Peter Kaboli, MD, MS
Acting Executive Director, Office of Rural Health (ORH)

Peter Kaboli, MD, MS was named Acting Executive Director in 2022. He leads the Office of Rural Health’s portfolio of partnerships with clinical program offices, research initiatives, and a strong innovation program of Rural Promising Practices and Enterprise-Wide Initiatives that are disseminated across VHA to increase access to care for hundreds of thousands of rural Veterans.

Dr. Kaboli also oversees the activities of five Veterans Rural Health Resource Centers (VRHRCs) in Iowa City, Iowa; Salt Lake City, Utah; White River Junction, Vermont; Gainesville, Florida; and Portland, Oregon. ORH’s VRHRCs serve as hubs of rural health care research, innovation, and dissemination. Dr. Kaboli ensures that ORH fulfils its legislative mandate as outlined in 38 USC § 7308 to conduct rural Veteran focused research, create innovative solutions to rural Veteran access challenges, and disseminate those solutions system-wide.

Dr. Kaboli is a Core Investigator with the Comprehensive Access and Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) Center of Innovation; a Hospitalist at the Iowa City VA Healthcare System; and a Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.

He earned his BS in Biology, MS in Epidemiology, and his MD, all from the University of Iowa. He completed his residency at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, UT in 1998 and General Medicine Fellowship and VA Quality Scholars Fellowship at the University of Iowa/Iowa City VAMC in 2000. 

He has held leadership positions as Chief of Medicine, Iowa City VA Healthcare System; a Veterans Rural Health Resource Center Director; and Senior Scholar of the VA Quality Scholars Fellowship program.

Dr. Kaboli’s research interests include health care access, rural health, inpatient medical care quality, development of valid methods for measuring medication appropriateness, and interventions to optimize medication delivery to vulnerable Veteran populations.

Sheila Robinson, DHA, FACHE, PMP
Deputy Director, Office of Rural Health (ORH)

Dr. Sheila Robinson was named Deputy Director in 2019. She manages the day to day operations of the Office of Rural Health, leading the rural health VA Central Office team in the development, dissemination and oversight of nationwide programs designed to increase access to care for hundreds of thousands of rural Veterans.

A retired Air Force colonel, Dr. Robinson served as a Personnel Officer for seven years before transferring to the Medical Service Corps. She served in various positions, culminating her active duty military career as the Director of Coalition and Non-Beneficiary Healthcare Programs for the Defense Health Agency and Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. Dr. Robinson served for more than 20 years and was awarded Defense Superior Service and Defense Meritorious Service medals.

Most recently, Dr. Robinson worked as a federal and Department of Defense consultant. As a consultant, she was responsible for leading and managing several projects that support the federal and military health systems. Dr. Robinson is also a board-certified fellow in health care management through the American College of Health Executives (FACHE). She holds a Doctorate in Health Administration from Central Michigan University, a Masters in Health Administration from Chapman University, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Grambling State University.