South Carolina AHEC News & Updates

Dr. Steadman and South Carolina AHEC Executive Director Dr. David Garr after  presenting Dr. Steadman with the  Excellence in Family Medicine Education Award in 2012 It is with great sadness that South Carolina AHEC marks the passing of Sharm Steadman, PharmD, BCPS, PASHP, CDE, BC-ADM, who lost her battle with cancer in October. Dr. Steadman was a longtime partner of the South Carolina AHEC System as well as an exemplary teacher and role model. The South Carolina AHEC System has been proud to count her among its partners and educators. As such, the South Carolina AHEC has decided to name its award that recognizes excellence in education after Dr. Steadman. The Sharm Steadman Excellence in Family Medicine Education Award will be given to a non-physician member of the faculty of a South Carolina family medicine residency program who has distinguished him/herself as an outstanding teacher and role model. Dr. Steadman received this award herself in 2012 as she represente

Lowcountry AHEC’s Health Careers Program (HCP) and Health Profession Student (HPS) Program are collaborating on the AHEC Pipeline Connects project for the third consecutive year. The project enables participating HPS students to practice working as an interprofessional team by teaching HCP and middle school students about healthcare professions.  Lowcountry AHEC also hopes to increase interest and recruit middle school students into their HCP program and, ultimately, to increase the number of HCP students being accepted into health careers programs and becoming health professionals.    In 2016, Lowcountry AHEC will begin Connecting the AHEC Pipeline , an activity that connects eighth grade students at Colleton County Middle School who are interested in health careers with the HCP students and HPS students. During the eighth grade students’ last class period, the HPS students will share information about their health career and discuss what students need to do to be accepted into

IPC Fellows and Preceptors attend a  networking event during  last year's  retreat The Institute for Primary Care Education and Practice (IPC) wrapped up a successful fall semester in November, including the addition of a fourth cohort of IPC fellows. This year, the IPC welcomed 28 new student fellows, including its first cohort of students from the South Carolina College of Pharmacy at MUSC. To further students’ interest in primary care, the South Carolina AHEC in 2012 worked with leaders on the USC and MUSC academic campuses to establish the IPC. Initially funded for three years through The Duke Endowment, an IPC core team of faculty from the South Carolina AHEC and the universities identified medical, advanced practice nursing (APN), and physician assistant (PA) students early in their training who expressed interest in primary care careers. In 2015, the academic programs began funding for the IPC.   With the addition of the pharmacy students, the IPC now consists

Stephanie Slayman joined the South Carolina AHEC Program Office on November 16 as a program assistant for the Office for Telehealth Education. Stephanie recently relocated to Charleston from the Greater Boston Area, where she was a staff assistant in the Department of Romance Languages at Harvard University. Stephanie has her Associate’s Degree in Business Administration and most recently worked at MUSC Health as a patient access representative in pediatric outpatient care. Stephanie’s knowledge and experience of education and healthcare will be an excellent addition to the AHEC team. Stephanie’s favorite pastimes include traveling and supporting her home sports teams (Go Patriots!). She looks forward to new opportunities in Charleston and a definitive lack of snow in the lowcountry. Welcome Stephanie! She can be reached at slayman@musc.edu and 843-792-6222.

The South Carolina AHEC is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications for the South Carolina Rural Dentist Program. The South Carolina Rural Dentist Program was implemented in 2005 to assist dentists who serve in South Carolina’s Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) or serve as full-time faculty at the MUSC College of Dental Medicine in repaying educational loans. The expectation is that during their commitment period these dentists will establish viable community practices or academic careers at the College of Dental Medicine, become involved and remain in their respective communities after the funding period is over. Priority for this program is given to those demonstrating need and expressing intent to remain in an underserved area or in an area of critical need at the MUSC College of Dental Medicine. To date, 45 rural dentists and 14 faculty members at the MUSC College of Dental Medicine have been funded. For more information on the South Carolina Rural Dentis

The South Carolina AHEC is pleased to announce that applications are being accepted from primary care physicians (family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine and OB/GYN) and advanced practice professionals (nurse midwives, nurse practitioners and physician assistants) who contract for a period of four years to practice in rural or underserved areas of South Carolina.   Awards for physicians will vary with the minimum award being $60,000 and the maximum award being $100,000 depending upon the type of practice setting and the population of the South Carolina county in which they will practice. Awards for advanced practice professionals will vary with the minimum award being $30,000 and the maximum award being $50,000 depending upon the type of practice setting and the population of the county in which they will practice. Specifically, the State Incentive Grant Program may: Provide $25,000 per year for up to four years for qualified physicians practicing in counties

Upstate AHEC will sponsor "If You Can’t Breathe, You Can’t Function: Integrating Cardiopulmonary and Postural Control Strategies in the Pediatric and Adult Populations” on March 3-5, 2016 in Greenville. Mary Massery, PT, DPT, DSc, will provide instruction for the three-day course, which will challenge practitioners to make a paradigm shift: acknowledging the importance of the cardiopulmonary system as an integral component of postural control. The emphasis of the presentation will be on developing and applying practical quick clinical solutions that are applicable for both pediatric and adult patients in all practice settings. The course will present a model of postural control (Soda Pop Can Model) that demonstrates how breathing mechanics are linked to motor and physiologic behaviors.   This is the cornerstone for the Dr. Massery’s multi-system clinical approach to the evaluation and treatment of trunk and/or respiratory impairments.   She will demonstrate how to integrate t

Lowcountry AHEC Health Careers Academy (HCA) students gave a helping hand during the Thanksgiving holiday assisting St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Walterboro with its annual Thanksgiving luncheon.  HCA students and more than 100 other volunteers helped to serve food to approximately 860 citizens within the local community.  The HCA students maintained the serving lines and prepared plates for delivery to those who are shut-in or without transportation. Lowcountry AHEC HCA students have volunteered for the last six of the 13 years that this lunch has taken place at St. Jude’s. Lowcountry AHEC thanks the students for their excellent volunteer efforts!

During the past five years, a collaboration between the South Carolina AHEC system and other partners has resulted in the creation of a robust telehealth network (SCHOOLS) capable of delivering educational programs to health professions students, healthcare providers, patients and community members across South Carolina. Thousands of individuals have taken advantage of the educational content delivered via multiple technologic modalities. In addition, the South Carolina Telehealth Alliance, of which the South Carolina AHEC, the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, Greenville Health System, the Medical University of South Carolina, Palmetto Care Connections and Palmetto Health are founding partners, has come into existence in order to encourage statewide collaboration among providers in the delivery of health care, education and research. The establishment of the Telehealth Alliance has increased the need and opportunity for statewide telehealth initiatives and education a