USA Health’s Lowman Speaks At National Conference

Janel Lowman, senior manager of community outreach at USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute, recently presented at the On Aging 2026 conference hosted by the American Society on Aging in Atlanta, where she joined a national panel discussion focused on improving care for older adults in rural communities. The session, developed in collaboration with AARP and the National Rural Health Association, explored challenges facing rural aging populations, including chronic disease, limited access to care, transportation barriers, food insecurity and social isolation. Lowman discussed how community health workers (CHW) can help bridge those gaps by connecting patients with resources and supporting more personalized, age-friendly care. Lowman also shared insights from her participation in the National Community of Practice supported by AARP that focused on improving communication between patients, caregivers and providers. Lowman’s work in rural health spans more than a decade. She began training community health workers in 2012 following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, when the University of South Alabama received grant funding to expand community-based health support across Alabama, Mississippi, the Florida Panhandle and Louisiana. As a certified CHW trainer, she trained 74 workers across four states, along with 391 community members who served as peer health advocates.