Representing The Ohio State University and Ohio State’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) were CTSI Community Advisory Board (CAB) members Halea Hatten, MSE, of the Portsmouth City Health Department and Zach Chaplow, PhD, CSCS, ACSM-EP, Ohio State visiting assistant professor. Also in attendance were Megan Roberts, PhD, College of Public Health associate professor, Jeff Grever, MPH, CTSI community engagement program manager and Bev Stringer, CTSI Southeast Ohio community engagement manager. Over the two days of the summit, participants engaged in keynote presentations, breakout sessions and networking opportunities designed to foster partnerships and share actionable strategies.
The summit opened with a keynote address, Facing Challenges, Fostering Hope: Appalachians Respond to the Opioid Epidemic, which set the tone for candid conversations about substance use, resilience and community-driven solutions. Breakout sessions explored topics ranging from behavioral health and maternal care disparities to telehealth innovations and machine learning models for predicting overdose trends. A lunch plenary highlighted collaborative approaches to improving health outcomes through initiatives like the Appalachian Access Project. Poster sessions and networking breaks provided additional opportunities for attendees to connect and exchange ideas.
CAB member, Zach Chaplow, found the summit to be a valuable and collaborative experience: “Attending the ATRN Health Summit always offers a unique opportunity to network with professionals from many disciplines and individuals with lived experiences who all share a passion and dedication to address health-related challenges facing Appalachian communities. This year's summit was held in the beautiful Abingdon, Virginia area. My trip was especially valuable as I connected with new collaborators who share an interest in refining our behavioral interventions to better reach and ultimately improve the health and quality of life of chronic disease survivors in this region. I was proud to represent Ohio State along with Bev, Jeff, Megan and Halea. I am looking forward to next year!”
Halea Hatten, also a CB member, echoed the importance of collaboration and connections made and the emotional impact of the summit: “Attending the ATRN Conference gave me a holistic picture of how the Appalachian community was impacted by the opioid epidemic. Speakers were sharing their stories and research from West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky. I felt like they were sharing my community's story. The struggles and the heart of Appalachia were reflected in the emotion and passion of the presenters and attendees. It made me feel like our community has so many more connections and a level of understanding than we thought possible. I'm thankful for all of the collaboration and connections made, and I look forward to sharing the knowledge I learned with my community.”
The ATRN Health Summit continues to serve as a catalyst for collaboration, bridging research and real-world impact. For more details about this year’s summit, visit appalachianresearchnetwork.org.
Mark your calendars! The momentum continues next year when The Ohio State University CTSI hosts the 2026 ATRN Health Summit in Columbus!
Julie Johnson, PharmD, is the Director and Principal Investigator at The Ohio State University Clinical and Translational Science Institute.