Center for Rural Health Director Jacob Warren Shares Impact

May 15, 2025

Dr. Jacob Warren, director of the Center for Rural Health (CRH), was recently interviewed by University of North Dakota (UND) President Andrew Armacost, and on the morning show North Dakota Today.

Warren used the opportunities to share CRH is celebrating 45 years of serving rural communities and about the important and needed work being done by CRH. He told North Dakota today, "In 45 years, we have brought in over $200 million in grant funds to focus on how to improve health here."

"This is the premiere Center for Rural Health in the nation and to have the opportunity to come in and join this team of incredible people and the work in the state is so exciting," he told Armacost.

In North Dakota, 49 of the 53 counties are considered rural. Warren talked about work within North Dakota including working with hospitals, healthcare workforce, brain injury, and qualified service providers.

Warren also mentioned several of the national programs within CRH and how they help serve rural areas across the country.

Watch and Listen

Both interviews are able to be viewed.

• UND President Armacost Interview
• North Dakota Today

About the Center for Rural Health

The Center for Rural Health is housed within the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Since its inception in 1980, CRH has developed a full complement of programs to assist researchers, educators, policymakers, healthcare providers, and, most importantly, rural residents.

CRH is designated as the North Dakota State Office of Rural Health, a federal-state partnership that helps rural communities build their healthcare services through collaborations and initiatives with a wide range of partners across the state. CRH employs 72 employees with a total budget around $10 million and operates six national programs, including two that are focused on tribal health.