Didactic Modules

The RCH Scholars Program has six (6) modules from which you may choose to meet the didactic education requirement. You may not repeat the same module. All Scholars will complete the Community Rural Immersion Module in either Year 1 or Year 2 and attend an in-person rural immersion experience. The Community Rural Immersion can be completed in either Year 1 or Year 2 and is optional for Scholars who choose to complete the Primer on Clinical and Translational Science I and II modules.

A Primer on Clinical and Translational Science I

AVAILABILITY: This module is available to all Scholars. Completing the module and activities may count toward BOTH the annual 40-hour didactic and 40-hour CBSE requirements.

DELIVERY: May be fully online or hybrid, depending on Scholar availability and host site project needs.

DESCRIPTION: This module is designed to introduce Scholars to clinical and translational science concepts, resources, and an opportunity to participate in a mentored research experience.

MODULE INSTRUCTORS: The course facilitators are Dr. A. Brianna Sheppard, Bree Gustke, and Tayla Tallman. Dr. Sheppard is director of the West Virginia Area Health Education Centers and an adjunct assistant professor in the West Virginia University School of Public Health in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and a program director for the Community Engagement and Outreach Core of the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute (WVCTSI). Dr. Sheppard has worked in rural public health, including translational science, for the past 11 years. Bree Gustke is the WVCTSI Community Engagement and Research Manager and Tayla Tallman is the WVCTSI Community Engagement and Research Coordinator.

A Primer on Clinical and Translational Science I

A Primer on Clinical and Translational Science II

AVAILABILITY: This module is only available to Scholars who have completed A Primer on Clinical and Translational Science I. Completing the module and activities may count toward BOTH the annual 40-hour didactic and 40-hour CBSE requirements.

DELIVERY: May be fully online or hybrid, depending on Scholar availability and host site project needs.

DESCRIPTION: This module builds upon the initial module and provides students an opportunity to continue and expand on their research skills including literature reviews, grant writing, and how to disseminate results to different interest holders. Scholars may continue research from the previous year with their host site or explore other research opportunities.

MODULE INSTRUCTORS: The course facilitators are Dr. A. Brianna Sheppard, Bree Gustke, and Tayla Tallman. Dr. Sheppard is director of the West Virginia Area Health Education Centers and an adjunct assistant professor in the West Virginia University School of Public Health in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and a program director for the Community Engagement and Outreach Core of the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute (WVCTSI). Dr. Sheppard has worked in rural public health, including translational science, for the past 11 years. Bree Gustke is the WVCTSI Community Engagement and Research Manager and Tayla Tallman is the WVCTSI Community Engagement and Research Coordinator.

A Primer on Clinical and Translational Science II

Community Rural Immersions

AVAILABILITY: This module must be completed by all Scholars in Year One or Year Two of the program, but is optional for Scholars who choose to complete the Primer on Clinical and Translational Science I and II modules.

DELIVERY: This is a hybrid module where some work will be completed online and includes attendance in one of the five available in-person immersions in West Virginia.

DESCRIPTION: This module offers each Scholar the opportunity to connect with rural and medically underserved communities—engaging with partners, healthcare providers, and community members and completing a service-learning project that benefits the community where the immersion is held. Scholars rank in order the immersion they would like to attend based on dates and interest in the health topic of focus.

  • Central WV AHEC: Aging in Rural America, February 15-17, 2026
  • Eastern WV AHEC: Food Insecurity & Nutrition in Rural Communities, April 2026
  • Northern WV AHEC: Mental Health and Food Insecurity, October 16-18, 2025
  • Southeastern WV AHEC: Rural Maternal Health, November 19-21, 2025
  • Southern WV AHEC: Increasing Quality Healthcare in Rural Communities, March 18-21, 2026

MODULE INSTRUCTOR: This module is taught by Treah Haggerty, MD, MS, Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at West Virginia University. She is the Co-Director of the WVU School of Medicine Rural Track which is a rural training program with the goal of increasing primary care physicians in rural WV. Through the Rural Track program and AHEC Scholars program, Dr. Haggerty has been leading rural immersions across the state for twelve years.

Community Rural Immersions

Food is Medicine

AVAILABILITY: This module is available to all Scholars.

DELIVERY: Online, no travel required.

DESCRIPTION: This module provides Scholars with an understanding of Food is Medicine as an approach to healthcare practice that places food and nutrition as a key component of disease prevention and management, emphasizing how nutrition supports wellbeing. Scholars will gain an understanding of the Food is Medicine landscape nationally and in West Virginia. Scholars will have the opportunity to complete modules from the nationally recognized HEALTH meets FOOD curriculum via the American College of Culinary Medicine. The curriculum includes nutrition education, cooking modules, and strategies for food and nutrition counseling as part of care and to encourage behavioral change.

MODULE INSTRUCTOR: This module is taught by Leah Fitzgerald, RDN, LD, Community Engagement and Nutrition Specialist at Project Healthy Kids, currently completing the Culinary Medicine Specialist Certification Program. Leah works with a team of chefs to make healthy, local, from-scratch meals for childcare centers and schools in the Huntington area. Community engagement and nutrition education are aspects of her work that she takes great joy in, always seeking to learn from the folks who Project Healthy Kids collaborates with and serves.

Food is Medicine

Community-Based Chronic Disease Prevention Module

AVAILABILITY: This module is available to First and Second year Scholars.

DELIVERY: Online; no travel required.

DESCRIPTION: Provides Scholars with skills to identify strategies for effective community-based chronic disease prevention and explore existing initiatives that work to improve health in West Virginia. Most of the module will be completed asynchronously online except for a 5-hour community-based assignment to be completed in the Scholar’s own community.

Community Experience: As part of this module scholars will complete a hybrid immersion experience in their home community. Students will be required to register as a volunteer with a food pantry or food distribution organization in their home community. Over the course of the year, students will volunteer a total of 15 hours at their chosen site and submit a reflection essay about the experience.

ATTENDANCE: As part of this module, scholars will engage in an individual immersion experience. Course instructors will assist the scholars in scheduling this experience in their own communities.

MODULE INSTRUCTOR: This module is taught by Lauren Prinzo, MPA, Community and Economic Development Specialist with West Virginia University's Extension Services. She has expertise in designing, implementing, and evaluating community-based health programs. This module is co-taught by Kerry Gabbert, MPH, Public Health and Evaluation Specialist for West Virginia University Extension. She has worked at the state and national level to support implementation and evaluation of policy, systems, and environmental change strategies to improve community health.

Chronic Disease Management Immersion

Oral Health in the Healthcare Setting - What's My Role?

AVAILABILITY: This module is available to all Scholars.

DELIVERY: Online; no travel required.

ATTENDANCE: Scholars are required to regularly log into SOLE to complete the online learning units and associated assessments.

MODULE INSTRUCTOR: This module is taught by Elizabeth Southern Puette, RDH, MSDH, CTTS, Clinical Assistant Professor with West Virginia University School of Dentistry, Department of Dental Hygiene. She currently serves as the WV 100 Million Mouths Campaign champion, an initiative created by the Center for Integration of Primary Care and Oral Health (CIPCOH) and Harvard School of Dental Medicine with a mission to work with health profession schools and programs to integrate oral health into primary care curricula in order to bridge gaps in oral health access and promote overall wellness.

DESCRIPTION: This module will introduce Scholars to the mouth body connection and the link between oral and overall systemic health. Scholars will review modules, videos, and a variety of medical and dental evidence-based resources. By the completion of the course, Scholars can reflect on ways that they can participate in medical dental integration, within their healthcare scope, in order to promote comprehensive patient centered care.

his module is taught by Elizabeth Southern Puette, RDH, MSDH, CTTS, Clinical Assistant Professor with West Virginia University School of Dentistry, Department of Dental Hygiene.