Staff
Kylie Christensen, MPH
Title: Director of RUUTE and Regional Affairs
Kylie has been with the RUUTE program since its conception in 2018. Kylie is from St. George Utah and completed her Bachelors and Masters of Public Health at the University of Utah. As the Director, she oversees efforts in Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. She enjoyed meeting with rural/underserved hospital leadership, recruiting and recognizing community providers, and growing programs and opportunities that will benefit rural/underserved communities of Utah and the Intermountain West.
Email: Kylie.christensen@hsc.utah.edu
Phone: 801-213-1042
Madelyn Carter, MPH, CPH
Title: RUUTE & Regional Affairs Associate Director
Madelyn has been with the RUUTE program since May, 2020. Madelyn is from the small town of Castle Dale, Utah. Madelyn has a Masters of Public Health from the University of Utah and is certified in public health. She focuses on engaging medical students as well as working on outreach programs such as the Rural Speaker Series, the Rural Outreach Program (ROP), the RUUTE Community Engagement Experience (CEE), as well as supporting students on their clinical experiences. Madelyn enjoys coordinating and programing with rural providers, and engaging with students to get them excited about RUUTE and the School of Medicine.
Email: madelyn.carter@hsc.utah.edu
Kacey Madsen, M.Ed
Title: Program Manager: Research, Extracurricular and Outreach
Kacey originally joined the RUUTE team in February 2022 and is from Salt Lake City, Utah with strong connections in Kanab and Big Water, Utah. Kacey has her Masters of Education from University of Phoenix and Bachelors in Human Development & Family Studies. She is currently completing her Doctorate of Education focused in Higher Education from University of Phoenix. Kacey has worked in K-12 education settings and has a passion for creating educational experiences with RUUTE’s pipeline and research programs. She enjoys coordinating and programing the development of the Little RUUTE, Undergraduate Ambassadors, Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), Medical Student Research, and RUUTE Scholar programs with RUUTE.
Email: Kacey.Madsen@hsc.utah.edu
Randy Hansen, MPH
Title: Rural Education and Outreach Program Manager
Randy started with the RUUTE Program as a Program Coordinator from June 2019 to June 2021, and returned to the program as the Rural Education and Outreach Program Manager. Randy is originally from St. George, UT and completed both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Health at the University of Utah. She works closely with medical students and community partners to facilitate the RUUTE Community Engagement Experience (CEE) and Rural Outreach Program (ROP). Randy is very happy to be involved in providing opportunities for rural and underserved communities to medical students at the School of Medicine.
Email: Randy.Hansen@hsc.utah.edu
Heather VanOostendorp
Title: Travel & Clerkship Coordinator
Heather joined the RUUTE team in January 2022 as the Travel & Clerkship Coordinator. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Human Development & Family Studies from the University of Utah. Heather coordinates medical student rural clerkships and travel arrangements, as well as assisting with RUUTE’s various other programs. She enjoys helping students gain valuable learning experiences as they seek to improve healthcare access in rural and underserved communities throughout Utah.
Email: heather.vano@hsc.utah.edu
Christopher Brenk
Title: Retention, Recruitment, & Research Program Coordinator
Christopher started with the RUUTE team in August 2024 as the Retention, Recruitment, & Research Program Coordinator. Originally from the Midwest, he received a Bachelor of Arts from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, & lived three years in the remote, coastal town of Sitka, Alaska before arriving in Utah. He's very much enjoying combining his previous experiences in educational, non-profit, & rural healthcare settings into working at RUUTE, where he can continue to create, implement, & advocate for programs & students from rural & underserved backgrounds in the intermountain West.
Alumni Staff
Eliza Larsen
Eliza was a member of the RUUTE team from September 2020 to May of 2021. Eliza recently completed her Bachelors from the University of Utah. Eliza was an integral part of the social media team at RUUTE. She helped develop, expand and market social media content through many different avenues. Eliza is now pursuing her Masters of Public Health from Boston University.
Taylor Dean, MS
Taylor was with the RUUTE program from October, 2019 to August, 2021. Taylor completed his Bachelors and Masters of Sociology at Utah State University. As a research analyst, Taylor focused on program evaluation and tracking both student outcomes and program outreach efforts. He also helped facilitate research experiences for both undergraduate and medical students. Taylor is passionate for medical education and is working on expanding and developing rural clerkship opportunities and curriculum. Taylor is now working for the Population Health Scholars Program within the Dean's Office at the University of Utah School of Medicine.
Kyla McIlwee, MPH
Kyla was apart of the RUUTE team from September, 2020 to June, 2021. She completed her Bachelors in Kinesiology and Masters of Public Health in California. Serving as the research and program coordinator, Kyla focused on increasing research opportunities between faculty and students as it relates to serving rural and underserved communities. She also helped facilitate research experiences for undergraduate and medical students such as SURE. Kyla helped develop and edit the podcast, M.ED, Medical Education for the Practicing Cliniician. Kyla is now working with a social enterprise focused on teaching adults essential skills through their cellphones.
Laura Herring
Laura joined the RUUTE team in November 2020. She completed a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Bachelors of Arts in Foreign Languages (Spanish) at Mississippi State University. Laura worked with students and motivated them to participate in RUUTE and regional affairs efforts. Laura focused on expanding RUUTE's efforts in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming by coordinating rural outreach programs, developing preceptors in these states, and connecting regional students with RUUTE programs.
Elise Longnecker
Title: Program and Event Coordinator
Elise joined the RUUTE team in November 2021 as the Program & Events Coordinator. Elise completed a Bachelor of History at Georgia Gwinnett College. Elise focused on assisting the oversight of first and second year medical student experiences programs and events. Elise spearheaded efforts for the Rural Outreach Program, URISE, Rural Speaker Series, and many other activities for students. Elise also collaborated with the RUUTE research team and made summer experiences fun and memorable for students. Elise created graphics and ran the RUUTE social media accounts and engaged students through the platforms. Elise now works for the University of Vermont School of Medicine.
Megan Mckay
Title: Program Manager: Research, Extracurricular and Outreach
Megan joined the RUUTE team in October, 2020 as the Outreach Program Coordinator. Originally growing up in rural Vermont, Megan felt called to the desert landscapes of the west and completed her Bachelors in Conservation Biology at the University of Arizona before moving on to Utah. Megan now works for similar efforts at the University of Arizona School of Medicine.
To find more ways to donate towards rural medical student scholarships, please visit the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine Website.
CONTACT US
Please contact the RUUTE Team with any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
Email: RUUTE@umail.utah.edu