At our fall 2022 network retreat, ORPRN staff members drew a coat of arms representing our network, and highlighting our past, future, and values. Many of the images on our past showed our founding director (LJ Fagnan) driving the “blue highways” to connect with primary care partners across the state. Prominent in our values and future were pictures that highlighted connections and networking. These figures highlighted the optimistic and needed push to move from social distancing habits established during COVID to reconnecting and taking next steps with partners across the state.

One of my personal goals – and the reason I moved from a rural community to “the big city” – was to get better at securing research funding to help meet the needs of rural and under resourced clinics and communities. The reality of structural challenges, staffing shortages, and fatigue make it necessary to explore new ways to engage clinics, public health partners, and communities in research. Our team at ORPRN remains committed to helping clinics and communities recover from the crisis events of 2020 – 2022 to find stability and flourish. 

If you know me, you know I’m eager for progress (even if incremental). And while I see lots of opportunities for ORPRN, one of my early strategies has been to make the time to listen. Over the next 9 months, ORPRN staff and I will continue to connect with our diverse partner organizations, clinics, and communities across the state to understand their needs in ways that can inform our network goals. Showing up to listen and witness is one of the most important skills I learned growing up in rural areas. This outreach will provide the foundation for a shared research and impact agenda in the years ahead.

I look forward to talking with many of you about your goals and needs during 2023 to figure out what we should prioritize for research, education and impact. Don’t be surprised if I (or other team members) reach out in the next few months to coordinate a time to meet and listen – and my door’s always open. You can also come find us at our booth at the Oregon Academy of Family Physicians and Oregon Pediatric Society Annual meeting, April 13-15th. Thank you for your ongoing drive to improve health and health equity for our patients and communities, your ability to heal from challenges in the past few years, and for your commitment to ORPRN. It’s because of our relationships and work together that ORPRN is and continues to be a trusted resource across the state.