RHAU Officially Welcome Dr. Matt McCullough as RHAU Board President

January 5, 2026 | St. George, Utah — The Rural Health Association of Utah (RHAU) is pleased to announce that Dr. Matt McCullough has officially assumed the role of RHAU Board President, beginning his two-year term effective January 1, 2026. Kurt Loveless will transition into a one-year term as Immediate Past President and will continue to serve on RHAU’s Executive Committee.

Reflecting on the leadership transition, Loveless shared, “My strengths and resilience were well suited to where RHAU was when I began my term as Board President. Today, RHAU stands on a strong foundation, and Dr. McCullough’s experience and vision make him exceptionally well positioned to lead the organization forward as we expand our advocacy efforts and continue to elevate RHAU as the voice of rural Utah.”

Dr. McCullough brings extensive experience in rural health systems, policy, and innovation to his new role. He currently serves as Rural Hospital Improvement Director for the Utah Hospital Association, where he leads the Rural 9 Network and serves as Flex Program Coordinator for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.

From 2020 to 2023, Dr. McCullough was the Director of Telehealth Services for the Utah Telehealth Network (UTN), overseeing telehealth operations, strategic planning, and expansion of new sites and services. During this time, he also served as Principal Investigator for the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center (NRTRC), an HRSA-funded program supporting telehealth implementation, training, and education across Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah.

Previously, Dr. McCullough served as Director of the State Office of Primary Care and Rural Health from 2017 to 2020, where he supported rural hospitals and clinics statewide by connecting them with federal and state resources to improve quality of care, operational sustainability, and workforce development. Earlier in his career, he worked in local government for the City of Farmington, Utah, serving as GIS and IT Administrator for more than nine years.

Dr. McCullough earned his Ph.D. in Health Geography from the University of Utah in 2021.

RHAU looks forward to Dr. McCullough’s leadership as the organization continues to strengthen advocacy, collaboration, and support for rural healthcare systems and communities across Utah.

For more information about the Rural Health Association of Utah, visit www.rhau.org

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