Sara Woolcock, MPH, RDN

WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Phone: 206.685.6610
Email: swoolc@uw.edu
LinkedIn: Sara on LinkedIn

Department of Family Medicine
University of Washington
4311 Eleventh Ave NE, Suite 210
Seattle, WA 98105

Current Projects - (1)
Completed Projects - (2)
Publications - (9)

Current Projects - (1)

Access to and Provision of Child and Youth Behavioral Health Services in the Rural and Urban U.S.
The need for behavioral health treatment for youth has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about the availability of youth behavioral health providers in rural areas. This study will investigate who provides behavioral health services to youth, how the workforce is distributed, and gaps in service availability.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Allied health professionals, Children and adolescents, Health services, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Physician assistants, Physicians, Substance use and treatment, Workforce

Completed Projects - (2)

Overcoming Barriers to Providing Rural Obstetrical Training for Physicians
Rural communities struggle to maintain obstetrical (OB) services, due in part to scarce rural training opportunities for obstetricians and family physicians. This study described the availability, characteristics, and output of residency and fellowship programs offering rural OB training and identified solutions to support this training.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Healthcare access, Maternal health, Physicians, Women, Workforce
Trends in Health Workforce Supply in the Rural U.S.
Rural communities in the U.S. have struggled to recruit and sustain sufficient health professionals to ensure adequate access to care. This study used multiple sources of data to describe the geographic distribution (rural/urban, regional, and intra-rural) of numerous types of health professionals.
Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Allied health professionals, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Oral health, Physician assistants, Physicians

Publications - (9)

2025

The Rural and Urban Supply of Clinicians With a DEA Waiver to Prescribe Buprenorphine in 2022 Prior to the Elimination of the Waiver Requirement
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 04/2025
This data brief describes the supply of all clinicians with a DEA waiver to prescribe medication for opioid use disorder from 2017 to 2022. The supply of eligible clinicians grew in both rural and urban counties in five years. More rural counties lacked waivered clinician compared to urban counties.

2024

Trends in the Health Workforce Supply in the Rural U.S.
Report
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2024
This report examines the availability of current and historical workforce data for a variety of health care professionals and provides estimates of the trends in the supply and distribution in the rural vs. urban U.S. workforce.

2023

Understanding and Overcoming Barriers to Rural Training in Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellowships
Policy Brief
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 06/2023
This policy brief describes the results of a survey on the characteristics and challenges faced by rurally oriented family medicine obstetrics fellowship programs. All survey respondents reported their programs had a mission to train family physicians for rural practice, yet less than one-third of programs reported they required rural training.
Understanding and Overcoming Barriers to Rural Obstetric Training for Family Physicians
Journal Article
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2023
Family physicians are the most common health professional providing rural obstetric (OB) care, but the number of family physicians practicing OB is declining. This mixed-methods study aimed to inform policy and practice solutions to address the training landscape and inform sustainable initiatives for rural family medicine obstetrical training.

2022

Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Counselors in the U.S., 2014-2021
Fact Sheet
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2022
There are rural vs. urban disparities and unequal distribution of behavioral health providers across U.S. Census Divisions. This study examined the trends in the supply of counselors by rural-urban status and Census Division.
Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners in the U.S., 2014-2021
Fact Sheet
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2022
There are rural vs. urban disparities and unequal distribution of behavioral health providers across U.S. Census Divisions. This study examined the trends in the supply of psychiatric nurse practitioners by rural-urban status and Census Division.
Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Psychiatrists in the U.S., 1995-2019
Fact Sheet
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2022
There are rural vs. urban disparities and unequal distribution of behavioral health providers across U.S. Census Divisions. This study examined the trends in the supply of psychiatrists by rural-urban status and Census Division.
Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Psychologists in the U.S., 2014-2021
Fact Sheet
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2022
There are rural vs. urban disparities and unequal distribution of behavioral health providers across U.S. Census Divisions. This study examined the trends in the supply of psychologists by rural-urban status and Census Division.
Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Social Workers in the U.S., 2014-2021
Fact Sheet
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 10/2022
There are rural vs. urban disparities and unequal distribution of behavioral health providers across U.S. Census Divisions. This study examined the trends in the supply of social workers by rural-urban status and Census Division.