South Carolina AHEC News & Updates

The South Carolina AHEC Practice of the Year Award recognizes practices and training sites that exhibit exemplary dedication to the teaching of health professions students and a commitment to serving their communities. This year, South Carolina AHEC recognizes Low Country Heath Care System, Inc. - Barnwell Pediatrics as the 2019 Practice of the Year.  Barnwell Pediatrics was founded in 1988 by Dr. Abe Moskow but is now owned by Low Country Health Care System, Inc. The practice has three physicians, two nurse practitioners and one physician assistant and provides a medical home for children from birth to 21 years of age. They meet the unique needs of children through all of their developmental stages as they grow and mature. Barnwell Pediatrics provides a full array of comprehensive primary care services to the population of Barnwell and surrounding counties.  Lowcountry AHEC health profession students have benefited from a wide variety of experiences at Barnwell Pediatrics. Each

The South Carolina AHEC Preceptor of the Year Award recognizes unwavering commitment to health professions students’ clinical education. This award distinguishes an outstanding community-based preceptor serving South Carolina health professions students. Each year, practitioners volunteer to provide hours of clinical education to students from various professions. It is their dedication to the education of the next generation of health professionals that we honor with this award. This year’s Preceptor of the Year is Ms. Darlene Fludd, FNP.  As a student, Ms. Fludd participated in the South Carolina Rural Interdisciplinary Program of Training (SCRIPT) with Lowcountry AHEC, and now she serves as preceptor for their students as well as students from Pee Dee AHEC. Ms. Fludd has been employed at St. James-Santee Family Health Center as a nurse practitioner since 2014 and has been very involved in health professions student training, primarily with nurse practitioner students. Every seme

The South Carolina AHEC Gateway Award recognizes individuals who are committed to furthering the development of future health professionals and are distinguished in their service to students in the health careers pipeline. This year’s Gateway Award recipient is Angelica Ellman Christie, Ed.D.  Dr. Christie is currently the vice president of academic affairs at Denmark Technical College. Previously, she served in the South Carolina AHEC system for numerous years: She started her career in 1998 as the Health Careers Program (HCP) coordinator for Greenville AHEC and advanced as the HCP director in the South Carolina AHEC program office in 2000. In the fall of 2018, Dr. Christie left South Carolina AHEC for her position at Denmark Tech. Throughout her career, Dr. Christie exhibited her passionate dedication to advancing the mission of South Carolina AHEC. She enthusiastically went above and beyond to research, develop, and successfully undertake new projects and programming to streng

The Michel Porter AHEC Ambassador Award is presented to a South Carolina AHEC staff member who has made a major contribution to the enhancement of South Carolina AHEC by exhibiting excellence in the following categories: attitude, helpfulness, empowerment and creativity. This year, South Carolina AHEC is proud to bestow the award to Lowcountry AHEC health professions student coordinator Emily Warren, LMSW. Emily Warren been part of the Lowcountry AHEC team for nearly 20 years. During that time, she has worked within the region and throughout the state to bring health professions students into rural and underserved areas, taught interprofessional teamwork to health professions students and empowered students to become leaders in the community via grassroots community health promotion projects. One colleague described Ms. Warren’s commitment to excellence: Emily is very helpful with everyone she works with and meets. She is a great resource for other HPS coordinators in the state

South Carolina AHEC is seeking a senior researcher to lead the SC Office for Healthcare Workforce . After ten years of leadership, SCOHW director Linda Lacey will be stepping down later this year. This position leads a research team and serves in a leadership role. The role requires a background in health services research or the social sciences and an established record of research related to factors/policies affecting the supply of or demand for healthcare professionals and para-professionals. The successful candidate will hold a full-time adjunct faculty appointment at the Medical University of South Carolina, where the South Carolina AHEC program office is housed administratively.   However, this position lies entirely within the SC AHEC program office. Qualified candidates may submit their resume and cover letter through the Medical University of South Carolina HR website .

Dawn Leberknight joined the South Carolina AHEC program office in April as the new curriculum coordinator. In her role, she focuses on innovative integration of new and emerging curriculum design strategies as well as supports SC AHEC’s Office for Telehealth Education initiatives. Before joining AHEC, Dawn was a program coordinator for the MUSC Anesthesia Residency Program and, most recently, the curriculum coordinator for the Trident/MUSC Family Medicine Residency Program. Dawn grew up in eastern North Carolina and moved to South Carolina in 2005 to attend the College of Charleston. She majored in English with a minor in secondary education and she taught at a public middle school for three years before transitioning to higher education. Outside of work, Dawn enjoys spending time with her husband and two young daughters. Welcome, Dawn! She can be reached at leberkni@musc.edu or 843-792-4267.