Janessa Graves, PhD, MPH

Director, WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Phone: 206.543.2462
Email: janessa@uw.edu
LinkedIn: Janessa on LinkedIn

Department of Family Medicine
University of Washington
4311 Eleventh Ave. NE Suite 210
Seattle, WA 98105


Current Projects - (12)

  • Assessing Access to Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Communities Influenced by the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP)
    This project will use national prescription claims data to compare access to buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder in rural counties with and without Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) funding and urban counties. An accurate understanding of access to buprenorphine treatment is essential for determining the influence of RCORP funding on a critical strategy for curbing the opioid epidemic.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health services, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Substance use and treatment, Workforce
  • Geographic Misclassification of Cancer Care Physicians and Rural Cancer Care Service Delivery Patterns
    This study will examine the potential misclassification of rural cancer care capacity by quantifying the degree to which classification by primary practice location underestimates the availability of cancer care services in rural areas when urban-based physicians regularly cross geographic boundaries to serve rural populations.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Cancer, Health services, Healthcare access, Physicians, Rural statistics and demographics, Workforce
  • Health Care Spending for Seven Chronic Conditions by Rurality: A National Chartbook
    National healthcare spending estimates often lack the geographic detail needed to examine rural-urban differences. This project will create a county-level chartbook of spending for seven chronic conditions, showing variation across the rural-urban continuum nationally and by Census Division to inform resource allocation and care delivery priorities.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Cancer, Chronic diseases and conditions, Diabetes, Mental and behavioral health, Substance use and treatment
  • Health Care Spending in Rural vs. Urban U.S. by Health Condition
    Health care spending patterns vary substantially between rural and urban areas in the U.S. This project will examine detailed health care spending patterns using insurance claim data in U.S. counties by specific health conditions across the rural-urban continuum.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health services, Healthcare access, Healthcare financing, Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare, Medicare Advantage (MA), Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Private health insurance, Quality
  • Health System Transformation Under Tribal Self-Governance
    Since the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975, Tribes have increasingly assumed operations of health programs from the Indian Health Service through self-determination and self-governance pathways. This project will examine Tribal health leaders' perspectives on the impacts of these pathways on access, quality, and healthcare delivery.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health services, Healthcare access, Quality
  • Marriage and Family Therapist and Mental Health Counselor Training Programs
    This study will examine the national geographic distribution of marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors training programs, characterize variation in state training requirements, and assess the extent to which programs incorporate rural-specific curricula or clinical rotations.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Healthcare access, Medicare, Mental and behavioral health, Workforce
  • MOUD Treatment Utilization by Medicaid Beneficiaries Across Rurality and in RCORP vs. Non-RCORP Counties
    Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) has invested substantially in expanding access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in rural communities. This study will assess MOUD utilization among Medicaid beneficiaries with opioid use disorder across the rural-urban spectrum and compare access, treatment rates, and travel burden in RCORP-funded versus non-RCORP counties.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Healthcare access, Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare, Transportation
  • Rural Access to Infusion Services: A Geographic Analysis of Service Availability
    Infusion services are increasingly used to treat cancer and other chronic conditions, yet rural access remains poorly understood. This project will examine where rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries receive infusion services and quantify rural travel burden, including distance and travel time, across infusion types and settings.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Aging, Cancer, Health services, Healthcare access, Medicare, Transportation
  • Rural and Urban Medical School Programs that Demonstrate a Commitment to Producing Rural Physicians
    Studies of individual medical schools have identified characteristics associated with working in rural areas, but little is known about which organizational factors are the most significant predictors of rural practice. This project will examine characteristics of medical schools' missions and organizational commitments to promote physician practice in rural communities.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health services, Healthcare access, Physicians, Workforce
  • Rural Dementia Spending and Workforce Supply
    This project will estimate the rural and urban supply of dementia care specialists in the U.S. and examine differences health care spending patterns for dementia across the rural-urban continuum using claims and facility records data.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Aging, Health services, Healthcare access, Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physicians, Workforce
  • The Nursing Home and Skilled Nursing Facility Workforce in the Rural and Urban U.S.
    This project will describe the rural and urban distribution of nursing and non-nursing staff in U.S. long-term care facilities and investigate how the workforce varies by facility and community characteristics.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Aging, Healthcare access, Long-term care, Workforce
  • Variation in Scope of Practice and Services Provided by Rural vs Urban Primary Care Providers
    This project will examine differences in practice patterns between rural and urban primary care providers by analyzing insurance claims data to determine variations in the density and intensity of services provided directly by primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants across different geographic settings.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health services, Healthcare access, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Workforce

Completed Projects - (1)


Publications - (23)

2026

2025

2024

  • Trends in the Health Workforce Supply in the Rural U.S.
    Report
    WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 10/2024
    This report examines the availability of current and historical workforce data for a variety of health care professionals and provides estimates of the trends in the supply and distribution in the rural vs. urban U.S. workforce.