Dr. Karen Pellegrin of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has partnered with Dr. Alexandra Hanlon for nearly a decade to tackle some of the most complex questions in rural health. What began as a search for statistical expertise grew into a long-standing collaboration that continues to shape impactful, data-driven research, now through Virginia Tech’s Center for Biostatistics and Health Data Science (CBHDS).

Pellegrin first connected with Hanlon while building a vision for rural health research at her institution. At the time, Hanlon was a Research Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and Pellegrin recognized that strong biostatistical support would be essential to answering the types of questions she was pursuing.

“I remember thinking that having even a small amount of that level of expertise would be transformative,” Pellegrin said.

Their collaboration quickly proved its value through the Pharm2Pharm (P2P) project, a large quasi-experimental study examining how pharmacists can help reduce medication-related hospitalizations. With Hanlon leading the statistical analysis, the project generated strong evidence and helped secure continued funding, laying the groundwork for future studies.

“Without the right statistical approach, we would not have been able to demonstrate the impact in the way that we did,” she explained.

As the collaboration expanded, Hanlon later moved to Virginia Tech and founded CBHDS, where she now serves as Director. Alicia Lozano, CBHDS Assistant Director, subsequently joined the collaboration, further strengthening the team’s capacity to support Pellegrin’s research.

Since then, Pellegrin has worked with Hanlon, Lozano, and their colleagues across a wide range of projects, including research exploring the root causes of rural health disparities. One of their most influential findings showed that socioeconomic factors, such as poverty and income, account for a significant portion of differences in health outcomes between rural and urban populations.

“If you control for those factors, the disparities largely disappear,” Pellegrin said. “That changes how we think about where to invest resources.”

Her current work continues to expand on these ideas, with a focus on patient-centered outcomes, community culture, and the role of social connectedness in health. By examining how local environments influence behavior and well-being, Pellegrin aims to better understand both the challenges and strengths within rural communities.

“Rural communities face real challenges, but they also have incredible strengths,” she said. “Social support and connectedness can be powerful protectors of health.”

Throughout this work, Pellegrin credits CBHDS not only for its technical expertise, but for its collaborative approach.

“It is not just about analytics,” she said. “It is the teamwork, the dependability, and the shared commitment to solving meaningful problems.”

That partnership has enabled her to pursue increasingly complex research questions, from applying machine learning methods to large health datasets to developing more culturally appropriate approaches for engaging rural populations.

Reflecting on the collaboration, Pellegrin described CBHDS in one word: empowering.

“It empowers us to use science to address real-world issues and to see pathways toward meaningful progress,” she said.

As the collaboration continues, Pellegrin remains focused on advancing research that is both rigorous and community-driven, ensuring that data not only informs understanding but helps improve health outcomes where it matters most.