Cutler Institute Staffer Wins National Health Award
Erika Ziller, Senior Research Associate at the USM Muskie School’s Cutler Institute, recently received the Louis Gorin Award for Outstanding Achievement in Rural Health Care from the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). The award was presented on May 5 at the NHRA annual conference, which attracted over 900 rural health professionals and students to Austin, Texas.
This annual award honors the memory of Louis Gorin, a federal employee who for 25 years helped lead the design and authorization of health initiatives for rural America. Award recipients are selected based on their creativity, unselfishness, compassion, and cooperative attitude in seeking ways to make lasting contributions to rural health care. Their work extends beyond the local community and has a demonstrated effect on rural health at state and national levels, including contributions to rural health policy, legislation, health care, and health programs.
As the NHRA noted in its award announcement, Ziller has become a nationally recognized researcher for her work at Cutler, particularly with the Institute’s Maine Rural Health Research Center. In 2010, she produced several key policy briefs on the scope and consequences of rural un-insurance and under-insurance.