1 minute read
Beatty earns ETSU's highest research honor
Dr. Kate Beatty, a public health researcher whose work focuses on rural and Appalachian health and advancing health care for rural and low-income women, received East Tennessee State University’s Distinguished Faculty Award in Research last August.
It is the highest research honor that ETSU presents to a faculty member.
Advertisement
A faculty member who wrote a letter in support of her nomination noted that Beatty’s work “is both practical and policy relevant — critical attributes for meaningful research in the public health arena.”
Beatty has been a member of the ETSU College of Public Health since 2014, where she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Services Management and Policy. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and a Master of Public Health and Ph.D. in Public Health Studies from St. Louis University.
During her time at ETSU, she has played a role in three major research centers: the Center for Applied Research and Evaluation in Women’s Health (CARE Women’s Health), the Center for Rural Health Research, and the ETSU/NORC Rural Health Equity Research Center
Beatty has developed and led a collaborative, externally funded research program with the goal of expanding access to care and improving the quality of care for rural and underserved populations. She has been deeply involved with a wide range of research projects aimed at improving the lives of people through practices and engagement with policymakers and funders.
Her work has focused often on rural communities, including Appalachia and the U.S. Southeast around issues related to maternal and child health, substance use disorder, and the social determinants of health. It has led to multiple important outcomes, including the development of a novel approach for measuring access to contraceptive care at the clinic, two studies related to telehealth use at rural clinics in the Southeast, and three policy briefs that highlight the bright spots in the Appalachian region to address substance use disorder.
“To say that Dr. Beatty’s work is impactful and lifechanging is an understatement,” wrote a colleague. “She has worked tirelessly to make a difference for people so they can achieve their health goals and their full potential.”
