Casey Balio, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Center for Rural Health and Research
Department of Health Services Management and Policy
Center for Rural Health and Research
Department of Health Services Management and Policy
423-439-5455 / balioc@etsu.edu
ETSU Innovation Lab 116
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CECIL G SHEPS CENTER FOR HSR
Postdoc, 2021
INDIANA UNIVERSITY RICHARD M. FAIRBANKS SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
PhD, Health Policy & Management, 2020
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
Bachelor of Arts, Biology and Evolutionary Biology, 2014
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CECIL G. SHEPS CENTER FOR HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
Postdoctoral Research Associate, 2020-2021
INDIANA UNIVERSITY RICHARD M. FAIRBANKS SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Graduate Research Assistant & Teaching Assistant, 2016-2020
CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG SCHOOLS
Secondary Science Teacher, 2014-2016
RESEARCH FOCUS
Medicaid, governmental public health systems, social determinants of health
COURSES INSTRUCTED
HSMP 2100
HSMP 5040
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
AcademyHealth
National Rural Health Association
American Public Health Association
Tennessee Public Health Association
Rural Health Association of Tennessee
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
Balio, C. P., Mathis, S. M., Alvis, K. M., Dean, R., Pelton, B., Leslie, H., & Meit, M. B. (2025, November 4). Benefits of and barriers to rural public health and health care collaborations. Annual Meeting & Expo, American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.
Balio, C. P. (2025, September 12). Health disparities, poverty, and rural resilience. 2025 TCCN Annual Conference, Tennessee Charitable Care Network, Chattanooga, TN.
Balio, C. P. (2025, August 21). The rural story: An update on rural health, data, and data challenges in 2025. 2025 Rural Health Journalism Workshop, Association of Health Care Journalists, Atlanta, GA.
Hare Bork, R., Najjar, M., Burton-Anderson, L., Balio, C. P., & Leider, J. (2025, July 18). Local voices, national impact: Insights from PH WINS 2024. NACCHO 360, National Association of County and City Health Officials, Anaheim, CA.
Balio, C. P., Tennyson, S., & Meit, M. B. (2025, May 23). Using area-level vulnerability measures in policy and practice. Rural Health Conference, National Rural Health Association, Atlanta, GA.
Huang, Q., & Balio, C. P. (2025, May 22). Planning for the future rural nursing workforce. NRHA Annual Rural Health Conference, National Rural Health Association, Atlanta, GA.
Balio, C. P., McDonald, M., & Alvis, K. M. (2025, May 19). Strategies for navigating challenging topics in rural health policy. NRHA Rural Health Access Conference, National Rural Health Association, Atlanta, GA.
Balio, C. P. (2024, September 10). Health equity, poverty, and rural resilience. Georgia Rural Health Association Annual Meeting, Jekyll Island, GA.
Balio, C. P., Luke, R. D., Petty, E. G., & Soult, A. P. (2024, July 1). Supply and aging of the rural surgeon workforce. Annual Research Meeting, AcademyHealth, Baltimore, MD.
Balio, C. P., Sullivan, O., Petty, E. G., & Beatty, K. E. (2024, May 9). Measuring area-level social determinants of health. 47th Annual Rural Health Conference, National Rural Health Association, New Orleans, LA.
Balio, C. P., Knudson, A., McKinley, A., & Kind, A. (2024, May 8). Area Deprivation Index in rural policy and research. Annual Rural Health Conference, National Rural Health Association, New Orleans, LA.
Beatty, K. E., Mathis, S. M., Francisco, M. M., Meit, M. B., & Balio, C. P. (2023, November 15). A rural lens on federal block grant distribution. Annual Meeting and Expo, American Public Health Association, Atlanta, GA.
Balio, C. P., Leslie, H., & Meit, M. B. (2023, November 14). Variation in the public health workforce composition by geography, economic factors, race, and ethnicity. Annual Meeting and Expo, American Public Health Association, Atlanta, GA.
Balio, C. P., Galler, N., Beatty, K. E., Francisco, M. M., Mathis, S. M., Meit, M. B., Morrison, C., & Pack, R. P. (2023, May). Neighborhood-level disadvantage by demographic characteristics and rurality. National Rural Health Association Annual Conference, National Rural Health Association, San Diego, CA.
Balio, C. P., Meit, M. B., Bennett, K., & Barter, C. (2023, May 17). Block grant funding for rural communities. Annual Rural Health Conference, National Rural Health Association, San Diego, CA.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Balio, C. P., Mathis, S. M., Meit, M. B., Bekemeier, B. (2026). Small but Essential: Understanding Rural Public Health Workforce Challenges and Strengths from the 2024 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS). Journal of Public Health Management and Practice: JPHMP, 32(1S Suppl 1), S60–S67. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000002233
Balio, C. P., Leslie, H., Pelton, B., Dockery, N., Meit, M. B. (2025). Local-Level Need, Supply, and Priority Areas for Public Health Nurses. Public Health Reports. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549251384451
Balio, C. P., Leslie, H., Beatty, K. E., Minnick, C. Y., Meit, M. B. (2025). How Is Rural Public Health Different? Journal of Public Health Management & Practice, 31(5), 687-690. https://doi.org/10.1097/phh.0000000000002183
Mathis, S. M., Sullivan, O., Francisco, M., Galler, N., Beatty, K. E., Meit, M. B., Morrison, C., Keinath, C. M., Balio, C. P. (2025). A Review of Common Limitations in Rural-Related Studies in the Peer-Reviewed Literature. Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration. https://www.etsu.edu/cph/rhrc/documents/rhrc_091025.pdf
Beatty, K. E., Balio, C. P., Francisco, M. M., Meit, M. B., Mathis, S. M. (2025). Distribution of Block Grant Funding: Considerations for Rural Communities. Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration. https://www.etsu.edu/cph/rhrc/documents/rhrc_090325.pdf
Balio, C. P., Mathis, S. M., Francisco, M. M., Meit, M. B., Beatty, K. E. (2025). A rural lens on federal block grant distribution. Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration. https://www.etsu.edu/cph/rhrc/documents/rhrc_090225.pdf
Dockery, N. A., Huang, Q., Balio, C. P. (2025). An analysis of syringe service programs across the rural-urban continuum in the United States. The Journal of Rural Health. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jrh.70072
Balio, C. P., Sullivan, O., Petty, E. Grace, Pelton, B., Dockery, N., Beatty, K. E. (2025). An Assessment of Area-Level Vulnerability and Resilience Indices by Geography: A Rural-Urban Comparison. The Journal or Rural Health. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jrh.70059
Leslie, H., Beatty, K. E., Rowe, D. A., Quade, T., Havrda, K., Balio, C. P. (2025). Disability Inclusion in Local Public Health Community Health Assessments and Community Health Improvement Plans. Journal of Public Health Management & Practice, 31(5), E276-E285. https://doi.org/10.1097/phh.0000000000002141
Leider, J., Balio, C. P., Hogg-Graham, R., Weiss, N., Vogel, A., Onal, S., Xang, X., Kett, P., Edmonds, J., Karnik, H., Dockery, N., Joseph, B., Pak, M., Thomas, A., Bekemeier, B. (2025). Enumeration 2024: What We Know and What We Wish We Knew About the Governmental Public Health Workforce in a COVID-19 Recovery Landscape. American Journal of Public Health, 115(5), 707-715. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2024.307960
Balio, C. P., Galler, N., Docker, N., Meit, M. B. (2025). State Strategies for Efficiently Allocating Health Resources: Use of Area-Level Indices in Policy, Funding, and Reimbursement. Milbank Memorial Fund. https://www.milbank.org/publications/state-strategies-for-efficiently-allocating-health-resources-use-of-area-level-indices-in-policy-funding-and-reimbursement/
Petty, E. Grace, Luke, R. D., Soult, A. P., Balio, C. P. (2025). Supply, Distribution, and Aging of the General Surgeon Workforce: A Rural and Urban Comparison. Annals of Surgery,10.1097/SLA.0000000000006758. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0000000000006758
Balio, C. P., Dockery, N. J., Hogg-Graham, R. (2025). Enumerating the US Governmental Public Health Workforce. American Journal of Public Health(115), 701-706. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307981?journalCode=ajph
Balio, C. P., Leslie, H., Meit, M. B. (2025). Racial and Ethnic Representation of the Local Public Health Workforce. American Journal of Public Health, 115(3), 333-343. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2024.307903
Gurzenda, S., Balio, C. P., Weis, M. (2025). Morbidity and Mortality Related to Intimate Partner Violence in the Perinatal Period. National Rural Health Association. https://www.ruralhealth.us/NationalRuralHealth/media/Documents/Advocacy/Policy%20Brief/NRHA-Policy-Brief-Rural-Maternal-Health-IPV-Final.pdf
Galler, N., Balio, C. P., Huang, Q., Beatty, K. E. (2024). The rural nursing home landscape. National Rural Health Association. https://www.ruralhealth.us/NationalRuralHealth/media/Documents/Advocacy/White%20Paper/Rural-Nursing-Home-Landscape-white-paper-final.pdf
Balio, C. P., Galler, N., Meit, M. B. (2024). The Role of Healthcare Conversion Foundations in Investing in Population Health. Nonprofit Policy Forum. https://doi.org/10.1515/npf-2023-0041
Balio, C. P., Mathis, S. M., Francisco, M. M., Meit, M., Beatty, K. E. (2024). State Priorities and Needs: The Role of Block Grants. Public Health Reports®, 139(4), 451-457. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549231205338
Balio, C. P., Norwood, C., McFarlane, T., Rusyniak, D., Blackburn, J. (2023). Health Care and Behavioral Service Use by Medicaid-Enrolled Adults After Release from Incarceration. Psychiatric Services, 74(2), 192-196. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.202200035