane Helene but were made worse by the storm. “Data collected from needs assessments of counties across Western North Carolina reveal these issues are negatively impacting residents and have been doing so over time,” Hege said. “This is due in large part to structural and systemic barriers, poverty and lack of access to needed services and resources.”
The two-year grant will back rural health research led by faculty and students at Appalachian State University through the Appalachian Institute for Health and Wellness. The project will focus on issues that emerged after Hurricane Helene, including local cash assistance efforts, housing challenges, planning needs, and disparities in health resources.
Formed in 2023, the consortium includes partners from University of North Carolina Asheville, East Tennessee State University, Western Carolina University, and the Western North Carolina Health Network. Dr. Martie Thompson, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Endowed Professor in Public Health at App State, along with Jennifer Schroeder Tyson ’07, research assistant professor in public health at App State, are co-principal investigators on this grant.
“We have a team of scholars who have diverse expertise and are highly motivated by the opportunity to create lasting change in our region,” Hege stated. As principal investigator, he will coordinate projects across consortium members while supporting faculty researchers with data collection strategies and policy brief development aimed at state and local policymakers.
The funding moves researchers into implementing an agenda developed over two years with stakeholder input. It also provides for guest speakers and community listening events; findings will be shared through reports, podcasts, social media posts, presentations, town halls, and panel discussions.
Hege noted that expected changes to federal programs could make regional challenges more difficult: ongoing collaboration among interdisciplinary researchers is necessary to help guide policy decisions using community-based inquiry.
Thompson will assist all funded research activities under this initiative—helping faculty develop projects as well as sharing results with stakeholders.
Schroeder Tyson’s role involves increasing engagement among local scholars. She explained that instead of studying communities from afar, this approach involves working directly with them: “This approach empowers residents, community leaders and local health agencies to co-create strategies that address pressing health and policy challenges,” she said.
The Beaver College of Health Sciences at Appalachian State enrolls more than 3,600 students across various undergraduate- and graduate-level programs within six departments. Its facilities include both Holmes Convocation Center on campus as well as Levine Hall of Health Sciences—a modern building central to Boone’s Wellness District—with additional partnerships linking students to regional medical organizations like Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s Physician Assistant Program (more information can be found at https://healthsciences.appstate.edu).
Appalachian State University is part of the University of North Carolina System; it enrolls over 21,000 students between its Boone/Hickory campuses (and online) while offering more than 150 undergraduate majors plus 80 graduate programs (details available at https://www.appstate.edu).
