At-A-Glance Schedule
All events for the 2026 Dakota Conference on Rural Health will be held at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Agenda is subject to change.
Conference App
Schedule and conference materials may also be found on the vFairs app. Once the app is downloaded, enter your email address used when registering for the event.
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
| 9:00 am — 4:15 pm | Registration, East Entrance in front of Ballroom 4 |
| 10:00 — 11:00 am | NDRHA Meeting, Ballroom 1 |
| 12:00 — 12:05 pm | Awards Banquet Supporter Message, Ballroom 5 |
| 12:05 — 12:30 pm | Awards Banquet Lunch (serving of food) included with registration, Ballroom 5 |
| 12:30 — 1:30 pm | Awards Banquet Lunch (ceremony) included with registration, Ballroom 5 |
| 1:30 — 1:40 pm | Welcome and Announcements, Ballroom 5 |
| 1:40 — 2:40 pm |
Keynote 1: Inspired Leadership, Ballroom 5 Rich Bluni, Huron Consulting |
| 2:45 — 3:30 pm |
Session 1: The Master Communicator's Secret Weapon, Ballroom 1 Dave Delaney |
| 2:45 — 3:30 pm |
Session 2: Protect to Propel – Using Cybersecurity and AI to Strengthen Rural Healthcare
Operations and Outcomes, Ballroom 2 Ken Satkunam |
| 2:45 — 3:30 pm |
Session 3: Empowering Rural North Dakota High Schools – A Sustainable Model for Hemorrhage
Control and Trauma Preparedness, Ballroom 3 Dean Gross, APRN, PhD, Part Time Academic, North Dakota State University, Fargo Carrie Nelson |
| 3:35 — 4:20 pm |
Session 4: Leading Through Loss, Ballroom 1 Bob Hagen, EdD, OL, Director of Operations, Sanford Health, Valley City |
| 3:35 — 4:20 pm |
Session 5: Workforce Development in Addiction Counseling through the Training Academy for
Addiction Professionals (TAAP) – Expanding Addiction Counseling Workforce in North Dakota,
Ballroom 2 Denise Andress, MBA, TAAP Director, Heartview Foundation, Bismarck Taylor Kittelson/Alex Dralle Beth Stroup-Menge |
| 3:35 — 4:20 pm |
Session 6: Next Generation Care Coordination – Improving Outcome, Reducing Cost in Rural
Health, Ballroom 3 Riya Pulicharam, MD, CPI, CMO |
| 4:25 — 5:25 pm |
Health Policy Panel: North Dakota Legislative Update, Ballroom 5 |
Thursday, June 4, 2026
| 7:00 am — 4:15 pm | Registration Desk Open, Exhibitor Check-In, East Entrance in front of Ballroom 4 |
| 8:00 — 11:00 am | Exhibitor Set-Up, East Entrance in front of Ballroom 4 |
| 7:55 — 8:00 am | Exhibitor Message, Ballroom 5 |
| 8:00 — 9:00 am |
Keynote 2: North Dakota Rural Health Transformation Program, Ballroom 5 |
| 9:10 — 9:55 am |
Session 7: Stabilizing Rural Health, Learning from the Rural Emergency Hospital
Program, Ballroom 1 Ken Harman, MHA, Program Director, Rural Health Redesign Center, Eagle Mountain, Utah |
| 9:10 — 9:55 am |
Session 8: The Lived Experience of Internationally Educated Nurses Transition to Nursing
Practice in Rural America, Ballroom 2 Karen Robinson, PhD, RN, FAAN, Nurse Scientist, Sanford Health, Fargo Ashley Lacey |
| 9:10 — 9:55 am |
Session 9: Improving Emergency Department Transfer Communication in Critical Access
Hospitals, Ballroom 3 Anna Walter, BBA, CRHCP, Project Coordinator, Center for Rural Health, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks Stephanie Fugleberg, BSN, RN, Inpatient Nurse Manager, Sanford Health – Mayville Montana Halberg Kristen Jung |
| 10:00 — 10:45 am |
Session 10: Repaving a Path to Profitability, Ballroom 1 Nick Smith |
| 10:00 — 10:45 am |
Session 11: Recruitment from Rural to Increase Nursing Capacity in North Dakota – An
Age-Friendly Care Approach, Ballroom 2 Dawn L. Denny Tracy A. Evanson Rhoda A. Owens |
| 10:00 — 10:45 am |
Session 12: Addressing Community Health Needs Assessment Concerns, Ballroom 3 Alyssa Zaun, RN, QA/Infection Prevention/Risk Management Director, Mountrail County Medical Center, Stanley |
| 10:50 — 11:35 am |
Session 13: ICHRA in Practice: A Modern, Compliant Approach to Employer Health
Benefits, Ballroom 1 Ian Still |
| 10:50 — 11:35 am |
Session 14: Practical Approaches to Holistic Wellness and Resilience for Rural Health and Human
Service Professionals, Ballroom 2 Grace Karikari, PhD, Assistant Professor, Educator Scholar, Department of Indigenous Health, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks Isaac Karikari |
| 10:50 — 11:35 am |
Session 15: The North Dakota CAH Quality Network and RHC Network: Strengthening Rural Quality
Through Collaboration, Ballroom 3 Anahita Anvari-Clark, PT, DPT, CRHCP, Clinical Project Coordinator, Center for Rural Health, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks Kari Novak Arvadell Sharp Anna Walter, BBA, CRHCP, Project Coordinator, Center for Rural Health, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks |
| 11:35 am — 1:35 pm |
Lunch & Exhibitor Showcase, Ballroom 4 Poster Presentations Empowering Rural Health Care Professionals: Maximizing University of North Dakota Library Resources for Evidence-Based Practice Sandi Bates, MLIS, Clinical Librarian, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks Sara Westall, MLIS, MS SpEd, Clinical Campus Librarian, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Unviersity of North Dakota, Grand Forks Monitoring from Afar, Caring Up Close: RN-Led Remote Patient Monitoring at Sanford Health Jackie Hinrichs, BSN, RN, Virtual Care RN, Sanford Health, Fargo Casey Westphal, BSN, RN, Manager Virtual Care Clinical Care, Sanford Health, Sioux Falls Alkaline Colonic pH as a Drive of Colorectal Carcinogenesis: A pH-Dependent Chemical and Microbial Hypothesis Amber Lyon, PhD, MS, Assistant Professor, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks Connecting Care: A Digital Resource Map for Perinatal Mental Health Services Sarala Pandey, Student pursuing MPH, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks |
| 1:35 — 1:40 pm | Exhibitor Message, Ballroom 5 |
| 1:40 — 2:40 pm |
Keynote 3: Maternal Health, Ballroom 5 Jacob C. Warren, PhD, MBA, Director, Center for Rural Health, and Professor of Public Health, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks |
| 2:45 — 3:30 pm |
Session 16: The Hidden Cost: Burnout, Mental Health, and Substance Use Among Professionals and
Their Ripple Effect, Ballroom 1 Melissa Henke Maggie Seamands |
| 2:45 — 3:30 pm |
Session 17: Interdisciplinary Team Training for Rural Emergency Medicine Teams in North
Dakota, Ballroom 2 Ann Gihl, Master of Arts – Nursing Education, RN, Executive Director, Comprehensive Advanced Life Support (CALS) Program, Plymouth, Minnesota |
| 2:45 — 3:30 pm |
Session 18: Listening First: How Rural Non-Birthing
Facilities Are Shaping Maternal Health
Support, Ballroom 3 Juliana Antwi, MBCHB, MPH, Clinical Coordinator, North Dakota Perinatal Quality Collaborative, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks Asma Husna, MPH, MBBS, Hospital Coordinator, North Dakota Perinatal Quality Collaborative, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks Sarala Pandey, MPH(c) |
| 3:45 — 4:30 pm |
Session 19: Building a Patient-Centered Continuum: Measurable, Cross-Sector Collaboration in
Rural Behavioral Health is Possible, Ballroom 1 Jason Haglund, MS, CADC, Senior Consultant, Rural Policy Partners, Story City, Iowa Renee Schulte |
| 3:45 — 4:30 pm |
Session 20: From Policy to Pipeline: ND SB 2003, ND 85%, and Higher Education, Ballroom
2 Emily Evers, BBA, Assistant Director of Admissions & Recruiting, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks Adrianna Jackson, BA, Outreach and Recruiting Coordinator, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks |
| 3:45 — 4:30 pm |
Session 21: Preventing Youth Concussions in Rural North Dakota: Monitoring for Better
Outcomes, Ballroom 3 Carly Endres, MS, CBIST, Senior Project Coordinator, North Dakota Brain Injury Network, Center for Rural Health, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks Andrea Watkins, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIST, Resource Facilitator, North Dakota Brain Injury Network, Center for Rural Health, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks |