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Saturday, October 10, 2026
Agenda

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8:30-9:00 a.m.

Welcome from Host Organizations and Special Remarks

  • Land Acknowledgement - Greg Hedgepeth, NC State University | GRRO

  • Sarah Hall and Davina Thrash, Institute for Emerging Issues

  • Archie Taylor, Chairman, Green Rural Redevelopment Organization

  • Earline Middleton, Executive Director, Eva Clayton Rural Food Institute

  • Special remarks from Former Congresswoman Eva Clayton

  • Special remarks from Governor Josh Stein (Video)

  • Introduction of Morning Keynote - Aaron Rimmler-Cohen, Food System Shift Program, Farm Sanctuary

9:00 a.m.

Morning Keynote - From Prevention to Transformation: Building Healthier Futures for Rural Communities

  • Dr. Rachel Keever, President and CEO | Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation (Read Bio)

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Building healthier rural communities requires moving beyond treating illness to addressing the conditions that shape health and well-being. This keynote will explore how prevention, healthy food access, equitable healthcare, and community-centered partnerships can help reduce chronic disease and improve health outcomes. Drawing on experiences across clinical care, rural health, and healthcare leadership, Dr. Rachel Keever will highlight opportunities to connect healthcare with community-based solutions and create a more proactive, equitable, and sustainable approach to rural health.

9:25 a.m.

Plenary Panel: Rural Health Transformation: Improving Health and Care Delivery for Rural North Carolinians

  • Maggie Woods, Director, NC Rural Health Transformation Program (Read Bio)

  • Laurie Stradley, Chief Executive Officer, Impact Health (Read Bio)

  • Sarah Frei, Housing & Social Determinants Director, Vaya Health (Read Bio)

  • Kelsey Accordino, Project Manager, UNC Health (Read Bio)

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North Carolina is undertaking an ambitious effort to strengthen healthcare delivery and improve health outcomes for nearly 3 million people living in rural communities. This plenary will explore the North Carolina Rural Health Transformation Program, including how new investments, regional partnerships, and community-driven strategies can expand access to care, strengthen the rural healthcare workforce, address chronic disease, and better connect healthcare with rural communities' needs. Our panelists will discuss opportunities and what this transformation can mean for building a healthier, more sustainable rural North Carolina.

10:10 - 10:30 a.m.

Break (20 minutes)

10:30 a.m.

Plenary Panel: Rural Food Is Medicine Across States: From Research to Action

  • Rochelle Bellin, Food Systems Strategies and Partnerships Consultant, DAISA (Read Bio)

  • Sam Hoeffler, Director, National Produce Prescription Collaborative (Read Bio)

  • Alexis Hoyt, Program Manager, Reinvestment Partners (Read Bio)

  • Dariush Mozaffarian, Director, Tufts Food is Medicine Institute (Read Bio)

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Food is Medicine is gaining momentum as research, healthcare, and community partnerships demonstrate the potential of nutritious food to improve health and address chronic disease. This plenary brings together national leaders to explore how Food is Medicine strategies are being developed and implemented across states, with particular attention to rural communities. Panelists will discuss emerging research, produce prescription programs, cross-sector partnerships, and lessons from implementation—highlighting opportunities to move from evidence to action and build sustainable approaches that connect healthy food access, healthcare, farmers, and communities.

11:30 a.m.

Morning Concurrent Sessions

Advancing Health Equity Through Research and Innovation (Rm 4101)

  • Michelle Crotwell Kirtley, Senior Research Analyst, Edible Atlas at Duke University (Read Bio)

  • Suzanne Daly, Civic Science Fellow at Duke University’s Social Science Research Institute (Read Bio)

  • Jinni Tang, Postdoctoral Researcher, Duke Rural Health Equity Hub at Duke University School of Nursing (Read Bio)

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Research and innovation are creating new opportunities to better understand the connections between food, nutrition, and health while addressing disparities affecting rural communities. This session will bring together researchers from Duke University's Rural Health Equity Hub and Edible Atlas a lab at Duke University to explore how emerging research, genomics, and the study of the microbiome are advancing our understanding of the relationship between diet and health outcomes. Presenters will highlight the work of the Rural Health Equity Hub and opportunities to translate scientific discoveries into practical, community-centered approaches that improve health equity, strengthen prevention efforts, and support healthier rural communities.

Morning Concurrent Sessions

Conversation with Small Rural Farmers and the Role They Play in Healthy Food Access (Rm 4105)

  • Patrick Brown, Founder, The Connect Group NC, LLC (Read Bio)

  • Rev. Richard Joyner, Founder and Chairman, Conetoe Family Life Center 

  • Elvin Eaton, Owner, Fairport Farms (Read Bio)

  • James Smith, Associate, Croatan Institute (Read Bio)

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Small rural farmers play a critical role in ensuring communities have access to fresh, nutritious, locally grown food. This session will bring farmers and food system partners together to discuss the opportunities and challenges of getting healthy food from farms to families, communities, and institutions, while exploring how stronger markets, distribution networks, and partnerships with healthcare providers, food hubs, and community organizations can support farmer sustainability, expand healthy food access, and strengthen rural economies.

Morning Concurrent Sessions

Understanding the role of Rural Food Hubs (Rm 4106)

  • Monica McCann, Resourceful Communities Initiative Director (Read Bio)

  • Athan Barkoukis, Executive Director, Farmer Foodshare (Read Bio)

  • Edwrin Sutton, Chief Operating Officer, Men & Women United for Youth and Families (Read Bio)

  • Dave Walker, Deputy Director of the Resourceful Communities (Read Bio)

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Rural food hubs play an important role in connecting local farmers with communities, institutions, and new markets while strengthening regional food systems. This session will explore how food hubs can improve the aggregation and distribution of fresh, locally grown foods, expand market opportunities for small and rural farmers, support Food is Medicine and healthy food access initiatives, and contribute to stronger, more resilient rural economies.

Morning Concurrent Sessions

From Sustainable Infrastructure to Financing: A Participatory Workshop For Community-Based Organizations (Rm 4107)

  • Dr. Sonya Jones, Executive Director, Caja Solidaria (Read Bio)

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This interactive workshop will build on earlier Forum discussions to explore how North Carolina can strengthen and sustain Food is Medicine initiatives in rural communities. Participants will examine existing programs, partnerships, policies, and community assets while identifying gaps in infrastructure, financing, and the distribution of financial and operational risks. Through facilitated discussion and shared learning from North Carolina and beyond, attendees will explore innovative financing strategies, opportunities to share risk, and collaborative approaches to building more sustainable rural food and health systems. The session will also introduce the NC Food is Medicine Coalition’s sustainable financing matrix and upcoming design studio, helping move ideas toward practical, actionable solutions.

Morning Concurrent Sessions

North Carolina Rural Health Transformation Program (Duke Energy Hall)

  • Maggie Woods, Director NC Rural Health Transformation Program (Read Bio)

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Building on the morning plenary discussion, this session will provide a deeper look at the North Carolina Rural Health Transformation Program with Maggie Woods, Program Director.

12:25 p.m.

LUNCH - Duke Energy Hall

1:00 p.m.

Lunch/Afternoon Keynote - The Future of Food: Innovation, Sustainability, and Opportunity for Rural Communities

  • Dr. Rohan A. Shirwaiker, Director, Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein at NC State | James T. Ryan Distinguished Professor | Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering (Read Bio)

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The future of food presents new opportunities to strengthen food systems, advance sustainability, and potentially create economic opportunities for rural communities. Drawing on examples from the Bezos Center at NC State, this keynote will highlight how research, workforce development, and partnerships can contribute to emerging sustainable protein technologies and a more diversified and resilient food system. The discussion will consider the role of rural communities in this evolving landscape and how collaboration with researchers, industry, and other stakeholders could help identify mutually beneficial opportunities.  

1:35 p.m.

Afternoon Concurrent Sessions

Advancing Rural Health Through Policy, Partnership, and Advocacy (Rm 4101)

  • Abby Emanuelson, Executive Director, North Carolina Alliance for Health (Read Bio)

  • Dr. Kate Hanson, Founder and Executive Director, Meals4Families ​(Read Bio)

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Creating healthier rural communities requires not only access to healthcare, it requires policies, resources, and partnerships that address the conditions affecting the health and well-being of rural families. This session will explore how advocacy, coalition building, public policy, and community partnerships can expand access to healthy food, healthcare, and other essential resources. Panelists will discuss opportunities to elevate rural voices, strengthen cross-sector collaboration, and advance practical policy solutions that help rural families and communities live healthier, more thriving lives.

Afternoon Concurrent Sessions

The Role of Small Farmers in North Carolina's Food System (Rm 4105)

  • Jacob Crandall, Agriculture Program Specialist, Small Farms Division (Moderator) 

  • Dr. Michelle Schroeder-Moreno, Director at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS)

  • Roland McReynolds, Executive Director, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association 

  • Justine Post, Program Director, Come to the Table (RAFI) (Read Bio)

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Small farmers are essential to North Carolina’s food system, rural economy, and the health and resilience of communities across the state. This session will bring together leaders in agriculture, sustainable farming, farmer advocacy, and community food systems to explore the opportunities and challenges facing small farmers, including access to markets, resources, infrastructure, and institutional partnerships. Panelists will discuss strategies for strengthening the viability of small farms, connecting farmers to new markets, and ensuring that small farmers remain an integral part of North Carolina’s evolving food system. We will also take a look at models and programs that are working well in rural communities. 

Afternoon Concurrent Sessions

Strengthening Rural Healthcare: The Role of the North Carolina Office of Rural Health's Rural Hospital Program (Rm 4106)

  • Nick J. Galvez, Rural Hospital Manager, North Carolina Office of Rural Health's Rural Hospital Program/NC Health Department (Read Bio)

  • Tania Connaughton-Espino, Operations and Evaluation Specialist, NC Farmworker Health Program, Office of Rural Health (Read Bio)

  • Lisa McKeithan, Placement Services Manager  Office of Rural Health (Read Bio)

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Rural hospitals are essential to the health, well-being, and economic vitality of the communities they serve. This session will explore the role of the North Carolina Office of Rural Health’s Rural Hospital Program in supporting rural hospitals, strengthening healthcare delivery, and improving access to quality care. Panelists will discuss the challenges facing rural healthcare providers, current rural programs, opportunities for collaboration and innovation, and strategies for building stronger, more sustainable healthcare systems that respond to the needs of rural communities.

Afternoon Concurrent Sessions

Food System Shift: Piloting, Anchoring, and Scaling Food-Is-Medicine (Rm 4107)

  • Aaron Rimmler-Cohen, Senior Director of Advocacy at Farm Sanctuary (Read Bio)

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Food Is Medicine initiatives offer opportunities to improve health outcomes while creating new markets for farmers and strengthening regional food systems. This session will introduce Farm Sanctuary’s Food System Shift initiative and explore how communities can move from successful pilot programs to sustainable, scalable solutions. Drawing on partnerships with healthcare systems, farmers, and community organizations, presenters will highlight the importance of institutional purchasing, technical assistance, food distribution infrastructure, and strategic investment. Participants will explore opportunities to strengthen partnerships, expand rural food economies, and build lasting Food Is Medicine systems that benefit both farmers and communities.

Afternoon Concurrent Sessions

Data-Driven Solutions for Rural Health: ShepsGME TAC Insights and the Food Is Medicine Toolkit (Duke Energy Hall)

  • Shelby M. Rimmler-Cohen, Associate Director Sheps Graduate Medical Education (GME) Technical Assistance Centers UNC Sheps Center for Health Services Research (Read Bio)

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Expanding rural medical residency programs is essential to addressing physician shortages and improving healthcare access in underserved communities. This session will highlight the work of the ShepsGME Technical Assistance Centers at UNC’s Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research in developing and supporting rural residency programs. Presenters will also introduce a new Food Is Medicine Toolkit, being developed in partnership with GRRO, to help residency programs integrate nutrition education, identify patients' food-related health needs, and connect patients with community food resources. Participants will be invited to share insights that can help shape the toolkit and strengthen connections between rural healthcare providers and local food systems.

2:25 - 2:40 p.m. 

Break (15 minutes)

2:40 p.m.

Rural Solutions Exchange: Connecting People, Food, and Innovation for Rural Impact

  • Sarah Hall, Director, Institute for Emerging Issues (Read Bio)

  • Aaron Rimmler-Cohen, Senior Director of Advocacy at Farm Sanctuary (Read Bio)

  • Earline Middleton, Executive Director, Eva Clayton Rural Food Institute (Read Bio)

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This interactive plenary session will bring forum participants together to identify key challenges and gaps affecting rural food access, quality health care, and community well-being while highlighting the resources, programs, organizations, and innovations already making a difference. Through facilitated discussion and shared problem-solving, participants will explore opportunities to connect existing assets, strengthen partnerships, and develop collaborative solutions that can create lasting impact in rural communities.

3:40 p.m.

Investing in Rural Impact: A Funders' Conversation on Advancing Health, Education, and Food Access

  • Aaron Rimmler-Cohen, Food System Shift Program, Farm Sanctuary (Moderator) (Read Bio)

  • Paul Ross, Executive Director, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation (Read Bio)

  • David Beck, Policy Director, Self-Help

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Strategic investments in rural communities are essential to improving health outcomes, expanding educational opportunities, increasing access to healthy food, and strengthening local economies. This plenary will bring together leaders from philanthropic and funding organizations to explore how targeted investments, community partnerships, and innovative funding strategies can address persistent challenges facing rural communities. Panelists will discuss funding priorities, opportunities to strengthen the capacity of community-based organizations, and approaches to supporting sustainable, locally driven solutions that create lasting impact and build healthier, more resilient rural communities.

4:20 p.m.

Closing Remarks

  • Henry Crews, Executive Director, Green Rural Redevelopment Organization (Read Bio)

  • Earline Middleton, Executive Director, Eva Clayton Rural Food Institute (Read Bio)

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