For SPH-B faculty member Ricky Camplain, shedding light on health disparities across the country with a goal towards better health equity is a passion project.
An assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Camplain was recently awarded the 2026 Outstanding Junior Faculty Award—one of only three faculty members across IU Bloomington campus to receive the distinction. Sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs, this award is reserved specifically for pre-tenure faculty and comes with $15,000 in research funding for each recipient.
Camplain made headlines last year working with her twin sister and SPH-B faculty member Carly Camplain on researching health equity issues in tribal jails on the Hualapai Reservation in Peach Springs, AZ. That project is ongoing, with a trip planned for July of this year to do another round of data collection and reinforce community partnerships.
“It is an honor to be at a university like IU with so much incredible work being done, and I was very surprised to be given this distinction,” says Camplain. “It shows me that the university really appreciates the work I am doing.”
Camplain says the research funding that comes with this award will go towards the Hualapai tribal jail project, as well as an ongoing project with department colleague and Research Analyst Isabel Fangman collecting handbooks from more than 3,000 jails across the United States.
"The handbooks are mandated by law for people who are incarcerated, basically a how-to guide for the jail they are in,” says Camplain. “Usually, they include an outline for policies and practices, where people can access healthcare, and rules and regulations for the facility.”
Camplain and Fangman have gathered close to 1,000 handbooks over the last year, with the goal of determining what health-related programming and healthcare are available to incarcerated individuals nationwide. For instance, the Camplains and Fangman published a paper this spring for the academic journal American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM) Focus entitled, “Prenatal Care and Pregnancy-Related Accommodations in Indiana County Jails: An Analysis of ‘Inmate’ Handbooks.”
One of the biggest issues regarding healthcare in traditional jails is the issue of copays, which can add up quickly for an inmate unable to earn money for themselves.
“For example, here in Indiana facilities can charge up to $15 copay to see a medical practitioner…which for someone in jail who can’t earn money or earns very little cents on the dollar it would be like me spending $1,000 in copay fees just to see a nurse for feeling dizzy,” says Camplain. “People who are incarcerated are disproportionately of lower socio-economic status and they don’t have access to a lot of resources.”
Camplain says those incarcerated will often ignore medical issues because of the copay fees until the health concern becomes an emergency. While many facilities claim they will see the patients regardless, oftentimes individual accounts will still be charged, bringing them into the red. Camplain hopes through her research with Fangman that policies to offer better healthcare access to inmates can be advocated for.
Camplain adds, “Receiving [The Outstanding Junior Faculty Award] takes a weight off my shoulders, knowing that even pre-tenure, my work around health equity and health disparities is supported.”
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