KCOM - Director Rural Health Initiatives (hybrid)

Description A.T. Still University's Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) is seeking a full time, exempt Director of Rural Health Initiatives on the Kirksville, Missouri campus. Under the guidance of the Vice Dean/Rural Health Transformation Program Senior Director, the Director of Rural Health Initiatives drives operational ownership, strategic execution, and portfolio management across ATSU-KCOM’s broader rural health initiatives.

Designed to build organizational capacity and mitigate operational risk, this position supports the expanded workload expected through Missouri’s broader Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funding—extending well beyond the ToRCH Care Hub Anchor initiative—while providing essential wrap-around professional support and administrative bandwidth for the RHTP Hub 16 Program Director and the Hub as a whole.  In alignment with College priorities, this position supports rural clerkship and community initiatives, leads in evaluating the feasibility of a Center for Rural Health, assesses funding opportunities for readiness and competitiveness, collaborates on the development of extramural grant/contract proposals, tracks health policy developments, and fosters cross-functional institutional alignment.

Additionally, the Director will work closely with University Advancement and Alumni Relations to engage and mobilize alumni networks to expand rural health initiatives, establish clinical training sites, and build a robust mentorship framework for osteopathic medical students dedicated to rural practice. The position maintains continuous health policy surveillance, analyzing state and federal legislative developments, CMS rules, and Medicaid payment transformation to translate policy insights into active rural health programming.

Operating as an active advocate, this position leads state and federal government advocacy efforts on behalf of the College to promote policies, reimbursement models, and legislative initiatives that ensure high-quality healthcare and improved patient outcomes for rural and underserved communities.  As an institutional peer to the RHTP Hub 16 Program Director and other ATSU-KCOM leaders overseeing related initiatives, this position leads complementary College-level rural projects, drives competitive grant pursuits to generate extramural funding, and advances scholarly dissemination (e.g., policy briefs, poster presentations, manuscripts).

Operating as a high-level individual contributor, the Director provides administrative guidance, operational backup, and cooperation across KCOM’s rural health entities while executing overall rural health strategy, policy translation, advocacy, and project integration.  Duties & Responsibilities   (Listed in order of importance) Strategic Rural Health Portfolio Leadership: Drive operational ownership, project roadmaps, and execution for KCOM’s broader rural health portfolio, including supporting rural clerkship and residency pipeline expansion, curricular enhancements, and community-based health initiatives.

Alumni Engagement & Mentorship Strategy: Partner strategically with ATSU University Advancement and Alumni Relations to mobilize KCOM and ATSU alumni. Cultivate network involvement in rural health initiatives, help to secure alumni preceptors and clinical training sites, and design/oversee structured mentorship opportunities for osteopathic medical students interested in rural medicine.  Grant Strategy & Revenue Generation: Partner with the Hub 16 Program Director to translate regional readiness assessments and Hub operational data into competitive extramural grant applications and RFP responses.

Spearhead strategic scoping/writing and development of competitive grant/contract proposals to secure external funding for and sustain College rural health priorities, collaborating closely with ATSU Sponsored Programs workflows and best practices.  Health Policy Intelligence & Analy