Honoring Julie Ghent’s Legacy

Julie's family and team members from Mid-Carolina pose for a photo next to the plaque

The Mid-Carolina AHEC team and members of Julie Ghent’s family were extremely touched when the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine--Carolinas Campus (VCOM) recently honored the late Mid-Carolina AHEC Health Professions Student Coordinator during their annual awards ceremony for third and fourth year medical students and preceptors. Julie passed away due to complications from COVID-19 in January.

Dr. Matthew Cannon, Dean for the VCOM Carolinas Campus, and other faculty members recognized Julie’s tremendous contributions to the training of medical students in our state. They dedicated a bridge on campus in her honor, with a plaque that reads:

"Julie was a “bridge” for many students who navigated from the classroom to clinical rotations in Lancaster, South Carolina. This bridge was not made of wood, but love and compassion for each student that crossed her path. Julie, a selfless student advocate, represented all that is great about our mission and the care we will give to our patients."

Julie’s husband, Joe Ghent, also presented scholarship gifts to two VCOM students who Julie had supported on rotations and who happened to care for Julie while she was fighting COVID in the hospital.

VCOM also hung a plaque in Clinical Affairs “in loving memory of a devoted leader in medical education, who touched the lives of countless 3rd & 4th year students. She made everlasting memories through her admirable character, her impeccable integrity, and her love for all those around her. Her servant’s heart and empathetic care exemplifies her compassion that others strive to emulate.”

The entire South Carolina AHEC System would like to thank VCOM for their remembrance of Julie and their recognition of her steadfast dedication to her students. She is greatly missed in the South Carolina AHEC family and beyond.

Mid-Carolina AHEC and Joe Ghent are working with VCOM to establish the Rural Matters Julie W. Ghent Scholarship fund. If you are interested in participating in this legacy honoring Julie’s memory and work, please contact Mid-Carolina AHEC Center Director Cheri Plyler at cplyler@comporium.net.

Like so many others in our families, communities, and across the nation, this pandemic has been a time of separation and loss. Today we share sad news of a loss within our AHEC family: Julie Ghent, Health Professions Student Coordinator at Mid-Carolina AHEC. Julie passed away at the end of January due to complications from COVID-19. Her obituary details a life lived in service to others and love for those around her. While soft spoken, Julie carried a fierce heart for the mission of AHEC and a dedication to the experiences and support of her students. She was loved by her family, community, and all of those who she worked with across the state. The loss of Julie is felt by many and she will be in our hearts and memories. Please join us as we honor Julie as well as the many others who have been lost during this pandemic.

Comments

Lowcountry AHEC Helps School Nurse Orientation Pivot Online during Pandemic

For many years, orientation for school nurses in South Carolina has been an in-person event; however, due to COVID-19, this orientation, like so many other in-person events, was cancelled this past year. Yet the need to orient South Carolina's school nurses remains critical. Recognizing this need, a team consisting of Lowcountry AHEC staff, South Carolina Association of School Nurse President Dawn MacAdams and South Carolina Department of Education State School Nurse Consultant Vicky Ladd developed a plan to deliver the orientation as an online, self-paced course. The instructors supported the format change, working to convert their in-person sessions to online content, and Lowcountry AHEC will provide nursing credit for the series over the next two years. The orientation went live in the fall of 2020 and is available at no cost to South Carolina school nurses on the new and improved South Carolina AHEC Learning Portal. To find out more and register, visit the Foundations of School

SC AHEC Excellence Awards: Gateway Award

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

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

South Carolina AHEC News & Updates

Search This Blog