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. The app will be available closer to the event. Once the app is downloaded, enter your email address used when registering for the conference.
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 |
| 12:05 — 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 — 1:35 pm | Welcome and Announcements, Ballroom 5 |
| 1:35 — 1:40 pm | Exhibitor Message: Sanford Health, 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 How-To Gap – What Nobody Taught Your Leaders About Getting Results,
Ballroom 1 Cory Geffre, MSML, BSN, RN, Founder & CEO, Operational Performance Partners, Grand Forks |
| 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, BS, CEO and Founder, NorthStar Technology Group, Fargo |
| 2:45 — 3:30 pm |
Session 3: Stop the Bleed – Empowering North Dakota Rural Communities Project, A Collaborative
Effort Between NDSU School of Nursing and NDSU Extension, Ballroom 3 Dean Gross, APRN, PhD, Part Time Academic, North Dakota State University, Fargo Carrie Nelson, DNP, FNP-C, Assistant Professor, North Dakota State University, Fargo |
| 3:35 — 4:20 pm |
Session 4: Leading Through Loss: Understanding Grief as a Leader, Ballroom 1 Bob Hagen, EdD, OL, Director of Operations, Sanford Health, Valley City |
| 3:35 — 4:20 pm |
Session 5: North Dakota Training Academy for Addiction Professionals (TAAP) , Ballroom
2 Denise Andress, MBA, TAAP Director, Heartview Foundation, Bismarck Alex Dralle, MEd, Director, North Dakota AHEC, Mayville Beth Stroup-Menge, LMAC, LSW, Workforce Director, Heartview Foundation, Bismarck |
| 3:35 — 4:20 pm |
Session 6: Next Generation Centralized Care Coordination – AI Driven Transformation of Rural
Healthcare, Ballroom 3 Riya Pulicharam, MD, CPI, Chief Medical Officer/Chief Population Health Officer, Caret Health/Cibolo Health, Rolling Hills Estates, California |
| 4:25 — 5:25 pm |
Health Policy Panel: North Dakota Legislative Update, Ballroom 5 Kathy Hogan, District 21, Fargo Karen Rohr, District 31, Mandan Gretchen Dobervich, District 11, Fargo Desiree Van Oosting, District 36, Judson |
Thursday, June 4, 2026
| 7:00 am — 4:15 pm | Registration Desk Open, Exhibitor Check-In, East Entrance in front of Ballroom 4 |
| 7:55 — 8:00 am | Exhibitor Message: InlandRCM, Ballroom 5 |
| 8:00 — 11:00 am | Exhibitor Set-Up, East Entrance in front of Ballroom 4 |
| 8:00 — 9:00 am |
Keynote 2: North Dakota Rural Health Transformation Program, Ballroom 5 Jacob C. Warren, PhD, MBA, Director, Center for Rural Health, and Professor of Public Health, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks |
| 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, BSN, Clinical Nurse, Sanford Health, Fargo Audrey Clemmer, BSN, RN, Clinical RN, Sanford Health, Bismarck |
| 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, BSN, RN, Quality Risk Manager, West River Health Services, Hettinger Megan Sylling, MSN, RN, Director of Nursing, Altru Hospital Devils Lake, Devils Lake |
| 10:00 — 10:45 am |
Session 10: Repaving a Path to Profitability, Ballroom 1 Nick Smith, MHA, Partner, Wipfli LLP, Minneapolis, MN |
| 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, PhD, RN, ONC, FNAON, Associate Professor, Director of Gero-STARR Program, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks Tracy A. Evanson, PhD, RN, PHNA-BC, Professor, University of North Dakota College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines (CNPD), Grand Forks Rhoda A. Owens, PhD, MS, RN, Associate Professor, University of North Dakota CNPD, Grand Forks |
| 10:00 — 10:45 am |
Session 12: Addressing Community Health Needs Assessment Concerns, Ballroom 3 Stephanie Everett, CEO, Mountrail County Medical Center, Stanley Alyssa Zaun, RN, ER/CAH DON, QA/Infection Prevention/Risk Management Director, Mountrail County Medical Center, Stanley |
| 10:50 — 11:35 am |
Session 13: Tools for Financial Analysis and Strategy Formulation, Ballroom 1 Kristin Reiter, PhD, Humana Distinguished Professor and Chair, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| 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, PhD, LMSW, MPH, Associate Professor|MSW Program Director, University of North Dakota Department of Social Work, Grand Forks |
| 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, LPN, Clinic Manager, Unity Medical Center, Grafton ArvaDell Sharp, RN, Quality Improvement Coordinator, Pembina County Memorial Hospital, Cavalier 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 & Health Sciences, University 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 Enhancing Leisure Opportunities for People with Disabilities in Rural Communities Joslyn Nordmark, Student pursuing OTD, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks |
| 1:35 — 1:40 pm | Great Plains Food Bank Message/Exhibitor Door Prizes, Ballroom 5 |
| 1:40 — 2:40 pm |
Keynote 3: Maternal Care in Context: Integrating Epidemiology, Health Systems, and Community
Contexts to Understand Perinatal Inequities,
Ballroom 5 Andrew Williams, PhD, MPH, BS, Associate Professor, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, 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, Medical Director, North Dakota Professional Health Program, Bismarck Maggie Seamands, RN, MSN CMGT-BC, CNML, Executive Director, North Dakota Professional Health Program, Bismarck |
| 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), Graduate Assistant, North Dakota Perinatal Quality Collaborative, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks Andrew Williams, PhD, MPH, BS, Associate Professor, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks |
| 3:30 — 3:45 pm | Networking & Snack Break |
| 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 |
| 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 Jennifer Rutherford, Admissions and Marketing Specialist, 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 |