Jennifer A. Kowalkowski , MPH, Ph.D., RN

Dr. Kowalkowski is a population health nurse scientist whose research spans the social and health sciences. Her work lies at the intersection of sociocultural contexts within which rural populations live and the impact of these factors on health outcomes. Her research broadly centers on rural health and disparities in health across the rural-urban continuum and within rural settings. What underpins how she conceptualizes rural health is that where people live and how they experience their everyday lives matters. Through this lens, Dr. Kowalkowski examines social processes that create structural barriers to achieving optimal health and contribute to systemic disparities in mental well-being among rural and agricultural populations.

To that end, Dr. Kowalkowski conducts interdisciplinary, community-based investigations in rural settings using mixed-methods and in partnership with local stakeholders to examine the facilitators and barriers influencing access to health-promoting resources and services within local contexts. Her work is positioned to improve mental well-being among rural and agriculture populations through improved risk prediction, early intervention, and implementation of tailored evidence-based, patient-centered strategies to improve health outcomes.