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Our Own Dr. Dan Derksen Appointed Director of Center for Rural Health at University of Arizona

Dan Derksen, MD, professor and chair of the Public Health Policy and Management section of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at University of Arizona, has been appointed to the Walter H. Pearce Endowed Chair and director of the Center for Rural Health.

In 2011 Governor Susana Martinez appointed Derksen to Director of the New Mexico Office of Health Care Reform where he submitted the state’s health insurance exchange establishment proposal funded by CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. When that process was put on hold by the governor, Dr. Derksen accepted an appointment in the College of Public Health at University of Arizona in 2012.

“We’re very fortunate to have a distinguished teacher and researcher with such a strong record of health policy, rural health and administrative success to lead our nationally recognized Center for Rural Health,” said Iman Hakim, dean and professor of the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health. “The depth of Dr. Derksen’s knowledge during this monumental time of change in the nation’s health care system makes him the ideal person to lead the Center.” 

The  Center for Rural Health,  which is located within the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, is home to the Arizona State Office of Rural Health. The center partners with other state agencies and organizations to improve the health and wellness of rural underserved populations through service, research and education. It was recently named the 2013 Outstanding Rural Health Organization in the U.S. by the National Rural Health Association.

"We look forward to partnering with Dr. Derksen again on rural and border health issues", said Dr.Art Kaufman, Vice Chancellor of Community Health at University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.