Office of Health Research and Development

The Office of Health Research and Development (OHRD) was formed in 2004 to consolidate all of the outreach programs in the UK Chandler Medical Center. Its mission is to enhance the health status of the citizens of the commonwealth and the Appalachian region, with an emphasis on rural and underserved populations, and to reduce health disparities through creative educational initiatives, translational and health demographic research, and policy advocacy.

OHRD has emerged as a national leader in bringing academic resources to bear on improving rural health status. OHRD administratively consolidated several important programs and functions including: the Area Health Education Centers, the Community-Based Faculty Programs, the Office of Rural Health Research and Policy, Kentucky TeleCare, the Medical Professions Placement Service, the Kentucky Office of Rural Health, and Kentucky Homeplace.

OHRD supports UK's national prominence in rural health care, as exemplified in the six National Rural Health Association awards UK has received since 1997.