AHEC Scholars Program celebrates new and advancing cohorts

Friends and family gathered at Watanakunakorn Auditorium on Saturday, Oct. 7, to celebrate the new and advancing cohorts of the Area Health Education Centers' AHEC Scholars Program. In the ceremony, around 60 undergraduate students were presented their “blue coats” to signify their induction into the AHEC Scholars Program, a prestigious training program for aspiring medical and health care professionals. The blue coat tradition emulates the white coat ceremony that students celebrate at NEOMED. An additional 60 students advanced to the second-level scholar standing in a pinning ceremony

The day began with a presentation on “Bridging the Divide: Social Justice and Public Health” by Felix Kumah-Abiwu, Ph.D., associate professor, Fellow of the Mid-American Conference Academic Leadership Development Program (MAC-ALDP) and director for the Center for African Studies Department of Africana Studies at Kent State University. After lunch, students were joined by friends and family to be jacketed or pinned.

Each year, the program accepts 15 students from various health care fields to join one of the four local AHEC Centers working with the NEOMED Program Office for the Northeast Ohio region. In the spirit of interprofessional collaboration, the scholars will serve two years in the program, undergoing 80 hours total of didactic and 80 hours of experiential community training. The scholars will again gather in April 2024 for a graduation ceremony, where they will receive their Certificate of Completion for AHEC Scholars.

Learn more about the AHEC Scholars Program.

This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of an award with a percentage financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.” For more information, visit, HRSA.gov.