Community Activities and Recruitment in Kentucky

2023 News and Events

TEDxDanville Presentation

On October 27, Dr. Stephanie Boone, the Kentucky Core Principal Investigator (PI), presented at TEDxDanville, which focused on the transformative power of positive disruption. Dr. Boone’s presentation was titled “Rethink Epidemiology: Meaningful Engagement” and was about the value of time spent on community engagement in epidemiology and population health studies.

Paint Lick Village Fest

On October 21, Stephie Abraham and Scotland Stewart attended the Paint Lick Village Fest in Garrard County. They shared information about the RURAL study with about 50 people and connected with key stakeholders in the community.

Boyle County Fiscal Court Health Fair

On October 13, Stephie Abraham promoted the RURAL study at the Boyle County Fiscal Court Health Fair.

Perryville Commemoration Festival

On October 6 & 7, Stephie Abraham and Scotland Stewart attended the Perryville Commemoration Festival in Boyle County where they shared information about the study to about 60 individuals.

Black Gold Festival 2023

The Kentucky Core was featured as a vendor booth in the recent Black Gold Festival held on September 14-16th, making this the second year in a row that we were able to represent the RURAL study and reach hundreds of individuals over three days.

Perryville City Council Presentation

On September 7, Stephie Abraham and Scotland Steward presented to the Perryville City Council meeting in Boyle County.

Garrard County Rural Heritage Tobacco Festival

In August 2023, Stephie Abraham and Scotland Stewart promoted the study at the Garrard County Rural Heritage Tobacco Festival. They introduced the study to about 70 people and were able to connect with other community stakeholders.

Boyle County Fiscal Court Presentation

In August 2023, Dr. Stephanie Boone and Stephie Abraham presented to the Boyle County Fiscal Court, where they introduced the RURAL study to the magistrates and discuss future plans to prepare for the MEU arrival in Kentucky.

Back to School Bash

In August 2023, Caleb Williams, a Community Engagement Coordinator (CEC), had the opportunity to visit schools in both Perry and Breathitt counties during the first week of August for their Back to School Bash. The RURAL study provided glue sticks, pens, pencils, notebooks, and other materials, providing resources designed to help the children of both counties in the classroom.

Attending County Fairs to Promote the RURAL Study

In June 2023, Stephie, Scotland, and Dr. Boone promoted the study at the Boyle County Fair. We provided the local residents with information on how they could be part of our study in 2024 and gave out swag items to those that stopped by—our heart-shaped cold packs and handheld fans were crowd favorites! Later that month, the Kentucky Core attended the Perry and Garrard County Fairs to share the word of RURAL within their communities. Caleb Williams, a Community Engagement Coordinator (CEC), attended the Breathitt County Health Fair, which had close to 300 attendees who were excited to learn about the study.

Community Advisory Board (CAB) Meetings

During the week of June 18th, 2023, the RURAL Team held Community Advisory Board meetings for members of Boyle/Garrard and Perry/Breathitt Counties. We discussed the progress of the study and our community engagement timeline as we plan for the MEU’s arrival in Kentucky in 2024.

Happy Heart Luncheon in Danville, Kentucky

In February 2023, Dr. Stephanie Boone, Kentucky Core Principal Investigator, and Stephie Abraham, Research Coordinator, attended the Happy Heart Luncheon in Danville to promote the RURAL Study. Promotional items and flyers were distributed during this event.

Lancaster & Garrard City Commission Meetings

In January 2023, Dr. Boone presented the RURAL Study at the Lancaster City Commission Meeting in Garrard County and the Danville City Commission Meeting in Boyle County. Dr. Boone also met with the cardiologists at Ephraim McDowell Heart and Vascular Institute to introduce the study.

Contact Information:

If you have any questions or comments, please call us at 1-888-RURALST (1- 888-787-2578) or email us at RURALstudy@uab.edu

If you would like to contact the KY team, email ruralky@louisville.edu or please contact:

Stephanie Boone at 502-852-2257 or email stephanie.boone@louisville.edu
Stephie Abraham at 502-852-3992 or email stephie.abraham@louisville.edu