Center for Rural Health opens on MSU-WP campus

Published 3:00 pm Wednesday, November 4, 2026

Missouri State University has established a new center dedicated to addressing regional healthcare shortages and public health disparities, headquartered on the West Plains campus.

The Ozarks Public Health Institute’s Center for Rural Health represents a joint initiative connecting MSU’s Springfield and West Plains campuses. The center will provide faculty, staff and students hands-on opportunities in community outreach, applied research and field experience, while creating a direct pathway for West Plains students transitioning into advanced degree programs.

Campus leaders noted the facility aligns with the university’s statewide public affairs mission and institutional strategic plans focusing on student success, impactful research and community service.

“Our campus has been recognized as a leader in healthcare education for decades,” said MSU-WP Chancellor Zora Mulligan. “Establishing the Ozarks Public Health Institute’s Center for Rural Health here in West Plains will be good for our students and everyone who lives and works in the region we serve.”

Officials emphasized that rural health solutions require an interdisciplinary approach extending beyond traditional medicine. The center will draw on expertise across fields including nursing, health information technology, behavioral health human services, business, criminology, education, child and family development, and sociology.

Through that multidisciplinary framework, the center will coordinate research, practice-based learning, service projects and workforce development aimed at tackling the underlying causes of rural health challenges.

The Ozarks Public Health Institute was established by the MSU Board of Governors in February 2001 as a systemwide institute. Over its 25-year history, the organization has partnered with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, regional public health agencies from northwest to southeast Missouri, and statewide healthcare advocates.

Area residents and students seeking additional information may contact OPHI Associate Director Jaci McReynolds at 417-836-3271 or by email at OPHI@MissouriState.edu. Program details are also available online at MissouriState.edu/OPHI.