TOPEKA, KANSAS — The Kansas Health Institute (KHI) is pleased to announce the promotion of Wyatt J. Beckman, M.P.H., to Senior Analyst and Portfolio Strategist. In this role, he will lead KHI’s activities focused on rural health.
Born and raised in rural Western Kansas, Beckman is dedicated to raising awareness of issues facing rural communities. To that end, he is launching the Health on the Plains Coffee Hour — a series of informal, virtual discussions that will cover a range of topics from rural hospitals to community development. Join us for the Coffee Hour from 10-11 a.m. CT on the last Wednesday of each month, from June through October. The Coffee Hour builds on the popular Health on the Plains Podcast, also hosted by Beckman, which focuses on health and well-being in rural Kansas.
Beckman also facilitates research and policy analysis for projects related to rural health. He leads development of the annual Kansas County Profiles, which feature a five-year comparison of data from County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, including the measures with the greatest impact on the health of each county. Beckman’s experience at KHI also includes contributing to studies on mobile integrated health care, social isolation, e-cigarettes, suicide prevention, telehealth, prescription drug costs, and the response of local governments to COVID-19. He also provided research support to the Center for Sharing Public Health Services, a national initiative formerly managed by KHI and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation which focused on resource sharing arrangements as a strategy to improve public health effectiveness and efficiency.
“Wyatt is very passionate about rural Kansas and the issues that influence health in rural communities,” said Kari Bruffett, KHI President and CEO. “During his time at KHI, he has built partnerships with organizations invested in rural health and has consistently sought out opportunities to lead projects and proposals related to health in rural communities.”
As a Portfolio Strategist, Beckman joins the KHI leadership team. KHI staff members have a wide range of expertise on health-related topics. Learn more about their areas of focus on our website.