Nominations Due November 7th!

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In honor of National Rural Health Day, the Montana Office of Rural Health/AHEC and Montana Rural Health Association are seeking nominations for the Dr. Frank Newman Rural Health Award.  Dr. Newman represented the spirit of Montana in nearly 50 years of service to rural communities and healthcare in our state.  The nominees who most exemplify what Dr. Newman represented will be announced in late November to celebrate National Rural Health Day.

Dr. Newman was instrumental in founding the Montana WWAMI Medical School Program, the Montana Office of Rural Health, the Montana AHEC, the Montana Family Medicine Residency Program, and many other programs.  He served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps, and was the founder of the Wind Drinkers running club. Dr. Newman counseled hundreds of young people interested in a career in medicine and other health professions.  He was actively teaching in the WWAMI Targeted Rural Underserved Track at Montana State University, and working at the Montana Office of Rural Health/AHEC until his death at age 80 on Veteran’s Day, 2011.

Nominations for the Award should reflect Dr. Newman’s commitment to rural health in Montana, his support for health professions, his belief in the young people of our state, and his optimistic view of the future.  Dr. Newman traveled to every corner of Montana, worked with rural hospitals and healthcare providers, and believed that communities had the capacity to support high quality healthcare.  He helped many people persevere in their goals and hopes, and inspired many young people to pursue their dreams.

Awards will be given in three categories:

  1. Frank Newman Rural Health Leadership Award
  2. Frank Newman Rural Clinician Leadership
  3. Frank Newman Future of Rural Health Award
    • This award recognizes an outstanding young leader (high school, college or early career) who is from a rural community, is pursuing a health science educational opportunity and/or who is working on rural health issues and has shown a commitment to improving the health of Montana.

Application deadline: November 7th, 2024

If you have questions, please email Nicole Holt at nicoleholt2@montana.edu or call 406-994-6252.