Dr. Frank Newman Rural Health Award

Shelley Rickett FNP-C PMHNP-BC was raised in Forsyth, Montana. After completing her Nurse Practitioner degree, she returned to the area and worked at Crow Agency for 5 years and is currently working at Rosebud healthcare Center (RHCC). While continuing to provide care to her patients and seeing the increased need for behavioral health services in our community, Shelley continued her education to get her Masters of Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner degree.

Now Shelley is in her last sememester of her Doctorate of Nurse Practitioner Program that she will complete in December all the while she holds the role of Chief Medical Officer for RHCC. Shelley is a great role model and has set her standards high and encourages all to reach for thier goals. 

Shelley has made a commitment to ensure steady resources are available in our rural area. Shelley also has committed to ensure that there is a continuity of care and high-quality mental health services are provided to our community. Shelley's goal and biggest accomplishment is brining the needed psychiatric care to our rural community. Her efforts have been a huge asset to everyone in our area and continues to grow. 

Not only is Shelley providing for our community, Shelley is active in other local communities such as Treasure County by running the local hardware store and assisting with many community events such as Treasure County Giving Tree. For the reasons above, I feel Shelley is more than deserving of such a prestigious award.

Christine has carried the torch of Dr. Newman's commitment to rural health professions education and service to rural hospitals and clinics throughout her career. She is a mentor and educator who has developed and delivered training that has impacted hundreds of individuals and organizations in Montana. As a nurse-educator for Montana Health Network and North Eastern Montana AHE, Christine has taught: Pediatric Adanced Life Supprt, Cardiac Adanced Life Support, Trauma Nursing Care, Management of Agressive Behaviors, and Youth Mental Health First Aid, to name only a few. Christine is a life-long learner, advancing her own education in service to healthcare providers in her 15 county-region. Her students are successful because she is a great mentor, role model and supports learners with one-on-one support. 

As the Director of NEMT AHEC, Christine has grown the number and professional talent of clinical educators, to reduce the barriers of finding and attending appropriate training classes in the state. Christine has taken on leadership roles in her community such as the development of online programs for: CNAs, medical laboratory technician, radiologic technician, and nursing. She works closely with Miles City Community College in support of their nursing program and has taken the lead in the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program in eastern Montana. She has worked with agricultural leaders and Stockman's (Stockgrowers) Association to provide workshops. She has developed and continues to expand the Health Career Fair and Miles Community College. Christine has been instrumental in implementing the Rural Nurse Residency Program which takes new nurses across several facilities and gives them a cohort of people to work with in order to avoid early burnout and increase peer rapport. The MSU Colleges of Nursing honored Christine with the Alumni Achievement Homecoming Award for her service as a nurse in Montana.

Christine oversees a staff of five people and interfaces with the regional board of community leaders. She works with students of all ages, encouraging them to pursue careers in high-skill, high-pay, and high-demand healthcare industry. Christine and her staff coordinate a variety of pipeline programs: SafeSitter, MedStart Summer Camp, Research and Explore Awesome Careers in Healthcare, a virtual regional HOSA Chapter, and partnering with local healthcare facilities, Intermountain Health, Critical Access Hospitals and Nursing Homes, statewide, and Montana Post-Secondary Educational Opportunities Council. 

Nationally and statewide, Ms. Williams works closely with the National AHEC Organization, Montana Office of Rural Health/AHEC, and Project ECHO with Southern Utah AHEC (Type 2 diabetes). Christine is instrumental in creating a pathway for future rural healthcare clinicians, leaders and educators, which helped solidify the future of healthcare in Montana's most remote regions. Christine's quiet leadership and belief in rural health have had a tremendous impact on our state. For those of us who know and loved Frank, we know he would be greatly supportive of this nominee.

 

For the past six years, Sara Kaull has embodied the heart and spirit of Dr. Frank Newman through her unwavering commitment to strengthening rural healthcare across Montana. As the Executive Director of Simulation in Motion Montana (SIM-MT), she has guided the organization through significant growth and change while holding steadfast to its mission: to improve team performance and patient outcomes by bringing high-fidelity medical simulation directly to Montana’s rural and frontier communities.

Sara leads with the same optimism, ingenuity, and service-driven heart that defined Dr. Newman’s life and work. She believes deeply in the capacity of rural communities to deliver exceptional healthcare when they are equipped with the right training and support. Under her leadership, SIM-MT’s fleet of mobile simulation trucks travels to every corner of the state — from mountain towns to tribal lands — ensuring that clinicians, nurses, EMS teams, and hospital staff receive realistic, hands-on education without leaving their communities.

Sara’s leadership has bridged the gap between distance and opportunity. She has cultivated strong partnerships with hospitals, clinics, EMS agencies, and tribal health departments throughout Montana and neighboring states. Her collaborative approach has also extended to city, state, and regional officials, where she has worked tirelessly to secure grants and funding that make simulation training accessible to all — regardless of a facility’s size, budget, or geographic challenges. She does not allow distance or finances to stand in the way of SIM-MT’s mission, ensuring that even the most remote healthcare providers receive the same level of training and readiness as their urban counterparts.

Beyond her administrative excellence, Sara is a connector and mentor. She leads her team with integrity, compassion, and clarity, cultivating a culture of excellence and shared purpose. She models professionalism and perseverance, inspiring her staff to approach every training with the same level of care, respect, and authenticity she demonstrates daily. Through her guidance, SIM-MT has earned recognition as a trusted partner in rural health education and emergency preparedness.

Sara’s passion for equitable access extends deeply into her work with tribal health organizations and frontier communities. She approaches these partnerships with humility and respect, ensuring inclusion and representation in SIM-MT’s statewide initiatives. Her advocacy has strengthened relationships and expanded opportunities for culturally competent, community-based healthcare training across Montana.

In every way, Sara Kaull reflects Dr. Newman’s belief in the strength, resilience, and potential of Montana’s rural communities. She leads with optimism, innovation, and a steadfast belief that every provider — no matter how far from a major hospital — deserves the tools and confidence to deliver exceptional care. Through her leadership, dedication, and vision, Sara continues to shape the future of rural healthcare education in Montana and exemplifies the enduring spirit of Dr. Frank Newman.

It feels fitting that Cindra Stahl’s Montana journey in rural health began alongside Dr. Frank Newman, whose vision continues to shape healthcare in the state today. When Cindra joined the Montana Office of Rural Health and Area Health Education Center (MORH/AHEC) in 2011, she and Frank shared a deep belief in Montana’s people, its promise, and the conviction that every rural Montanan deserves access to high quality healthcare.

In the years that followed, Cindra carried that same spirit forward. For nearly fifteen years, she has been the steady heartbeat behind many of Montana’s most impactful rural health initiatives, leading with integrity and an enduring belief in collaboration. She helped lead Montana’s AHEC program for many years, strengthening connections between academic institutions, healthcare organizations, and communities to grow and support the state’s health workforce. Through her work with the Montana Graduate Medical Education (GME) Council, Cindra helped coordinate efforts to expand residency opportunities and strengthen Montana’s physician pipeline. She guided the Small Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP), helping critical access hospitals enhance quality and sustainability, and championed telehealth and connectivity through the Rural Health Information Technology Network. Cindra also helped shape multiple iterations of the Montana Healthcare Workforce Strategic Plan and led the Montana Healthcare Workforce Advisory Committee, bringing together educators, hospitals, state agencies, and rural partners.

Over the years, Cindra logged countless miles across Montana, visiting hospitals, meeting with partners, and ensuring that rural voices were always part of the conversation. She brought thoughtfulness and joy to her work, fostering collaboration built on trust and follow-through. Her reliability earned the respect of colleagues across Montana, allowing her to quietly move complex projects forward and ensure that commitments turned into lasting outcomes. What most reflects Dr. Newman’s legacy in

Cindra’s career is not only her accomplishments but the way she works, with steadiness, clarity, and genuine care for the people and communities she serves. Fittingly, for many years Cindra also coordinated the Dr. Frank Newman Rural Health Award program itself, celebrating others who embodied the same values of service, optimism, and dedication that she modeled.

Now retired, she continues to support the Montana GME Council, still nurturing the relationships and initiatives she helped build. Her leadership, rooted in the same hope for a better future for Montana that Dr. Newman championed, has strengthened rural healthcare across the state and ensured that his vision continues to thrive. Cindra’s collaborative spirit and well-earned wisdom have left a lasting mark on Monta