Emily Killian, PhD candidate in the University of Iowa College of Public Health’s Department of Community and Behavioral Health, has been awarded the 2026 Rural Iowa Research Award to support her research on improving how social support for caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) is measured in rural Iowa. Her work aims to better reflect caregivers’ lived experiences and inform more effective interventions, services, and policies for rural communities across the state.

Killian’s research examines how rural and urban caregivers understand, experience, and describe social support within their caregiving networks, and whether commonly used survey tools accurately capture those experiences.

Using qualitative cognitive interviewing methods, Killian will identify gaps and misalignments in existing social network and social support measures. Findings from the study will inform the development of more context-sensitive tools that better reflect rural caregiving realities and help guide effective intervention design, service delivery, and policy decisions to support caregiver well-being across rural Iowa.

The Rural Iowa Research Award is funded by The Hunsicker Family Fund and coordinated by the University of Iowa College of Public Health Research Office.