Quentin Burdick Rural Health Program

The Quentin Burdick Rural Health Interdisciplinary Program is a collaborative program co-sponsored by the University of Hawaii School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, University Health Group, and the Kauai Rural Health Association. The program provides an opportunity for University of Hawaii-Manoa students from the schools of Medicine, Social Work, Nursing & Dental Hygiene, Education, the departments of Psychology, Public Health, Speech Communication, Nutrition, and the divisions of Medical Technology and Speech-Language Audiology to participate in an interdisciplinary rural health practicum.

The program produces tangible results that are community-supported, community-based, and designed to increase the capacity of the six participating rural sites to address their specific health needs. The primary purpose of the program is to partner with rural underserved communities, health organizations, and educational institutions to enhance the health of rural communities by identifying relevant health issues and by recruiting students from a variety of disciplines who in the future would provide comprehensive, coordinated, cost-effective, and culturally appropriate services to address the health concerns of rural communities.

The program began in Hawaii as the Quentin N. Burdick Program in 1999 and was funded until recently by a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration (grant #D36HP16002). In Spring 2006, the Hawaii State Legislature approved funding that will allow the program to continue.

For more information about our co-sponsors and many contributing community organizations, please go to our Mahalo page.