The first in a series of five Field Perspectives published by the Aspen Institute's Community Strategies Group. These papers are designed to propel and deepen understanding about rural issues and realities, shine a light on rural innovation and investment opportunities, connect and align fields of practice and interest, and call for constructive changes in the design and implementation of key public and private systems. This paper draws from two research projects, one with Chitra Kumar (below) and the other from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (2021) Rural Public Health and Health Care: A Scan of Field Practice and Trends.