2025 Rural Health Leadership Institute Closing Session
On November 3rd, 2025, the New England Public Health Training Center (NEPHTC) and the New England Rural Health Association (NERHA) were proud to host the closing session of the 2025 Rural Health Leadership Institute (RHLI) in Groton, Connecticut, kicking off the Annual NERHA Conference.
The closing session brought together RHLI learners, mentors, and facilitators to celebrate two months of collaboration and leadership development focused on advancing rural health across New England. Over the course of the program, participants worked in teams to design public health response strategies addressing complex rural health challenges.
During the session, groups showcased their culminating projects, presenting detailed and realistic solutions to issues such as food insecurity, limited transportation access, rebuilding trust in public health, mental health and substance use and local emergency planning. Each project reflected the cohort’s commitment to community-driven, sustainable approaches for improving health and equity in rural settings.
The day concluded with reflection and recognition of the cohort’s accomplishments, as RHLI learners look ahead to applying their leadership skills in their communities and organizations. NEPHTC and NERHA commend the 2025 RHLI participants for their dedication and innovative contributions to strengthening rural public health across New England!
If you are interested in applying for the 2026 RHLI cohort, be sure to subscribe to our email list to stay up to date on the application, which will open sometime in summer 2026!