Timothy Callaghan, PhD

Email: timcal@bu.edu
X: @THCallaghan

Health Law, Policy, and Management
Boston University
Boston University School of Public Health
715 Albany Street
Boston, MA 02118

Completed Projects - (4)
Publications - (9)

Completed Projects - (4)

An Innovative Approach to Targeting Rural Communities in Public Health Funding
The Centers for Disease Control launched a new initiative to address COVID-19 related health disparities and to advance health among underserved and at-risk populations. This effort included state funding to address the needs of rural communities. This project was designed to better understand this initiative and its impact on rural health.
Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Healthcare financing, Public health
Community Health Worker Roles, Regulation and Growth in Rural America
This study looked at the role of Community Health Workers in improving access to healthcare services in rural and urban environments. The project focused on the growing and changing roles of these influential actors and how their responsibilities vary based on setting (hospital, clinic, community, etc.), location (rural vs. urban), and regulations.
Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Topic: Healthcare access
How Well are We Doing Meeting Healthy People 2020 Mortality Objectives at Midterm? Rural v. Urban Differences
The purpose of this project was to conduct a midterm examination of urban versus rural disparities in meeting Healthy People 2020 mortality objectives for the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. utilizing existing secondary databases.
Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Topic: Chronic diseases and conditions
Rural Healthy People 2030: Challenges and Opportunities for the New Decade
Building on Rural Healthy People 2010 and Rural Healthy People 2020, this project helped to launch Rural Healthy People 2030 and analyze variations in top-ranked Healthy People objectives for rural America. We identified the most important objectives for rural Americans and how Rural Healthy People priorities have changed over time.
Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Topic: Chronic diseases and conditions

Publications - (9)

2023

Opportunities and Challenges of Using Carve-Outs to Fund Rural Public Health Initiatives: Evidence From the COVID-19 Pandemic
Journal Article
Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Date: 06/2023
This project explores the impact and lessons learned from the first large-scale rural carve out of a CDC funding initiative. Based on stakeholder interviews, our analysis found they supported this funding mechanism and that the funds were being used in interesting and creative ways.
Rural Healthy People 2030: New Decade, New Challenges
Journal Article
Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2023
This study reports the findings of Rural Healthy People 2030, a companion piece to the Healthy People 2030 initiative with a focus on health priorities of rural populations. Data was collected from a survey given to rural stakeholders. Mental health, substance use, health care access, and economic stability were among the most important priorities.

2022

Disparities in Prenatal Immunization Rates in Rural and Urban U.S. Areas by Indicators of Access to Care
Journal Article
Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Date: 02/2022
This study evaluates variations in immunization rates among pregnant women across the urban-rural continuum. Results indicate pregnant women in rural areas more commonly rely on Medicaid to fund prenatal care but are less likely to have full or expanded access to Medicaid. This finding may contribute to immunization uptake disparities.

2021

Community Health Worker Roles and Their Evolving Interprofessional Relationships in the United States
Journal Article
Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2021
This project analyzes the evolving integration of Community Health Workers (CHWs) into the United States healthcare system. CHWs can aid patients in navigating the complex nature of medical services. Through focus groups with CHWs, three stages in the interprofessional relationships between CHWs and other care providers were identified.
Community Health Worker Sustainability: Funding, Payment, and Reimbursement Laws in the United States
Journal Article
Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Date: 04/2021
Recent changes have been made to community health worker (CHW) funding at the federal level, but payment structures vary from state to state. This paper aims to identify funding mechanisms that would enable CHW programs to sustain a robust workforce.

2019

Congestive Heart Failure-Related Hospital Deaths Across the Urban-Rural Continuum in the United States
Journal Article
Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Date: 12/2019
This study examines congestive heart failure (CHF)-related, in-hospital mortality across six levels of rurality and four census regions. Results indicated CHF-related hospital admissions in small metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas, compared to large central metropolitan areas, were more likely to result in death.
Healthy People 2020: Rural Areas Lag in Achieving Targets for Major Causes of Death
Journal Article
Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Date: 12/2019
For the period 2007-2017 rural death rates were higher than urban rates for the seven major causes of death analyzed, and disparities widened for five of the seven. In 2017 urban areas had met national targets for three of the seven causes, while rural areas had met none of the targets.
The Changing Landscape of Diabetes Mortality in the United States Across Region and Rurality, 1999-2016
Journal Article
Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Date: 02/2019
This brief report examines place-based differences in diabetes mortality to understand whether disparities in diabetes mortality have changed across U.S. Census regions and levels of rurality over time. Reductions in diabetes mortality are lagging in rural areas, and the rural South in particular, relative to other areas of the country.
Diabetes-Related Hospital Mortality in the U.S.: A Pooled Cross-Sectional Study of the National Inpatient Sample
Journal Article
Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Date: 02/2019
This study examined place-based and individual-level variations in diabetes-related hospital deaths using the 2009-2015 National Inpatient Sample. Results show that place-based disparities exist. Targeted focus should be placed on the control of diabetic complications in the South, West, and Midwest census regions and among rural residents.