Keith Mueller, Ph.D., professor in the College of Public Health’s Health Services Research and Administration Department, is nationally known as an expert in rural health policy. He also is a tireless advocate for better health policy in general.
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Keith Mueller, Ph.D. |
His efforts — which have helped many communities develop, expand and improve — have led to his selection as the 2010 recipient of the UNMC Spirit of Community Service Award recipient.
Below, he shares why it is important to make community service a priority especially in rural and vulnerable communities.
Why do you feel compelled to help vulnerable and rural populations?
Doing so has been a lifelong desire, beginning as early as high school and becoming fully developed in my undergraduate years when I volunteered with groups addressing housing needs in Milwaukee’s inner city. My passion for serving rural residents and their communities has developed since I moved to Nebraska and discovered the value of rural life. I believe everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy what they value in life, including living where they want to, without undue hardship because of a lack of services.
Why is it important to make community service a priority?
Our communities have enabled us to achieve our lifetime goals and we should help build and sustain communities so they continue to provide environments in which people can flourish. … Our individual desires, as well as those of others, are best met when we are working together, and that means doing so in the community, not just our place of work.
How can partnerships between academic medical centers and community organizations benefit residents?
Careers are enriched when we know that what we do makes a difference for others. We can’t know that unless we have a direct appreciation for how people are affected by what we do. Immersion in community activities, at whatever intensity each of us can accommodate, is the best means of doing so.
List some things few people know about you.
- In high school, I was president of the Future Teachers Association — I knew at an early age the general career direction I wanted; and
- As an undergraduate, I lived in a one-bedroom rental on the edge of the inner city.