Skip to main content

A Message from the Executive Director


This is often the time of year for reflection and gratitude. I want to take this moment to let you know that I am excited to join the SC AHEC Program and I consider myself very fortunate to be a part of such an impressive organization. The dedication of our statewide team to meet the needs of the current and future healthcare workforce is palpable and I am looking forward to jumping right in along with you to meet the needs of students and health professionals across South Carolina. In my short time here, I have already crossed paths with health professionals in our state with stories of how our program influenced or supported their decisions while they were in high school or young in their studies in a health profession. 

In the upcoming months, I plan to spend a good deal of time traveling the state to visit the regional AHEC centers, meeting with our AHEC staff and our local, regional and statewide partner organizations to learn even more about the great work that we do to serve our crucial role in this state. Our AHEC team and our strong partnerships are our greatest assets. You know the needs of the students and professionals within your region and I hope that you will help me to learn from you about how we can continue to grow our provision of high-quality programs and services.

I consider it an honor and a privilege to serve the state of South Carolina through our work at AHEC. I am excited about embarking on this journey with all of you because together, we are a powerful force for supporting healthcare professionals as we help them to improve care, address cost and apply a patient centered approach that can enrich their lives and the people they serve.

Ann Lefebvre, MSW, CPHQ
SC AHEC Executive Director

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SC AHEC Scholars: Preparing the Next Generation of Primary Care Providers

Hannah Robinson, MD knew she wanted to pursue a career in healthcare from a young age.  “I’ve always wanted to be a doctor since about the sixth grade,” said Dr. Robinson. “I remember being in health class and watching the Miracle of Life video and just being fascinated with women and their ability to create and bear life.” Prior to attending medical school, Dr. Robinson spent time working on the obstetrics unit at her local hospital in Rock Hill and observed a trend with their patients. “What I noticed was a lot of the families that we serviced actually weren’t from Rock Hill. We also served surrounding counties that were really rural and seeing how these families were traveling to Rock Hill to deliver their babies was really shocking to me,” said Robinson.  Due to a maldistribution of OB/GYNs in the state of South Carolina, individuals may have to travel great distances just to receive the care they need. In its most recent South Carolina Health Professions Data Book published in 20
Post a Comment
Read more

Lowcountry AHEC’s Strong Partnerships Serve School Nurses Statewide

For over three decades, Lowcountry AHEC has been proud to support school nurses across South Carolina in their professional development through statewide conferences and meetings. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and in-person events came to a halt, Lowcountry AHEC along with their partners, were able to pivot to alternate methods to continue providing training opportunities for school nurses. One such way Lowcountry AHEC was able to adapt was implementing online modules so that school nurses could continue to receive the same professional development and learning opportunities in a virtual setting. The first course, Foundations of School Nursing , included nine modules and was uploaded to the South Carolina AHEC Learning Portal (ALP) by August 2020 . With over 1,600 registrations to this day, Foundations of School Nursing is the most popular course currently on ALP. “We began to do some work with them on online modules,” said Lowcountry AHEC Center Director Diane Mathews. “All new schoo
Post a Comment
Read more

Medical Mentors: Pee Dee AHEC Connects Students to Clinical Experiences

Pee Dee AHEC has partnered with Francis Marion University to collaborate on a Medical Mentors program, connecting undergraduate biology students with practicing medical professionals to gain real-life experiences in the field. Health Careers Program Coordinator Subira Smalls serves as the Pee Dee AHEC point of contact for the program and has been involved since its inception. “The goal is to introduce undergraduate college students to clinical experiences,” said Smalls. “We want them to step into the world of healthcare, by shadowing physicians, nurses and other professionals, and give them a firsthand look at the day-to-day realities of medicine.” Students in the program are given the opportunity to shadow a variety of healthcare professionals at McLeod Health Regional Medical Center, including physicians, physician assistants (PAs), nurses and other disciplines. Experiences students have been able to witness include surgical procedures like hip replacements, the insertion of vascular
Post a Comment
Read more