Community Practice Innovation Center team grows to complete grant-funded work

The Community Practice Innovation Center recently added two new team members to assist with research grant-related projects. 

Sarah Schweitzer and Keri Pappas, both recent graduates of South Dakota State University’s Master of Public Health program, joined the Community Practice Innovation Center team in November. Schweitzer joined the team as a community care coordinator, focusing on the center’s diabetes, heart disease and stroke program, while Pappas joined as a community clinic specialist on work completed through the BIRTH-SD-AIM project, which stands for Bridging Information and Resources to Transform Health for South Dakota parents – Assessing need and Implementing Maternal health safety bundles. 

According to Erin Miller, interim director of the center, “The projects and research we are doing within CPIC continue to require interdisciplinary teams of people working together. Strategically bringing in excellent talent like Sarah and Keri allows our center and researchers to continue to grow and successfully execute the projects as they contribute directly to project activities.” 

Community care coordinator 

Schweitzer is a 2023 graduate of SDSU’s Master of Public Health program. She earned a Bachelor of Science in human biology with a minor in mental health services from SDSU in 2021. 

While completing the Master of Public Health program, Schweitzer participated in the center’s START-SD (Stigma, Treatment, Avoidance and Recovery in Time) work, which addresses substance use disorder in South Dakota. She presented research related to her work with the START-SD project at the 2023 American Public Health Association annual meeting. 

As a community care coordinator, Schweitzer will utilize her Master of Public Health training to assist with Community Practice Innovation Center project work, including on the development of a mobile clinic program. 
“The project that I am currently active in is funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop and implement a pharmacist-led mobile health program focused on increasing cardiovascular and diabetes prevention and management services for those who are underserved in South Dakota.” 

Schweitzer said this work is important to her because of a core belief that health care is a basic human right. “It is important that work is being done to address the barriers people face to accessing health care. It’s all about removing barriers so all people have the opportunity to experience a longer, healthier, higher quality life. 

According to Miller, Schweitzer was a natural fit for the new community care coordinator role, which is an important addition to the center’s team. “As we continue to build the research of the Community Practice Innovation Center, roles like Sarah’s are critical to the success and continued growth of our projects.” 

For Schweitzer, who plans to apply to medical school and become a physician, the position of community care coordinator is a natural fit. “This project fits in my career goals of integrating public health practices into medicine, expanding access to quality care, and improving the health of not only my future patients but their communities.” 

Community clinic specialist 

Pappas is also a 2023 graduate of the Master of Public Health program. She earned Bachelor of Science in human biology and microbiology with minors in communication studies and chemistry in 2021. 

Pappas said that health communication has been a major focus throughout her education. She named a social epidemiology course she took from population health instructor Stephanie Hanson as particularly formative for her understanding of public health and social determinants of health. 

Pappas joins the Community Practice Innovation Center team as the community clinic specialist for BIRTH-SD-AIM, an $800,000 grant-funded program focused on data collection and improving birth and perinatal health outcomes throughout South Dakota. 

As the key point of contact for hospitals working with the BIRTH-SD-AIM team, Pappas explained she does a little bit of everything, including outreach and working with hospitals, working with perinatal quality collaboratives across the nation, helping to develop focus groups and surveys, and developing resources and support networks to improve perinatal health in the state. 

For Pappas, her work is particularly meaningful because of her deep South Dakota roots. “This place is my home, and my passion will always be to improve the health care environment in South Dakota so that people do not feel like they need to leave either the state or their small communities in order to receive the care they need.” 

Pappas added, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to start my career in South Dakota and look forward to continuing this type of work throughout my entire career.” 

According to Hanson, director of the BIRTH-SD-AIM program, “Keri and her role are an essential part of the BIRTH-SD-AIM work because her position is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with hospitals throughout the state of South Dakota.” 

Hanson added, “Keri is the boots-on-the-ground person and the face of the grant in many ways. She provides a listening ear and works with me to incorporate the feedback from hospitals and the needs of each hospital into the work being done by BIRTH-SD-AIM.” 

Continued growth for CPIC 

Over the past year, the Community Practice Innovation Center underwent unexpected changes in leadership, with Miller stepping in as interim director in June. Throughout this change, the center has continued to grow in the scope and impact of the work that is being completed. 

Currently, there are four active projects at the Community Practice Innovation Center, each of which is funded by one or more federal grants. These projects include the START-SD program, the BIRTH-SD program, the pharmacist-led mobile health program, and BREATHE-SD. 

Miller noted the significance of adding two new members to the center’s team and what it means for its continued growth. 

“The projects and research we are doing within the Community Practice Innovation Center continue to require interdisciplinary teams of people working together and bringing in team members. We continue to build infrastructure to support our work, which is essential to the long-term success of our research, to the research goals of our college and university, and to meeting the needs of South Dakotans through the work that we do.” 

Learn more about the work being completed at the Community Practice Innovation Center.