Education

BS, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1997
MS, James Madison University, 2001
PhD, University of South Carolina, 2004

Research

Dr. Bennett is a Professor of Family & Preventive Medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, SC. He serves as the Director of the South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare, a center of excellence supported by the SC State Legislature. He is also the Rural Fellow for the Commonwealth Fund, and he served as the President of the National Rural Health Association in 2024.

His work focuses on improving healthcare delivery for marginalized and underserved communities, particularly in rural areas, while examining the influence of national, state, or local policies and legislation on these populations. He has worked extensively with community groups, rural health networks, healthcare systems, and state agencies to pioneer and assess innovative care delivery programs.  He also has an extensive publication history examining the disparities in healthcare access, quality, and outcomes experienced by rural populations. 

Biography

Dr. Bennett is a Professor of Family & Preventive Medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, SC. He serves as the Director of the South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare. He was named as Rural Fellow with the Commonwealth Fund in 2025, and he also serves on the National Rural Health Association’s Board of Trustees and as Past President (2024).

Dr. Bennett received his Bachelors of Science from Virginia Tech in human Nutrition Foods and Exercise in 1997, followed by a Master’s of Science from James Madison University in Administration of Health and Wellness Programs in 2001.  He completed his PhD in 2004 from the University of South Carolina, in Public Health Administration.

Dr. Bennett has worked in rural health policy, disparities research, and systems research since 2001.  He began as a Senior Research Associate at the SC Rural Health Research Center, where he worked on federally-funded rural policy papers and briefs. Since joining the faculty of the School of Medicine in 2005, Dr. Bennett has been a prolific publisher of more than 100 manuscripts, 150 presentations (state, national, and international), and 35 rural health policy papers.

He has also taken on a large national leadership role in rural health policy, having served as the 2024 President of the National Rural Health Association.  With the national advocacy group, Dr. Bennett has assisted in the formulation of national rural policy, regulations, and improving access and care to rural Americans nationwide.  He has also served on various committees with the organization, including Chair of the Health Policy Congress, Research & Educational Constituency Group, and Journal of Rural Health Editorial board.  For this work, Dr. Bennett was awarded twice by the Association – in 2004 as the John Snow, Inc. / National Rural Health Association Student Leadership Award, and in 2023 as the Volunteer of the Year.

As the Rural Fellow with the Commonwealth Fund, Dr. Bennett works to inform this national health policy foundation on rural health policy, disparities, and interventions to improve care. Through this fellowship, Dr. Bennett has engaged with federal policy makers, legislators, and agency administers to inform on rural health care policy.  He has also engaged extensively with media to further disseminate the issues around rural health.

In general, his work focuses on improving healthcare delivery for marginalized and underserved communities, particularly in rural areas, while examining the influence of national, state, or local policies and legislation on these populations. He has worked extensively with community groups, rural health networks, healthcare systems, and state agencies to pioneer and assess innovative care delivery programs.

Selected Publications

Blumenthal D, Bennett KJ, McDonough D. Overcoming the Digital Divide in Health Care AI. New England Journal of Medicine (2026);394:1876-1877. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2600816

Crouch EC, Boswell E, Odahowski C, Benavidez G, Bennett KJ, Hung P, & Nelson J. (2026). Economic Stability of Children, a Key Social Determinant of Health, in the United States: Differences by Rurality. Journal of Rural Health, 42(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.70164

Deng, G. Barabell, and K. J. Bennett, “ Development and Validation of an Algorithm to Identify Prenatal Care in Administrative Data: Predictive Validity for Adverse Birth Outcomes,” Health Services Research 61, no. 1 (2026): e70063, https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.70063

Crouch, E., Shapiro, C., Boswell, E., Brown, M., Bennett, KJ. (2025). Adverse Childhood Experiences, Positive Childhood Experiences, and Digital Media Use among Children and Adolescents in the United States. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma. Open Access, Published October 2025

Gezer F, Howard KA, Bennett KJ, Litwin AH, Sease KK, Rennert L. (2025). Predicting Mobile Health Clinic Utilization for COVID-19 Vaccination in South Carolina: A Statistical Framework for Strategic Resource Allocation. PLOS Global Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0003837

Deng S, Bennett KJ (2024). Exploring low back and pelvic pain challenges: Administrative insights into prevalence during pregnancy among 2016–2021 South Carolina Medicaid beneficiaries. Women's Health (2024). https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057241267097

Deng S, Bennett KJ (2024). Provider’s Individual and Network Attributes in the Selection Process of a Predominant Antenatal Care Provider in South Carolina: A Case-Control Study. INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580241273148

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