Ways to Join Us

Website Editor • Mar 21, 2023

Board of Directors


Debra Youngfelt, BS, MCHES®, President

Executive Director

Northeast PA Area Health Education Center

164 Scranton Carbondale Highway

Archbald, PA 18403

Telephone: (610) 379-2001

Email: dyoungfelt@nepa-ahec.org


Joseph Robare, DrPH, MS, RDN

Associate Professor and MPH Program Director

Department of Public Health and Social Work

Slippery Rock University

110 Dinger Building

1 Morrow Way

Slippery Rock, PA 16057

Telephone: (724) 738-2943

Email: joseph.robare@sru.edu


Sharon Adams, RN, BA, Treasurer

Executive Director

Southcentral Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center

2056 Plank Road

P.O. Box 509

Carrolltown, PA 15722

Telephone: (814) 344-2222

Email: sadams@scpa-ahec.org


Jamie Hammond, MS, MPAS, PA-C, Secretary

Assistant Professor

Department of Physician Assistant Studies

University of Pittsburgh

243 Murdoch Building

3420 Forbes Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Telephone: (412) 383-0654

Email: jlh300@pitt.edu


Helen Hawkey, RDH

Executive Director

PA Coalition for Oral Health

P.O. Box 242

Delmont, PA 15626

Email: helen@paoralhealth.org


Lisa Davis, MHA

Director and Outreach Associate Professor of Health Policy and Administration

Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health

118 Keller Building

University Park, PA 16802

Telephone: (814) 863-8214

Email: lad3@psu.edu


Ronald Mezick, Jr., PA-C

Pennsylvania Society of Physicians Assistants

P.O. Box 128

Greensburg, PA 15601

Telephone: (724) 836-6411

Email: rbmezick@aol.com


Diane Spokus, M.Ed., PhD, MCHES®

Teaching Professor of Health Policy and Administration, and

Associate Director of Undergraduate Professional Development

Department of Health Policy and Administration

The Pennsylvania State University

501K Ford Building

University Park, PA 16802

Telephone: (814) 865-0716

Email: dms201@psu.edu


Kathy Wonderly, RN, MS.Ed.

Consultant, Performance Improvement

Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania

500 Commonwealth Drive

Warrendale, PA 15086

Telephone: (814) 787-8456

Email: wonderlk@hcwp.org


Jayne Klenner, PhD

Associate Professor of Computer and Information Systems

Department of Public Health and Social Work

King's College

133 N. River Street

Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702

Telephone: (570) 208-5900 ext. 5452

Email: jayneklenner@kings.edu


Hope Wormuth, MHL

Fund Development & Community Relations Specialist

VNA Hospice & Home Health of Lackawanna County

301 Delaware Avenue

Olyphant, PA 18447

Telephone: (570) 383-5180

Email: hwormuth@vnahospice.org


Justin Beupre, Ed.D., MHA, LAT, ATC

Assistant Professor 

Graduate Healthcare Administration Program

McGowan School of Business

King's College

133 N. River Street

Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702

Email: justinbeaupre@kings.edu


Daniel P. Champigny, MPAS, PA-C

Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Medicine

Frostburg State University 

24 North Walnut Street

Hagerstown, MD 21740

Email: dpchampigny@frostburg.edu


Jennifer Whittaker

Research Scientist

PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Email: whittakerj@chop.edu

Student Board Members


Tori Baker, Student Representative 

MPH Environmental & Occupational Health Concentration Graduate Student

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

Email: veb1001@sru.edu


Katherine Noss

Research Coodinator

Penn State College of Medicine

Hershey, PA 

Email: knoss2@pennstatehealth.psu.edu



By Website Editor 21 Mar, 2023
Are you a health professions student in Pennsylvania with an interest in providing care to the rural and underserved members of our state? If your answer is YES , the PA AHEC Scholars program is right for you.​If accepted, you will become part of a national program funded by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. The program creates regional, interprofessional teams that will discover ways to provide patient-centered and population-focused healthcare as they learn about and experience team-based care, social determinants of health, cultural competencies, behavioral health integration, practice transformation and various current and emerging health issues. The Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center (PA AHEC) invites Pennsylvania health professions students interested in providing care in rural and underserved communities to apply for the PA AHEC Scholars Program. For complete information and the application please go to: https://www.paahecscholars.org
By Website Editor 21 Mar, 2023
The revised edition of PRHA's flagship publication, Status Check VI provides an update on Pennsylvania rural health care. The document raises awareness on the issues impacting the delivery of health care services in rural areas of the state, including rural emergency services, the rural elderly, migrant farm worker health needs, oral health issues, telehealth services, behavioral health, and more. The document is tailored to inform discussions among those who can make a difference in the health of, and health care for, rural residents. Status Check VI is a collaborative effort by representatives from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, Slippery Rock University, and The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.
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