We are sad to report that Professor Gary Hart, the long-time Director and Principal Investigator of the WWAMI RHRC passed away on April 13, 2020. Gary was a hugely accomplished and influential person in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington. His enormous contributions to rural health services research and health workforce research earned him a national and international reputation as an innovative and meticulous researcher. He was strongly committed to improving health care for rural people, and deeply interested in the application of research to rural health care policy problems, including rural workforce supply, access to obstetrical care, and complex issues in rural taxonomies. Gary was incredibly generous with his time and his ideas (like his friend and collaborator Roger Rosenblatt, he was overflowing with research ideas!). Over the years he coached and mentored scores of researchers many of whom went on to distinguished research careers at UW and other institutions. He earned his PhD in Medical Geography at the UW in 1985 and co-founded the UW’s WWAMI Rural Health Research Center with Roger Rosenblatt in 1988. He served as the Center’s Director from 1989 until 2007. He was also the PI and Director of the WWAMI Center for Health Workforce Studies from 1998 until 2007. In 2007, Gary left UW for a rural health position at the University of Arizona, later moving to the University of North Dakota where he served as the Director of the Center for Rural Health at UND’s School of Medicine and Health. He leaves behind a legacy of pioneering rural health services scholarship, generosity, and kindness. We extend our sympathy to Gary’s wife, Shelly and to his children. In honor of Gary, memorials are welcome at The National Rural Health Foundation or Journey Home Animal Rescue
