Tuesday, October 13, 2026

8:00 am

Registration Open and Light Breakfast

9:00 am - 10:30 am 

Welcome and Opening Remarks

What Extension Programs Can Do for Appalachian Health

Gina Taylor, EdD, Faculty Development Coach, WVU Extension

Emily Marrison, Assistant Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences, Coshocton County, OSU Extension

Kathy W. Hosig, PhD, MPH, RD, Initiative Leader for Health and Well-being for Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE)

Lora B. Pullin, Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Science, Greenup County Extension Office

10:30 am - 10:45 am

Break and Visit Exhibitors

10:45 am - 12:15 pm

Concurrent Breakout Sessions

Disrupting the Cycle: Community Health Workers at the front lines of Overdose Prevention
Kyle Burnett, CCHW, University of Kentucky

From Crisis to Care: Building an Integrated Harm Reduction Model in Rural Ohio
Halea Hatten, MSE, Portsmouth City Health Department

Reverse the Cycle with Peer Support Recovery Specialists in Rural Healthcare
Ashley Adkins, Juris Doctor, Appalachian Regional Healthcare

Tobacco, Vaping, and Youth

Reading the Storefront: How Young People Identify Retailers Likely to Make Underage Tobacco Sales and Implications for Rural and Appalachian Communities
Vitoria Borges, Spinola DDS,, MS, The Ohio State University

E-cigarette Flavor Use Among Kentucky Adolescents: Demographic Patterns with Implications for Appalachian Youth Prevention
Ayesha Riaz, ABD, University of Kentucky

Multi state Analysis of Area Deprivation Index and Adolescent and Young Adult Smoking Outcomes
Wilson Figueroa, PhD, The Ohio State University

Prevention and Health Promotion

Exploring Vaccine Hesitancy of Adult Patients in a Multidisciplinary West Virginia Health System
Fallon Gallimore, MD, Charleston Area Medical Center

From Community Insights to Clinical Practice: Testing a Theory-Informed Postcard Mailing to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening in a West Virginia Healthcare System
Raimah Hossain, MPH, West Virginia University Cancer Institute

Increasing HPV Vaccine Administration in Rural West Virginia through Collaborative Partnerships and Evidence-Based Practice Implementation
Lauren Wright, DSL, MPH, West Virginia University

Community Engagement and Access to Optimal Health

Using Area Deprivation Index to Evaluate Social Disadvantage in Neighborhoods of Open vs Closed L&D Units by Medicaid Accessibility and Rurality
Brooke Arner, B.S., Penn State College of Medicine

Strengthening Hepatitis C Relinkage to Care in Rural Appalachia Through a Primary Care/Academic Partnership
Adam Baus, PhD, MA, MPH, West Virginia University School of Public Health, Office of Health Services Research

Evaluation of Student Pharmacist Perceptions after an Appalachian Pharmacy Service-Learning Experience
Rebecca Lahrman, PharmD, MS, BCACP, Ohio State University

12:15 pm - 12:30 pm

Break and Visit Exhibitors