One of the primary reasons for establishing the North Carolina AHEC system in 1972 was to increase the number of primary care physicians trained in the state with a focus on placing graduates in underserved communities.
To review Graduate Medical Education and Patient Services Support data and updates, please see the section on Graduate Medical Education and Patient Services Support in our latest Annual Report.
Funds are provided to each of the four medical schools and their primary care departments to expand the training of primary care residents, and to enhance the possibility that graduates will settle in the state. In the Northwest AHEC, these funds provide a stipend based upon the number of approved full time employees in the primary care department residency programs.
Family and Community Medicine Residency Program
Historically, the Family and Community Medicine residency receives the largest portion, as the original 1974 funds to Wake Forest School of Medicine (Bowman Gray) was to create a new family medicine academic department and facilities to house that department.
Funds from NC AHEC provide for:
- A salary stipend for Family and Community residents that’s used as a salary offset
- Innovative training to support the Family and Community residents in their educational experiences
- Support for faculty to present at regional continuing education programs
Learn more about the Family and Community Medicine Residency Program.
Internal Medicine Residency Program
Funds from NC AHEC provide for:
- A salary stipend for Internal Medicine residents that’s used as a salary offset
- Innovative training to support the Internal Medicine residents in their educational experiences
- Support for faculty to present at regional continuing education programs
Learn more about the Internal Medicine Residency Program.
Pediatrics Residency Program
Funds from NC AHEC provide for:
- A salary stipend for Pediatrics residents that’s used as a salary offset
- Innovative training to support the Pediatrics residents in their educational experiences
- Support for faculty to present at regional continuing education programs
Learn more about the Pediatrics Residency Program.
Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Residency Program
The legislative intent of the original Mental Health Initiative is to improve the recruitment, retention and quality of psychiatrists and other mental health providers in our region, with a particular focus on the public health system. This specifically supports medical students and residents to receive training in the facilities operated by the NC DHHS Division of MH/DD/SA and to provide funding to increase the number of psychiatry residents trained in the region.
These funds also provide the department an opportunity to create innovative training to support the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine residents in their educational experiences and to support faculty to present at regional continuing education programs.
Learn more about the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Residency Program.
Student-Led Organizations
Northwest AHEC is celebrating it's 20th year in providing annual support to The Share the Health Fair, a long-standing Wake Forest University School of Medicine student-organization that focuses on offering free health-screening services to the community as well as encouraging diverse candidates to consider a health profession. This year as part of expansion and awarded NC Schweitzer Fellowship project to add quarterly vision screenings for the general public.