Geography and Health: Exploring Rural-Urban Disparities

The United States has a very high level of geographic variation in health compared to other countries, including variation between urban and rural dwellers, and these disparities are increasing. To understand how and why health varies across places, whether delineated by civic boundaries that are associated with different institutions, traditions, cultures, or public policies, or by features of the local environment, such as population density, pollution levels, the natural environment, or living conditions, the NBER Center for Aging and Health Research is planning a conference on emerging geographic trends in health and healthcare. The conference, which is made possible by support from the National Institute of Aging, will be organized by Alee Lockman (Texas A&M University) and Sarah Miller (University of Michigan and NBER). It will be held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Monday, June 8, 2026.

To understand rural-urban and other disparities, the meeting will focus on a number of factors, including how the local environment affects risk factors for disease, on differences in the prevalence of chronic disease, on access to disparate healthcare systems, on the role of health insurance policies, healthcare advances and their dissemination through the healthcare system, on non-health social insurance and safety net policies, and on location-specific factors such as pollution, weather, migration, and trust. Analysis of health challenges specific to rural locations is particularly welcome. 

The organizers welcome submissions on any subject related to the different health experiences of rural and urban dwellers. They hope to include perspectives from economics as well as other disciplines such as sociology, public health, and medicine.  All researchers, including those who are not NBER affiliates and who are early in their careers, are welcome to submit papers. Topics of particular interest include:  

• Policies or interventions that affect access to and/or utilization of care in rural areas
• Differences in health outcomes across geographic areas and the impact of public policies and other interventions, for example by nonprofit organizations, that affect health outcomes
• Disparities in provider and/or patient behavior differs across locations
• Technology diffusion across geographic areas, in particular to rural communities
• Measurement of “rurality” and related concepts as a means of categorizing locational differences

To be considered for presentation, submit papers or extended abstracts by 11:59pm ET on Sunday, March 8, 2026.

Authors chosen to present papers will be notified by early April 2026. 

The NBER will cover hotel and economy-class travel for up to two authors of each paper that is selected for presentation. 

Please share this call with others who may be interested in submitting a paper. Logistical questions about this meeting should be directed to confer@nber.org; other questions about the meeting content should be directed to Sarah Holmes Berk at sholmes@nber.org.