South Carolina AHEC Scholars Program

Are you interested in rural and underserved care? If so, consider applying for the SC AHEC Scholars program for an opportunity to collaborate with fellow health profession students from various disciplines and institutions across the state.

The South Carolina AHEC Scholars program is a part of a national initiative to prepare tomorrow’s health professionals to become leaders in interprofessional, transformative practice who serve those who need it the most.

The program consists of didactic and experiential training opportunities with a focus on primary care and service to rural and underserved populations. AHEC Scholars will receive preference for innovative, team-based clinical fieldwork placements, in addition to networking opportunities with state leaders and primary care professionals from across the state.

More information about the program is available below, on the flyer (PDF), or in the South Carolina AHEC Scholars Handbook (PDF).

Areas of Focus

Core Topics

All training will be focused around the following core topics:

Interprofessional Education
Behavioral Health Integration
Connecting Communities and Supporting Health Professionals
Virtual Learning and Telehealth
Social Determinants of Health
Cultural Competency
Practice Transformation

Primary Care and Serving the Underserved

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Committee on Implementing High-Quality Primary Care defines high-quality primary care as “the provision of whole-person, integrated, accessible, and equitable health care by interprofessional teams that are accountable for addressing the majority of an individual’s health and wellness needs across settings and through sustained relationships with patients, families, and communities.”

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) projects that demand will outstrip the supply of available primary care professionals by 2020 (HRSA online). In South Carolina, all but one county is a full or partial health professions shortage area (PDF). With so many South Carolinians in need of access to health care, the need for health professionals to practice full-scope primary care in rural areas is great. Additionally, recent studies show that rural family physicians have a broader scope of practice than their urban counterparts. Opportunities abound in all areas of primary care, including family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics.

Program Components

The AHEC Scholars program provides students with innovative, interprofessional training and mentoring focused on building the skills and competencies needed to help transform primary care and improve patient care. South Carolina AHEC Scholars will receive a certificate recognizing them as leaders in primary care upon completion, setting them apart during job search and/or subsequent residency match.

To successfully complete the AHEC Scholars Program, students will:

Participate in the AHEC Scholars program for 2 years.
Complete 40 hours of experiential and 40 hours of didactic activities during each of the two years of the program. Opportunities include:
- Primary care focused interprofessional simulation activities
- Partnering with SC primary care leaders on quality improvement initiatives
- Fieldwork placements/rotations in team-based practice settings
- Access to online courses focused on the core topics
Complete a follow-up evaluation 1 year after exiting the program.

Extensive information about the program is available in the South Carolina AHEC Scholars Handbook (PDF).

Student Eligibility

Health profession students from the following disciplines/programs are encouraged to apply and participate in AHEC Scholars:

Dental Medicine
Master of Social Work
Medicine (MD/DO)
Nurse Practitioner
Occupational Therapy
Pharmacy
Physical Therapy
Physician Assistant Studies
Speech-Language Pathology

Preference will be given to individuals with/that meet one or more of the following:

South Carolina resident
Rural background
Commitment to a rural lifestyle
Commitment to primary care
Underrepresented minority
Disadvantaged background

Students are eligible to apply to the South Carolina AHEC Scholars Program if accepted/enrolled in a graduate-level health professions education program in South Carolina and are able to participate in and complete 2 years of the AHEC Scholars program preferably coinciding with graduation.

Program Benefits

Becoming an AHEC Scholar offers many opportunities and benefits, including:

Network and receive mentoring opportunities with established leaders in primary care and rural health
Network with other AHEC Scholars in SC and across the nation
Stipends available to assist with professional development and travel expenses to rural clinical sites
Increased competitiveness for SC AHEC rural incentive grants
Certificate recognizing you as an AHEC Scholar and leader in primary care
Receive preference for innovative team-based clinical fieldwork placements/rotations

Apply Today

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Apply Now

SC AHEC Scholars Faculty

South Carolina AHEC	baileyje@musc.edu
Jennifer Bailey, MEd Jennifer Bailey, is the Associate Program Director for Education and Evaluation and Director of the Office for Telehealth Education at the South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium. She serves as Associate Director for Community Affairs with the Office of Interprofessional Initiatives and Assistant Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Prior to her role with SC AHEC, she served in leadership positions at Wake Forest School of Medicine, facilitated the interprofessional core course at the University of South Carolina, directed the required interprofessional core course for MUSC Students, and worked with the MUSC Health clinical enterprise to develop teamwork and interprofessional collaboration training for all clinical staff. She is a Master Trainer for TeamSTEPPS® and has advanced training in quality improvement and change leadership from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Bailey has over 12 years of experience developing, facilitating, and evaluating health professions clinical and didactic education programs, interprofessional education and practice, teamwork training initiatives and professional development curricula for a variety of health care providers. Her research interests include participatory research, social determinants of health, interprofessional collaborative practice and education, patient safety and quality. Read more Read less
College of Pharmacy University of South Carolina	blake@cop.sc.edu
Betsy Blake, PharmD Betsy Blake, Pharm.D., is the director of interprofessional education and an associate professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Outcomes Sciences at the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy. She practices in a patient-centered medical home primary care clinic affiliated with Palmetto Health Richland, collaborating with providers to improve care for patients with diabetes. Blake received her doctor of pharmacy degree from the Medical University of South Carolina's College of Pharmacy in 2000. She then completed a pharmacy practice residency (2000-2001) and a primary care residency (2001-2002) at the Medical University of South Carolina. Since joining the faculty at the UofSC College of Pharmacy in 2006, Blake has earned many teaching awards, including Teacher of the Year in 2010 and then the USC Clinical Practice Teaching Award in 2011. She was also named the Midlands Region Mentor of the Year in 2013. In 2016, she received the South Carolina Pharmacy Association Ken Couch Distinguished Mentor Award. Blake has been involved with interprofessional education at the College of Pharmacy since 2009 as a charter faculty advisor for the IHI Open School for the Health Professions chapter. She now serves as the co-director for the university's committee for interprofessional education for the health sciences, which includes faculty members and students from all five of the university's health science programs. Read more Read less
College of Social Work University of South Carolina	brownetm@mailbox.sc.edu
Teri Browne, PhD Associate Professor Teri Browne joined the faculty of the College of Social Work in in 2008, where she is also co-director of the Interprofessional Education for the Health Sciences. In 2017, Browne was inducted as a Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Fellow for her work as serving with distinction to advance the mission of the society. Prior to joining the University of South Carolina, Browne worked professionally for 18 years in New York, California and Illinois as a rape crisis counselor, Nephrology social worker and director of social work for a dialysis center. Browne is currently principal or co-investigator on eight externally-funded research awards. This includes serving as co-investigator for two studies on kidney disease treatment and transplant access. Funded by the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, she is working to improve patient care from the early stages of kidney disease to kidney failure and determining whether the changes lead to improved health. The goal is to provide a nationwide model to improve the treatment of patients and families’ well-being. Another study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, aims to eliminate health disparities in kidney transplant access among African American End State Renal Disease (ESRD) patients in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina by implementing a Reducing Disparities in Access to Kidney Transplantation (RaDIANT) regional study to increase rates of referral and medical evaluation. Professor Browne’s publications focus on nephrology (kidney diseases), health social work and enhancing interprofessional health education. She recently co-authored scientific journal articles on topics including, improving kidney transplant waitlists and reducing racial disparity, advancing social work education for health impact, and perceptions of long-term care residents candidacy for kidney transplantation. Her publications have appeared in scholarly journals, such as the American Journal of Public Health, Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Kidney Journal. Browne has served as Co-Chairperson of the Council of Social Work Education SBIRT Consortium and the Society of Social Work and Research conference abstract cluster co-chair. She is also editor-in-chief of the Journal of Nephrology Social Work since 2015. Active in the American Association of Kidney Patients, Browne is director at large for the board of directors and program chairperson for the annual meeting. Browne received her Master of Social Work from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She earned her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. Read more Read less
College of Pharmacy Medical University of South Carolina	decluea@musc.edu
Anthony DeClue, PharmD Anthony DeClue received his Doctor of Pharmacy from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2016, where he now serves as an assistant professor in the department of Clinical Pharmacy and Outcomes Sciences. He works as a community pharmacist for both MUSC Family Medicine as well as Walmart pharmacies. Currently, he serves on the national executive board for Phi Lambda Sigma, the Pharmacy Leadership Society. Prior to becoming a pharmacist, Anthony earned a Master’s Degree in English and, in addition to his passion for teaching and pharmacy practice, he maintains a love for literature and the humanities. Read more Read less
College of Nursing Medical University of South Carolina	durhamc@musc.edu
Catherine Durham, DNP, APRN, FNP-C Dr. Cathy Durham is the Director of the DNP Program and Assistant Professor in the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program at the College of Nursing. She earned her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Purdue University, Master of Science in Nursing from the University of South Carolina and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Durham is an ANCC certified Family Nurse Practitioner. She is currently the Chair of the advisory committee for the State Board of Nursing, the vice president for the Low Country Advanced Practice Association and a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Dr. Durham is also an active drilling Reservist in the US Navy and holds the present rank of Captain. Dr. Durham was selected as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Navy Reserve, Navy Medicine Education and Training Command and is responsible for the facilitation of education and training programs that serve the 7,000 Navy Reserve Medicine Personnel. In addition to her program director role, Dr. Durham is the primary investigator (PI) for Choose Well, a grant project focused on increasing education content and clinical experiences regarding contraceptive options for advanced practice nurses across the pediatric, family and adult geriatric tracks. Dr. Durham is also a PI for a new HRSA Behavioral Health grant which seeks to provide educational stipends for behavioral health nurse practitioner students and increasing interprofessional clinical rotations. Dr. Durham also has previous experience in telehealth and telesupervision in a rural underserved clinic. Dr. Durham maintains active practice in primary care in the underserved. Her interests include primary care, chronic disease management, and work injury prevention. Read more Read less
College of Health Professions Medical University of South Carolina	Laura.Ernst@uscmed.sc.edu
Laura Ernst, MPAS, PA-C, AT Laura Ernst graduated the University of South Carolina in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science – Athletic Training. She became a Certified Athletic Trainer and worked at a local high school as both the ATC and the Sports Medicine Teacher. During that time, her interactions with her supervising physician and his Physician Assistant, inspired her to go to Physician Assistant school. Laura worked at Palmetto Richland (now Prisma) hospital as a Patient Care Associate in the Level 1 Trauma Center/Emergency Department as she went back to UofSC to complete her prerequisites. She attended the Medical University of South Carolina Physician Assistant Program and graduated in 2007. She has since worked in the Emergency Department and for the U.S. Army at Fort Jackson for the last 10 years. She has been the Director of Clinical Education at the UofSC SOM PA Program since 2019. She graduated with her Masters in Adult and Higher Education in December 2019. In Laura’s spare time, she likes to spend time with her family and boyfriend. She also has 2 cats that are spoiled rotten! Whenever possible, she goes to Disney World once or twice a year. Her interests include: Gamecock sports, history, architecture, traveling and gardening. Read more Read less
School of Medicine, Physician Assistant Program University of South Carolina	ewald@musc.edu
Matthew Ewald, MPAS, PA-C Matthew (“Matt”) Ewald is currently an instructor at the MUSC Physician Assistant Program and serves as the program’s Clinical Coordinator for Operations. Matt practices clinically at the Medical University adult Emergency Room as a physician assistant since graduation from the MUSC PA program in 2011. He has was an active alumni and guest speaker for the PA program until he became a faculty member in 2016. Matt acts as PA student preceptor, didactic year instructor, and clinical year faculty in his diverse role at MUSC. Matt also is working with an endowment grant that targets building the healthcare workforce to serve the under-served. He has interests in providing PA students a diverse clinical year education, which includes rural rotation experience, medical simulation, and also student work-life balance. Matt graduated from West Virginia University in 2008, with a degree in Exercise Physiology, prior to pursuing his career as a physician assistant in South Carolina. Read more Read less
College of Medicine Medical University of South Carolina	watsonkh@musc.edu
Kristen Hood Watson, MD Dr. Kristen Hood Watson is a Family Medicine physician at Medical University of South Carolina with a clinical interest in preventive health. Originally from Maryland, Dr. Hood Watson received her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She completed her Family Medicine residency at Trident/MUSC where she served as chief resident from 2013 to 2014. Since graduation, she has focused on her interest in medical student education locally and nationally through involvement with the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM). She has served as the Family Medicine clerkship director since 2014. More recently, Dr. Hood Watson has become the Assistant Dean for Resident Inclusion and looks forward to collaborating on current diversity and inclusion efforts at the University as well as continuing to develop inclusion initiatives. Read more Read less
South Carolina AHEC Medical University of South Carolina	lefebvre@musc.edu
Ann Lefebvre, MSW, CPHQ Ann Lefebvre is the Executive Director for the South Carolina AHEC Program where she provides oversight and guidance for activities and services originating from the SC AHEC Program Office in Charleston and the four regional AHEC centers in Walterboro, Lancaster, Florence and Greenville. As Executive Director, Ann represents the SC AHEC at the local, state, regional and national levels, serving as an advocate and champion for health professions training, education, recruitment and retention for South Carolina. She has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry and has worked to improve the quality of care delivered in various healthcare settings since 1999. Throughout her career, Ann has always been an educator by mentoring students and interns in her various roles, overseeing elective rotations for medical students, lecturing on health policy in graduate level courses and functioning as core faculty in the UNC Faculty Development Fellowship, the ECU REACH Program for faculty development and the I3 Residency Collaborative for more than 10 years. She received her master of social work degree from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC and she is a certified professional of healthcare quality and a black belt in Lean Six Sigma. Read more Read less
College of Dental Medicine Medical University of South Carolina	nelsonjd@musc.edu
Joni Nelson, PhD, MS Dr. Joni Dunmyer Nelson, a native of Ravenel, South Carolina, is an Assistant Professor and Deputy Director in the Division of Population Oral Health at the James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine and also serves in a dual appointment role in the Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine. As a Health Promotion, Education and Behavioral specialist her research foci are qualitative research evaluation, social determinants of health equity, quality improvement science and collaborative care workforce models to reduce rural oral health inequities, in support of an interprofessional approach to improve population health outcomes. She is the program director for the Dental Safety Net Certificate Program and teaches a public health research methods course. She was appointed as a 2017 National Rural Health Association Fellow and serves as the National State Representative of South Carolina for DentaQuest Foundation’s Oral Health 2020 Network, an initiative to improve oral health for all. Dr. Nelson is a graduate of the Arnold School of Public Health in Health Promotion, Education and Behavior from the University of South Carolina and received a Masters in Biomedical Sciences from the Medical University of South Carolina. Read more Read less
College of Nursing University of South Carolina	ribara@mailbox.sc.edu
Alicia Ribar, PhD, RN, FNP-BC She has practiced professional nursing for 26 years and has over 20 years of advanced practice nursing experience. She began her career with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The University of Toledo, Medical College of Ohio, and subsequently worked in a variety of clinical settings and roles. In 1998, she completed her Master of Science in Nursing at Wright State University becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner. She is certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and is recognized as an Advance Practice Nurse by the Ohio and South Carolina Boards of Nursing. In 2012, she completed her PhD in Nursing at Duquesne University concentrating in Epidemiology and transcultural health disparities. She has had active clinical practices in both acute care and primary care pediatric/family practice settings. Read more Read less
School of Medicine University of South Carolina	andrew.vaughan@uscmed.sc.edu
Andrew Vaughn, MD Andrew Vaughan is a Family Medicine physician at Prisma Health in Columbia, SC. He is currently also on faculty with the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. He is originally from Lexington, SC and currently resides in Columbia, SC. Dr. Vaughan received his medical degree from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia Campus. He completed his Family Medicine residency training at Prisma Health where he served as chief resident from 2017-2018 and was awarded Resident of the Year in 2018 by the GME office of Prisma Health. Dr. Vaughan’s professional interests including Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in Primary care as well as outpatient procedures in primary care. In pursuit of these interests, Dr. Vaughan has been active in the development and implementation of continuing medical education courses in the fields of POCUS for both local and national institutions. Dr. Vaughan has also served as the Director of Undergraduate Medical Education for the Department of Family Medicine at Prisma Health since 2019 where he works to direct medical education clerkships for Medical Students, PA students, and athletic training students. Read more Read less

Lowcountry AHEC Health Professionals Student Coordinators

Kimbley Stephens, MS.Ed., Health Professions Student Coordinator
@ Email Kim	Kim is one of two health professions student coordinators at Lowcountry AHEC. In that role she coordinates the clinical rotations of multiple disciplines of health professions students. She oversees student clinical placements, housing placements, and preceptor assignments. In addition, she assists students with continuous quality improvement projects. She also works with MUSC interprofessional programs such as Interprofessional Service Learning Project (ISLP) and Rural Interprofessional Student Experience (RISE). Kim is a National Health Service Corp Ambassador. Prior to AHEC, she worked at Low Country Health Care Systems, Inc. in Fairfax as a health educator. She has been employed at Lowcountry AHEC since December 2007.
Emily Warren, LMSW, Health Professions Student Coordinator
@ Email Emily	Emily received a BS in psychology from the College of Charleston in 1993 and a MSW from The University of South Carolina in 1995. She has been employed with Lowcountry AHEC since July 2000. She interfaces with South Carolina academic institutions to assist with identification of preceptors and clinical rotation sites. She coordinates housing and introduces Lowcountry AHEC students into the rural community. Emily facilitates the Interprofessional Service Learning Project (ISLP) in Charleston with Medical University of South Carolina students. She assist with the planning and implementation of Rural Interprofessional Student Experiences (RISE). She is an active member of Eat Smart Move More Colleton and serves on the Low Country Healthy Start Consortium Board. Emily is a National Health Service Corp Ambassador.
Casey Cato
@ Email Casey	Casey joined Mid-Carolina AHEC in March 2019 as a Health Professions Student (HPS) Coordinator. She received her Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BAIS) degree with concentration in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina. Prior to joining the AHEC team, Casey taught grades 4K through 2 nd grade for 30 years. She is looking forward to working with the health professions students to help them have a great educational experience in the rural communities.
Becca Hamilton
@ Email Becca	Becca Hamilton joined Pee Dee AHEC in February 2021 as the HPS Coordinator for Medical and PA students. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Francis Marion University with a concentration in Marketing and a Master of Business Administration from Mississippi State University with a minor in Marketing. Prior to joining AHEC, she was the Marketing and Communications coordinator for a charter school in Florence, SC. She also worked for 7.5 years as a business to business sales consultant for Monster.com. She is married with a very energetic son and 2 stepchildren.
Sarah Newton
@ Email Sarah	Sara joined Mid-Carolina AHEC in 2021 as a a Health Professions Student (HPS) Coordinator. Prior to this role, she served as the Director of Utilization Management at a local behavioral health facility. Her advocacy and strong desire to help others provide a solid foundation for the complex facilitation of roles and resources as an HPS Coordinator. Sara is a graduate of Winthrop University with a Masters of Education in Counseling and Development in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
Kirstie Hogges
@ Email Kirstie	Kirstie joined Pee Dee AHEC in August 2022 as a Health Professions Student (HPS) Coordinator. She received her Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Psychology from the College of Charleston and a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Counselor Education from The Citadel. Prior to joining the AHEC team, she worked 7 years at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia as an Academic Advisor for undergraduate STEM students. While in Atlanta, Kirstie volunteered with SCLC/W.O.M.E.N., INC. mainly serving as one of the mentors for their Bridging the Gap program. She has also previously worked in TRIO Programs and Residence Life and Housing at the College of Charleston. Kirstie is the mother of two boys and enjoys spending time with family.
Tina Fulton
@ Email Tina	Tina joined Upstate AHEC in 2005 as a Program Assistant/Marketing Coordinator and transitioned to a Health Professions Student Coordinator in 2010. As HPS coordinator, she collaborates with other staff to anticipate and meet the needs of health professions’ schools, students, and preceptors. Tina has a multitude of experience from several different areas including administrative, information technology, and media relations. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Furman University in Business Administration and is currently working towards obtaining her MBA. She is the mother of two very energetic daughters and enjoys volunteering in her church community.

PARTNERS

South Carolina AHEC Scholars Program

Core Topics

Primary Care and Serving the Underserved

To successfully complete the AHEC Scholars Program, students will:

LOWCOUNTRY AHEC

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