Latest News & Announcements Hot Off the Press: News, Events, and More
The Rural Sociological Society Announcements Board is your central spot for timely updates and opportunities relevant to the RSS community. From calls for submissions and training opportunities to jobs, events, and funding news, this board helps members stay connected and engaged throughout the year. Whether you’re posting or browsing, we encourage you to share and explore opportunities that support rural research, scholarship, and practice.
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Current Announcements
| Type | Name | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Call for Submissions | Request for Proposals – Interdisciplinary Network on Rural Population Health and Aging | Submitted by: Ashley Smedley <asmedley@ruralsociology.org> Description: With funding from the National Institute on Aging, the Interdisciplinary Network on Rural Population Health and Aging (INRPHA) invites investigators to submit proposals for pilot research that enhances understanding of the multilevel and multidimensional drivers of rural health and aging trends and disparities. Investigators may request up to $35,000. Proposals are due by Friday, April 10. |
| Jobs | WashU School of Public Health Call for Leadership and Faculty Positions | Submitted by: SPH Faculty Affairs <SPHFacultyAffairs@wustl.edu> Description: Washington University’s School of Public Health is recruiting for multiple leadership and faculty roles, including an Associate Dean for Practice who will guide public health practice initiatives, strengthen community partnerships, and help translate research into policy and real‑world impact. The school is also hiring faculty across several disciplines—epidemiology, biostatistics, behavioral/mental health, health policy, environmental/planetary health, food and nutrition, rural health, and diabetes translational science. These positions emphasize interdisciplinary, grant‑driven research, teaching, and community‑engaged scholarship within a collaborative, research‑intensive environment. Details: https://apply.interfolio.com/173629 |
| Events (All Formats) | The Rural Health Transformation Program: What Could it Mean for Rural Working-Age and Older Adults? (Virtual Panel, March 30) | Submitted by: Shannon Monnat <smmonnat@syr.edu> Description: Recent policy changes are reshaping federal healthcare funding, and rural communities are on the front lines. The new Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) directs $50 billion over the next five years to help states respond to Medicaid cuts, rising uncompensated care, and growing gaps in rural healthcare access. For rural working-age and older adults—who already face higher rates of chronic disease, longer distances to care, and greater reliance on Medicaid and Medicare—the stakes are especially high. How states deploy these dollars will directly shape healthcare access and other drivers of health. Join us to unpack what’s changing and what it could mean for rural people and places. This panel will be held as part of the Annual Meeting of the Interdisciplinary Network on Rural Population Health and Aging (INRPHA)—a multi-institution research network funded by the National Institute on Aging. INRPHA membership is not required in order to attend. Register in advance to receive the zoom link: https://syracuseuniversity.zoom.us/meeting/register/XID99pnnQQWWjesloguqWw |
| Call for Submissions | Call for Papers: Special Issue on Women in Agriculture (Journal of Agromedicine) | Submitted by: Florence Becot <ffb5072@psu.edu> Description: The Journal of Agromedicine is organizing a special issue focusing on the safety, health, and well-being of women in agriculture. Abstracts are due by April 15th. For more information, please visit https://redcap.link/JAM_Special_Issue_WomeninAg or email Florence Becot at florence.becot@psu.edu. |
| Funding Opportunities | United WE Rural Research Fellowship Opportunity | Submitted by: Lisa R. Pruitt <lrpruitt@ucdavis.edu> Description: The United WE Rural Research Fellowship is a new, competitive, interdisciplinary program designed to support scholars and practitioners whose work advances understanding of the most pressing issues facing rural American communities. The Fellowship aims to generate original research that informs policymakers and community leaders, leading to nonpartisan policy solutions that improve economic opportunity and quality of life in rural America. |
| Other | 2026-2029 RURAL STUDIES SERIES CO-EDITOR CALL FOR APPLICATIONS | Submitted by: Angie Carter, RSS Publications Committee Chair <ancarter@mtu.edu> Description: The Rural Sociological Society (RSS) Publications Committee requests proposals from experienced book authors or editors who are current members of RSS to serve as Co-Editor of the Rural Studies Series with current series Co-Editor Kai Schafft. The three-year appointment begins August 2026 and ends July 2029, with a one-year overlap with current Co-Editor, Kai Schafft. The Series is sponsored by the RSS to promote scholarly analysis of rural social science issues through the publication of high-quality books and research monographs. Applications due April 30, 2026. See attached PDF for further instructions. |
| Call for Submissions | Call for Abstracts – Special Issue of Rural Sociology on Policies, Politics, and the Wellbeing of Rural People and Places | Submitted by: Shannon Monnat <smmonnat@syr.edu> Description: Rural Sociology will publish a special issue focused on policies, politics, and the wellbeing of rural people and places. We invite submissions that examine how policies and politics shape rural wellbeing—whether in the United States or in other national and cross-national contexts—and how rural communities respond to, resist, and reshape the political forces acting upon them. We welcome contributions that focus solely on rural areas or that explicitly compare outcomes across rural-urban continuums. We conceive of wellbeing broadly and welcome empirical, methodological, and theoretical contributions that address multiple dimensions of wellbeing, including but not limited to economic wellbeing, livelihoods, education, families, health and longevity, housing, food security, social belonging and relationships, crime, civic engagement, environmental quality and sustainability, and community cohesion. We also welcome papers that consider how policies and politics intersect with demographic trends to influence wellbeing. Prospective contributors should submit an abstract (up to two pages, single spaced) describing their study along with up to two pages of supporting material (e.g., tables, figures, etc.) no later than 5 PM ET on May 1, 2026 via the RSS website portal at: https://ruralsociology.org/rural-sociology-special-issue-abstract-submission/. Only abstracts submitted through this portal will be considered. The special issue editors (Shannon Monnat and Tim Slack) will review abstracts and extend invitations for full paper submissions, which will be due by November 1, 2026. For more information, visit the link. Details: https://ruralsociology.org/rural-sociology-special-issue-abstract-submission/ |