Lynette Dickson is an associate director of Community Outreach and Engagement, at the Center for Rural Health (CRH) at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Grand Forks. She has been with the Center since February 2003.

Lynette directs the State Office of Rural Health grant program, Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility program, and the Small Hospital Improvement Program which are sponsored by the Health Resource Services and Administration (HRSA) Office of Rural Health Policy. In her position she also directs the outreach to North Dakota healthcare providers for the partnership with the Regional Extension and Assistance Center for HIT, serving North Dakota and Minnesota, funded by the federal DHHS, Office of the National Coordinator for HIT. She is currently appointed by the governor to the North Dakota Health Information Technology Advisory Committee and serves as vice chair and is on the North Dakota EMS Advisory Committee. In addition, Lynette serves as the director of the Area Health Education Center program office. As part of the core function of the programs listed previously, she provides direction to projects related to health IT, workforce development, recruitment, and retention and is actively involved in health policy, government affairs, community development, strategic planning, and grant development. She serves on the Noridian Mutual Insurance Co. Board of Directors and is past president of the National Organization of State Office of Rural Health. She continues to serve on the Board of Directors.

Prior to coming to the CRH, she worked as the area program manager for the American Diabetes Association–North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota office and as director of Camp Sioux, a summer camp for children diagnosed with diabetes, for eight years.

Lynette received her master of science degree in nutrition and dietetics from North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota, and her bachelor of science degree in food and nutrition from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, and is a licensed registered dietitian.

Established in 1980, the CRH is one of the nation’s most experienced rural health organizations. It has developed a full complement of programs to assist researchers, educators, policymakers, healthcare providers, and most important, rural residents to address changing rural environments by identifying and researching rural health issues, analyzing health policy, strengthening local capabilities, developing community-based alternatives, and advocating for rural concerns.