Kate Ferguson

August 2, 2023

Kate joins the team as a research assistant in the Van Scoy Communication lab, focusing on the Project Talk Trial and other projects regarding communication and end-of-life decision-making. Previously, Kate worked as an environmental scientist doing long-term soil and water remediation. She received her Bachelor’s in Geology and a minor in Biology from Wittenberg University. She completed her Master of Public Health at Penn State College of Medicine in 2022, with a concentration in biostatistics and epidemiology. In this role, she hopes to explore the mixed-methods approach to health research while building skills as a public health professional.

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  • Penn State Health is a multi-hospital health system serving patients and communities across 29 counties in central Pennsylvania. It employs more than 16,800 people system-wide.

    The system includes Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Children’s Hospital, and Penn State Cancer Institute based in Hershey, Pa.; Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center in Camp Hill, Pa.; Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Reading, Pa.; and more than 3,000 physicians and direct care providers at more than 126 outpatient practices in 94 locations. Additionally, the system jointly operates various health care providers, including Penn State Health Rehabilitation Hospital, Hershey Outpatient Surgery Center, Hershey Endoscopy Center, Horizon Home Healthcare and the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute.

    In December 2017, Penn State Health partnered with Highmark Health to facilitate creation of a value-based, community care network in the region.

    Penn State Health shares an integrated strategic plan and operations with Penn State College of Medicine, the University’s medical school. With campuses in State College and Hershey, Pa., the College of Medicine boasts a portfolio of more than $100 Million in funded research and more than 1,700 students and trainees in medicine, nursing, and other health care professions and biomedical research.

  • Hospice Foundation of America’s (HFA) mission is to provide leadership in the development and application of hospice and its philosophy of care with the goal of enhancing the U.S. health care system and the role of hospice within it. HFA meets its mission by providing programs for professional development, public education, and information; funding research; producing publications; and providing information on issues related to advance care planning, hospice and palliative care, caregiving, and grief. Our programs for healthcare professionals are designed to improve the care of those with a terminal illness and those experiencing the process of grief and are offered on a national basis. Our programs for the public are designed to assist individual consumers of health care who are coping with issues of caregiving, terminal illness, and grief. HFA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

    Learn More About HFA Here

  • Founded in 1865 as a land-grant university, the University of Kentucky (UK) is the Commonwealth’s research extensive flagship institution dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the citizens of the Commonwealth and the nation through excellence in teaching, research, and service. UK is one of 73 public universities in the country to be designated a Research University with very high research activity by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Research and academic activity at UK spans all 16 colleges, the Graduate School, 76 multidisciplinary research centers, and 31 core research facilities. UK serves as the principal graduate degree-granting university in Kentucky’s system of higher education and is the principal institution for statewide instruction, research and service in all fields without geographic limitation. The university has a Provost system and a Vice-President with responsibilities for the UK Medical Center (UKMC). The UKMC is comprised of the Colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Nursing, and Allied Health Professions. It also includes the A.B. Chandler Hospital, which is a teaching and research facility. The UKMC draws on a wide area covering several states. The principal catchment area, however, is roughly coterminous with the Rural East Kentucky Health Service Area. The East Kentucky Area comprises about 41% of the population of Kentucky. Approximately 65% of residents of the area live in a rural setting. Thirty percent are under 17 years of age. Almost 30% of the residents over the age of 20 have completed less than eight years of education.

    UK faculty and staff brought in $429.2 million in new sponsored project awards in FY 2020, and UK is one of only 18 universities with the trifecta of research excellence designations in cancer, aging, and translational science.

    Learn More About The UK College of Communication and Information Here

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