Greg Carter, School of Nursing leader and alumnus, fulfills a mission to improve rural health
For Gregory Carter, growing up in a small, Southern Indiana town offered a front-row seat to witness the obstacles of accessing healthcare in rural communities. Carter’s lifelong career path has been to close the gap in care that residents of these towns endure.
“The challenge of rural healthcare is something that I know, and we tend to gravitate toward things that we understand,” said Carter, PhD, RN, AACRN.
Carter, who was recently appointed as the interim associate dean at the IU School of Nursing in Bloomington, earned his BSN and MSN from the School of Nursing and his PhD from the School of Public Health. He joined the School of Nursing faculty in 2013, and before becoming the school’s assistant dean of research last year, Carter spent most of his tenure in Bloomington where he taught undergraduate classes after working as a nurse in the surrounding counties.
“When I was working as a nurse, and even before I was working at the school, I saw the trends play out with the lack of access to care,” Carter explained. “People were coming to the hospital in the later stages of whatever illness they were experiencing, from letting colds or infections go on too long, to getting septic, and even late-stage diagnosis. In rural populations, there are certain fears and stigmas toward going to the doctor.”
Throughout his career, Carter has focused on the most vulnerable communities. He has been a principal investigator and co-investigator on several state and federally funded projects and is currently a co-investigator on a National Institute on Drug Abuse funded study. He also serves as co-director of the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention and has published several research articles on the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication that significantly reduces the risk of contracting HIV through sex or injection drug use.
“Dr. Carter led critical public health interventions during Indiana’s major HIV outbreak, including launching the state’s first needle exchange program," said Wendy Trueblood Miller, PhD, RN, professor and Sally Reahard Endowed Chair and executive associate dean for research. “He is a nationally recognized leader in rural health disparities and harm reduction. He pioneered research on PrEP prescribing among Midwestern nurse practitioners.”
“Dr. Carter’s work has significantly reduced HIV transmission and improved healthcare access in rural, underserved areas of Indiana,” Miller continued. “He has influenced rural health policy and shaped future nursing professionals through his teaching and mentorship.”
With funding for research and programming uncertain in the coming months, Carter knows continued outreach and education are key to promoting health for Hoosiers in rural counties.
“When we look at trends for HIV specifically, and with opioid overdose, those rates were plummeting because of the national commitment to research,” Carter said. “We’re now going to see rates of HIV infection rise because the individuals who are at greatest risk are going to have to find a new space to get their medication, or there may no longer be certain spaces to access care at all.”
In his new role as interim associate dean in Bloomington, Carter says he will continue to support the rural health and acute care initiatives that School of Nursing faculty implement across their courses.
“I believe there are opportunities to expand our clinical partnerships and offer experiences to our students that will give them a balanced education to address the needs of patients and communities throughout Indiana,” he said. “It’s not enough to just add nurses to the workforce. We must prepare nurses that are strong critical thinkers with the resilience to thrive in a tough environment. Lucky for us, that is an area where the IU School of Nursing excels.”