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Patricia Moulton, PhD

Dr. Patricia Moulton is assistant professor at the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota (UND) School of Medicine and Health Sciences, in Grand Forks, ND. In her position, which she has held since June 2002, Dr. Moulton serves as principal investigator on numerous projects.

Dr. Moulton workforce programs include the Health Resources and Services Administration North Dakota Area Health Education Center program for which she is the Co-Program Director. Dr. Moulton is also Principal Investigator for the North Dakota Nursing Needs Study, which is a 10 year, legislative-mandated examination of nursing supply, demand, recruitment and retention of nurses in North Dakota and is funded by the North Dakota Board of Nursing. Dr. Moulton has presented locally, statewide and nationally on topics regarding nursing workforce and has testified before several legislative committees. Dr. Moulton has also worked on several studies examining North Dakota physician and dental workforce, UND medical students and the utilization of medication assistants. Dr. Moulton is a workforce expert for the Health Workforce Information Center.

Dr. Moulton is also engaged in research translation and dissemination efforts and is the Principal Investigator for the Rural Health Research Gateway which links the federal Rural Health Research Centers and is funded by the Deputy Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration.

Previously, Dr. Moulton was the Co-Principal Investigator on a National Institute of Environmental and Health Sciences project examining the impact of chronic, routine pesticide exposure on memory, executive function, motor and school-related performance in children between 7 and 12 years of age. This was a collaborative project with the Co-Principal Investigator, Dr. Thomas Petros in the UND psychology department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Moulton was also a co-principal investigator on a Center for Disease Control funded project examining the impact of pesticide exposure on neurological disease and reducing risks. This was a collaborative project with the Energy and Environmental Research Center, UND Psychology department, UND Anatomy and Cell Biology department, UND Physiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics department and the UND College of Nursing.

Dr. Moulton was also a principal investigator on a grant examining the prevalence of chronic disease in American Indian and Alaskan Native elders funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources Services Administration Office of Rural Health Policy. This study examined the relationship between chronic disease and functional limitation, access to health care, health damaging behaviors, geographical location, gender, age and unmet health needs using the Native Elder dataset, a large nationwide database collected by the National Resource Center on Native American Aging.

Dr. Moulton received her doctorate in experimental psychology from UND.

Established in 1980, the Center for Rural Health is one of the nation's most experienced rural health organizations. It has developed a full complement of programs to assist researchers, educators, policymakers, health care providers and, most importantly, rural residents to address changing rural environments by identifying and researching rural health issues, analyzing health policy, strengthening local capabilities, developing community-based alternatives, and advocating for rural concerns.

Contact Information:

Tel: (701) 858-6770
Email: pmoulton@medicine.nodak.edu
Web site: http://ruralhealth.und.edu

Projects

Publications

Presentations

  • Rural Health Research Gateway
    Presented by Gabriel, H., Moulton, P. & Opsahl, W. on Dec 4, 2008 at the Office of Rural Health Policy Technical Assistance Meeting of Rural Health Research Centers, Washington, DC.
  • Rural Population through Interdisciplinary Training and Quality Improvement
    Presented by Wakefield, M., and Moulton, P. on Sep 11, 2008 at the Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary Community-Based Linkages, Division of Diversity and Interdisciplinary Education, Bureau of Health Professions, HRSA, Washington, DC.
  • North Dakota Nursing Needs Study, Year 6
    Presented by Moulton, P., & Lang, T. on Jul 17, 2008 at the North Dakota Board of Nursing, Bismarck, ND.
  • Development of a Nurse Faculty Recruitment and Retention Plan
    Presented by Moulton, P. & Wakefield, M. on Jun 11, 2008 at the National Conference of State Nursing Workforce Centers, Denver, CO.
    This poster detailed the action plan developed through a Dakota Medical Foundation funded project.
  • A Comprehensive Strategy for Statewide Nursing Workforce Data Collection
    Presented by Moulton, P. on Jun 11, 2008 at the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers Annual Conference, Denver, CO.
    The poster described the Nursing Needs Study as a model for comprehensive state-level nursing data collection.
  • Health Care Workforce Shortages: Crisis in the Making
    Presented by Amundson, M., Moulton, P. & Lang, T. on Mar 27, 2008 at the Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health, Fargo, ND.
    This presentation will identify trends and projections of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists, and nurses in North Dakota. The impact of future shortages will be discussed at the county level. In addition, this presentation will include a discussion of federal health professional shortage area designations and the impact of these designations on communities.
  • North Dakota Traumatic Brain Injury State Partnership Grant Advisory Committee Meeting
    Presented by Quinn, R., Gibbens, B., Moulton, P., & Wagner, S. on Jan 31, 2008 at the Traumatic Brain Injury State Partnership Grant Advisory Committee Meeting, Bismarck, ND.
  • Rural Health Research Gateway
    Presented by Wakefield, M., Moulton, P., Sande, K., & Scurry, A. on Aug 27, 2007 at the Office of Rural Health Policy - All Programs Meeting, Washington, DC.
  • North Dakota Nursing Pipeline Results of the Five Year Baseline Study
    Presented by Moulton, P. on Jul 19, 2007 at the North Dakota Board of Nursing, Bismarck, ND.
  • Current Status of the Health Care Workforce in North Dakota
    Presented by Moulton, P. & Amundson, M. on Mar 21, 2007 at the Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health, Mandan, ND.
  • North Dakota Nursing Shortages: A Trend Analysis of Vacancy and Turnover
    Presented by Marin, J. & Moulton, P. on Mar 20, 2007 at the Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health, Mandan, ND.
  • The Center for Rural Health: Serving North Dakota
    Presented by Miller, M., Moulton, P., & Conway, P. on Mar 20, 2007 at the 2007 Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health, Mandan, ND.
  • Current Status of the Health Care Workforce in North Dakota
    Presented by Moulton, P. & Amundson, M. on Mar 20, 2007 at the 2007 Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health, Mandan, ND.
  • Current and Projected Workforce: North Dakota and National Perspectives
    Presented by Moulton, P. & Amundson, M. on Dec 5, 2006 at the Health Care Workforce Summit, Bismarck, ND.
  • North Dakota Nursing Needs Study: Information about Long-term Care Facilities and the Utilization of Medication Assistants
    Presented by Moulton, P. on Nov 21, 2006 at the North Dakota Department of Health Division of Health Facilities Long Term Care Advisory Committee meeting, Bismarck, ND.
  • Effects of Pesticide Exposure on Learning and Development
    Presented by Moulton, P., Petros, T., Pyle, S., Ferraro, R., Kerr, P., Offutt, S., & Barr, D. on Sep 19, 2006 at the Regional Children’s Environmental Health Summit, Vail, CO.
  • Chronic Exposure to Pesticides and Intellectual Performance in Children
    Presented by Moulton, P. on Aug 13, 2006 at the American Psychological Association Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA.
    Discusses the results of a research study that analyzed the effects of pesticides on childrens' intellectual performance.
  • North Dakota Nursing Needs Study: Year Four Results and Comparisons
    Presented by Moulton, P. on Jul 21, 2006 at the North Dakota State Board of Nursing, Bismarck, ND.
  • Pesticide Exposure, Intelligence and Children: Preliminary Results
    Presented by Moulton, P. on May 19, 2006 at the National Pesticide Forum, Washington, DC.
    Discusses the objectives of the current study:
    1. Examine the impact of chronic routine exposure to pesticides on cognitive and motor performance in children between 7 and 12 years of age, including memory performance, executive function performance, motor performance, and performance on schoolrelated achievement tests.
    2. 2. Measure the concentration of several pesticides and cholinesterase in the blood or urine in children between 7 and 12 years of age and examine associations between pesticide and cholinesterase concentration and cognitive and motor performance.
  • Pesticide Contamination in Rural Areas: Are Emergency Medical Service Personnel Prepared?
    Presented by Muus, K., Moulton, P., & Shea, T. on May 18, 2006 at the National Rural Health Association Annual Conference, Reno, NV.
    Research Questions
    • How common are pesticide calls and secondary exposure?
    • What is their level of perceived preparedness for managing pesticide-contaminated patients (adults and children)?
    • What demographic and practice attributes are related to self-preparedness rating scores?
    Method
    • Mailed survey to 1,639 EMS providers in Spring 2005; randomized selection process accounted for state quadrant, urban/rural location, and EMS certification.
    • 427 surveys were returned (26% response rate)
  • Using Data for Decisions, Advocacy, and Policy
    Presented by McDonald, L., Allery, A., Ludtke, R., Muus, K., & Moulton, P. on Apr 26, 2006 at the Federal Interagency Taskforce Meeting on Older American Indians, Washington, DC.
    Provides an overview of the results from the "Identifying Our Needs: A Survey of Elders" needs assessment surveys conducted by the center and how this data can be used for decision making, advocacy and policy. This presentation was also given at the 18th Annual Indian Health Service Research Conference on Apr 26, 2006.
  • Impact of Pesticide Exposure on Cognition and Health in Children
    Presented by Moulton, P. & Petros, T. on Mar 23, 2006 at the 2006 Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health, Fargo, ND.
    Discusses the results of a research study that analyzed the effects of pesticides on childrens' intellectual performance.
  • Chronic Diseases and Co-Morbidities in Older Native Americans
    Presented by Muus, K., Moulton, P., Knudson, A., McDonald, L., & Ludtke, R. on May 20, 2005 at the National Rural Health Association's Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
    Discusses results from the "Identifying Our Needs: A Survey of Elders" needs assessment surveys conducted by the National Resource Center on Native American Aging on chronic diseases and co-morbidities in older Native Americans.

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