Rural Health Education Articles 

Rural health education articles are informative pieces created by students and interns to address health topics relevant to rural communities. These articles aim to share accessible, accurate information, promote health literacy, and empower residents to make informed decisions about their well-being and local healthcare resources.

Matthew Infarinato
Matthew Infarinato is a fourth-year medical student at SUNY Upstate Norton College of Medicine. Originally from Oneida, NY, he earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from SUNY Buffalo. During clinical rotations in Binghamton, he joined the Targeted Rural Health Education program to communicate health topics.
Topics: Alcohol (6/2026)
Alcohol: The Socially Acceptable Killer
Topics: Heart Health, Emergency Health (6/2026)
Your Heart Attack Didn’t Start Today: How Drinking Less Soda Can Help Keep You Out of the Emergency Department
Topics: Blood Pressure, Emergency Health (9/2025)
My Blood Pressure is High, but I Feel Fine! Should I Go to the Emergency Department?
Topics: Emergency Health 
The Disease, The Myth, The Legend: The Truth About Chronic Lyme Disease
Topics: Obesity, Disease, Environment (9/2025)
Examining The Impact of Rural Built Environments in Pike County, Pennsylvania 
Samantha Ballas
Samantha Ballas, of Syracuse, is a fourth-year medical student at SUNY Upstate Medical University in the Rural Medical Scholars Program. She is a NYSARH Research and Policy Fellow in the 2025 cohort. She is interested in neurology, rural medicine, health equity and legislative advocacy.
Nate Barott
Nate Barott is a fourth-year medical student at SUNY Upstate Medical University. After clinical training in Glens Falls, he joined the Targeted Rural Health Education program, which teaches student doctors to use rural newspapers to share health information. This information is not medical advice
Topics: Stroke
Time is Brain: Recognizing a Stroke for FAST Care
Topics: Obesity, Disease, Environment (9/2025)
Examining The Impact of Rural Built Environments in Pike County, Pennsylvania
Iden Li 
Iden Li is a fourth-year undergraduate at SUNY Binghamton studying Global Public Health and Africana Studies. As a NYSARH summer intern, he explored environmental health and built environments. This experience deepened his understanding of rural health and inspired him to pursue graduate study in public health.
Ryan Crouse
Ryan Crouse is a third-year medical student at SUNY Upstate Medical University from Central New York, interested in surgery, rural health, and preventive medicine. This column, developed with Lauren Bavis of Syracuse University, is part of Upstate’s Targeted Rural Health Education program for rural health communication.
Topics: Carbon Monoxide
Carbon Monoxide: The Invisible Winter Danger in Upstate New York
Topics: Obesity, Disease, Environment (9/2025)
A Simple Test That Could Save Your Life: Why Colonoscopy Matters
Kristin Schermerhorn
Kristin Schermerhorn is a fourth-year Rural Medical Education student at SUNY Upstate Medical University and a Carthage native. She plans to pursue family medicine, focusing on rural health and patient education, and hopes to practice in Watertown after residency, serving the community that shaped her.
Jackie Whitehead 
Jacqueline Whitehead is a medical student at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, dedicated to advancing healthcare and serving the needs of her community.
Topics: Anaplasmosis
Summer Flu? It Might Not Be What You Think