AMSA Digital
Rural Health Corps
OHIO PILOT
The AMSA Digital Rural Health Corps trains medical and pre-medical students to provide digital health literacy in rural areas where broadband access has lagged behind other parts of the country.
These student navigators teach community members to use their mobile devices to access healthcare resources and train others to become digital health navigators, amplifying the program’s impact.
With funding support from the KeyBank Foundation and in partnership with the Ohio Rural Health Association, we are currently piloting our project in five Ohio counties—Highland, Fayette, Clinton, Pike, and Athens.
About the AMSA Digital Rural Health Corps
The AMSA Digital Rural Health Corps is an initiative designed to reduce healthcare disparities in rural communities by helping individuals understand and access healthcare resources online.
Rural residents often face limited access to healthcare, compounded by a lack of broadband availability and digital literacy. This initiative seeks to improve healthcare access by deploying medical students as digital health navigators, who provide communities with the knowledge and skills to effectively find and use digital health resources.
Why it’s needed
Rural communities experience higher rates of chronic illness and poorer health outcomes compared to urban areas. As healthcare services increasingly shift online, rural populations face additional challenges due to restricted access to technology and lower levels of digital health literacy. By addressing this gap, the Digital Rural Health Corps will help more individuals access critical healthcare information and services.
Together, we can bridge the gap
The AMSA Digital Rural Health Corps relies on the involvement of many—and not just medical students. Community partners create the spaces where this change happens. Medical schools encourage future healthcare leaders to take part. And funders enable us to reach more rural communities.
Discover your role and how you can make a difference:
Join the Digital Rural Health Corps and gain hands-on experience helping rural communities access vital healthcare resources. Learn more & sign up!
Host digital literacy training sessions that bring better healthcare access to your community. Discover how you can partner with us.
Meet AMSA’s Digital Rural Health Fellows
Jasrina Kaushal – DRH Fellow
Jasrina Kaushal is a Canadian-born medical student in the final stages of her MD program at the Medical University of the Americas. As a Digital Rural Health Fellow, she leads a pilot project aimed at addressing healthcare disparities in rural Ohio by recruiting and empowering students to serve as Digital Health Navigators. In collaboration with community professionals, program directors, and the Ohio Rural Health Association, Jasrina is working to expand access to healthcare education and telemedicine. Her efforts focus on building sustainable partnerships to enhance rural health tracks in medical schools and bridge the digital health divide.
Are you a medical or pre-medical student interested in learning more about becoming a Digital Rural Health Navigator? You can email Jasrina directly.
Alejandra Vivas – DRH Fellow
Alejandra Vivas is a dedicated medical student and president of the AMSA chapter at Gdansk Medical University. As a Digital Rural Health (DRH) Fellow, she focuses on community outreach and healthcare education. She builds bridges between medical students and rural communities in targeted Ohio counties by identifying digital health needs and facilitating student engagement to address healthcare disparities. In partnership with the Ohio Rural Health Association, libraries, community centers, hospitals, and local organizations, Alejandra enhances healthcare access through digital health navigation. She facilitates the deployment of medical students as digital health navigators, helping residents in rural areas improve their digital skills and access to healthcare. Passionate about serving communities in rural areas, Alejandra is committed to ensuring the DRH Project makes a meaningful and sustainable impact.
If you are in one of the five counties being served in this pilot digital health navigation pilot, and would like to connect with Alejandra directly, email her to schedule a call.