Skip to main content
Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals
Menu

Main navigation redesign

  • Programs
    • Bachelor's Programs
      • Nursing
        • Bachelor Of Science in Nursing (BSN)
        • Bachelor of Science in Nursing Online
        • RN to BSN Option
      • BSN Campus Locations
        • Phoenix, AZ
        • Irwindale, CA
        • Sacramento, CA
        • Jacksonville, FL
        • Miramar, FL
        • Atlanta, GA
        • Stockbridge, GA
        • Addison, IL
        • Chicago, IL
        • Tinley Park, IL
        • Indianapolis, IN
        • New Orleans, LA
        • Troy, MI
        • St. Louis, MO
        • Las Vegas, NV
        • Charlotte, NC
        • North Brunswick, NJ
        • Columbus, OH
        • Houston, TX
        • Irving, TX
        • Pearland, TX
        • San Antonio, TX
        • Tysons Corner, VA
    • Master’s Programs
      • Nursing
        • Master Of Science in Nursing (MSN)
        • Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
        • Family Nurse Practitioner
        • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
        • Graduate Certificates
        • RN to MSN Options
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Master of Public Health
        • Master of Physician Assistant
        • Master of Social Work
    • Doctorate Programs
      • Nursing
        • Doctor of Nursing Practice
    • Certificates
      • Nursing
        • Nursing Certificates
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Public Health Certificate
  • Admission
    • Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • Curriculum and Catalogs
    • Become a Student
      • Military Information
      • Transfer Students
  • Financial Aid
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Tuition and Expenses
      • Types of Financial Assistance
      • Financial Aid Forms
      • Partnerships
    • Financial Assistance
      • Scholarships
      • Federal and State Grants
      • Applying for Federal Aid
      • Work Study
      • Loans
      • Educational Healthcare Partners
  • Why Chamberlain
    • Our Story
      • History
      • Our Vision
      • Chamberlain Care
      • Diversity and Inclusion
    • About Chamberlain
      • Leadership and Faculty
      • Campus Locations
      • Newsroom
      • Blog
      • Accreditation
      • Student Consumer Information
      • Alumni

Mobile Secondary Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Mobile Utility Navigation

  • Current Students
  • Prospective Students
  • Transfers
  • Military
  • Alumni
  • Partners
  • Employers
  • Transcripts

Top Utility Navigation

  • Current Students
  • Information For
    • Current Students
    • Prospective Students
    • Transfers
    • Military
    • Alumni
    • Partners
    • Employers
    • Transcripts
  • Chat
  • 877.751.5783
Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals

Main navigation redesign

  • Programs
    • Bachelor's Programs
      • Nursing
        • Bachelor Of Science in Nursing (BSN)
        • Bachelor of Science in Nursing Online
        • RN to BSN Option
      • BSN Campus Locations
        • Phoenix, AZ
        • Irwindale, CA
        • Sacramento, CA
        • Jacksonville, FL
        • Miramar, FL
        • Atlanta, GA
        • Stockbridge, GA
        • Addison, IL
        • Chicago, IL
        • Tinley Park, IL
        • Indianapolis, IN
        • New Orleans, LA
        • Troy, MI
        • St. Louis, MO
        • Las Vegas, NV
        • Charlotte, NC
        • North Brunswick, NJ
        • Columbus, OH
        • Houston, TX
        • Irving, TX
        • Pearland, TX
        • San Antonio, TX
        • Tysons Corner, VA
    • Master’s Programs
      • Nursing
        • Master Of Science in Nursing (MSN)
        • Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
        • Family Nurse Practitioner
        • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
        • Graduate Certificates
        • RN to MSN Options
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Master of Public Health
        • Master of Physician Assistant
        • Master of Social Work
    • Doctorate Programs
      • Nursing
        • Doctor of Nursing Practice
    • Certificates
      • Nursing
        • Nursing Certificates
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Public Health Certificate
  • Admission

    Admission

    Our team is with you every step of the way, providing the information you need to make the decisions that best serve you.

    • Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • Curriculum and Catalogs
    • Become a Student
      • Military Information
      • Transfer Students
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

  • Financial Aid

    Financial Aid

    Get support as you navigate paying for your education. Request information to connect with our admission team to discuss your financial options.

    • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Tuition and Expenses
      • Types of Financial Assistance
      • Financial Aid Forms
      • Partnerships
    • Financial Assistance
      • Scholarships
      • Federal and State Grants
      • Applying for Federal Aid
      • Work Study
      • Loans
      • Educational Healthcare Partners
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

  • Why Chamberlain

    Why Chamberlain

    Chamberlain University has a 130-year history preparing extraordinary nursing graduates and healthcare professionals. 

    • Our Story
      • History
      • Our Vision
      • Chamberlain Care
      • Diversity and Inclusion
    • About Chamberlain
      • Leadership and Faculty
      • Campus Locations
      • Newsroom
      • Blog
      • Accreditation
      • Student Consumer Information
      • Alumni
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

Secondary Header Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Featured

Women sitting at her desk and taking notes while referring to a laptop screen
The Pros and Cons of Online Learning
Smiling nurse with laptop bag walking outdoors
Five Great Career Paths Once You’ve…
Two doctors standing together in bright office
America's Need for Adult-…

Tags

Browse articles by category
Alumni
Campus News
Careers
Health Professions
Nursing Today
Tips for Students

Share

  • Home / Blog / Health Professions / From Rural to Urban America – Bridging the Health Gap

From Rural to Urban America – Bridging the Health Gap

April 03, 2019 by Natalie Sobolewski
rural urban

Q&A with Dr. Janice Unruh Davidson, Professor, Chamberlain University Graduate Programs

Interested in the differences in healthcare between rural and urban communities? From farms to cities – and everywhere in between – learn about what fueled interest and insights into influencing health equity. We sat down with Chamberlain University Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program professor, Dr. Janice Unruh Davidson, PhD, DNP, RN-BC, FNP-BC, NEA-BC, CNE, ANEF, FAANP, FNAP to learn about her passion for bridging the health gap.

Dr. Unruh Davidson, what fueled your interest in rural health?

I was heavily influenced as a child in 4-H – a youth development program – and later as a 4-H mother, so my passion for rural health emerged in the agricultural farming community of rural Kansas where I observed many challenges such as limited access to healthcare for rural families. Nearly 20 percent of our nation lives in rural communities where health provider shortages persist. Given that a disproportionate number of uninsured – and underinsured – individuals and families live in rural communities where there are persistent gaps in the public health infrastructure, access to healthcare for these populations is an alarming inequity.

Can you tell us about the work you have done related to rural health?

My work as a public health nurse began through my voluntary service in a selected health department in rural Kansas. I extended my involvement into intervening on behalf of underserved populations in Mississippi and Alabama for another decade as part of a health clinic that I founded that offered healthcare to rural underserved communities. During those years I did a lot of public health programs and further offered basic health screening and nurse practitioner intervention for individuals and families unable to otherwise access healthcare whether due to finances or geographic isolation.

What are your thoughts on how can Chamberlain University support rural health?

Chamberlain University’s culture of care—Chamberlain Care®—uniquely positions us to address social determinants of health in caring for individuals, families and communities where there is a diverse ethnic, racial and cultural base. I would love to see our university continue to support rural health through focuses in curriculum and academic offerings.

How does Chamberlain’s Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program prepare students to impact rural health?

Currently our MPH degree program requires a global health course that addresses populations with diverse ethnic, racial and cultural determinants of health. Moreover, it requires students to demonstrate attainment of MPH competencies related to cultural competence. 

Given your experiences and what you’ve seen in healthcare, what is your greatest hope for rural health?

My greatest hope for addressing rural health needs is that public health professionals will exercise leadership in mitigating the social determinants of health that create multiple health inequities for our forgotten rural heartland. I am also hopeful that the building of the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF) in the Flint Hills of Kansas, will refocus some attention on public health threats from intersections among agricultural, animal science and health science interactions.

Why do you think the topic of rural health is being highlighted during National Public Health Week?

I’m thrilled to see rural health highlighted during Public Health Week because there is a great need for public health campaigns aimed at addressing the multiple health inequities plaguing rural health in America’s heartland today. As Dr. Joseph Telfair, Immediate Past-President of the American Public Health Association says, “issues such as poverty, housing, geographic isolation and employment are more acute in rural communities and that they have an influence on health equity.”

Interested in learning how you can contribute to improving the health of communities? Explore the exciting opportunities available through Chamberlain University’s Master of Public Health degree program. Request more information here.

 

By Natalie Sobolewski

More from Health Professions

View all >
cath m
5 Nursing Leadership Lessons
Read more
Teacher with glasses in front of an easel with a note pad
5 Great Reasons Students Are Turning to Chamberlain to Earn…
Read more
social worker speaking to a child
10 Reasons to Be Proud You're a Social Worker
Read more
SWM Faculty
Chamberlain Colleagues Inspire During Social Work Month
Read more
Show more >

Request More Information

To receive the Chamberlain University Program Guide, including associated career paths, please select a program of study.

Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals

Secondary Footer Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Student Portal Login

Main Campus
Addison Campus
1221 North Swift Road
Addison, IL 60101 

National Management Offices
500 W. Monroe St, Suite 1300
Chicago, IL 60661

All Campus Locations
Contact

Footer Menu Column 1

  • Online Programs
  • Master of Physician Assistant Studies
  • Alumni Association
  • Chamberlain Marketplace
  • Military
  • Leadership
  • Catalog & Viewbook
  • Transcripts

Footer Menu Column 2

  • Student Portal
  • Student Consumer Info
  • Accreditation
  • Parent Organization
  • CA Performance Fact Sheets
  • CA BPPE Annual Report
  • CA BPPE Website
  • Cost of Attendance

Footer Menu Column 3

  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Online Cookie Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Student Disability Services
  • Office of Equity and Access

Footer Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

2023 Chamberlain Universtiy LLC. All rights reserved.

Footer Menu Line 1

  • Online Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • *140,000 Chamberlain students, alumni and faculty

    † Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Chamberlain University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, ccneaccreditation.org. The Chamberlain University Doctor of Nursing Practice (delivered via distance education) is accredited by the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037 (202-909-2526). Chamberlain University’s Master of Public Health Program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, www.ceph.org. For the most updated accreditation information, visit chamberlain.edu/accreditation. Chamberlain University’s Master of Social Work degree program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation, www.cswe.org. The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the Chamberlain University Physician Assistant Program. 

    Certified to Operate by SCHEV. 

    To report unresolved complaints to the Illinois Board of Higher Education visit their webpage at https://complaints.ibhe.org/ or by mail to 1 N. Old State Capitol Plaza, Suite 333, Springfield, IL 62701-1377. View Chamberlain's complaint process.

    Chamberlain University confers online degrees from its Main Campus in Addison, IL.

    Chamberlain University is a member of Adtalem Global Education Inc. www.adtalem.com
    ©2023 Chamberlain University LLC. All rights reserved.