The AHEC Scholars Program (ASP) is a two-year immersive program for graduate-level health professions students in medicine, nursing, physician assistant, physical therapy, public health, and pharmacy. Each cohort of 15-20 students is assigned to an Arizona region where they learn about a specific community’s health needs and design and implement a community intervention.
Through the Colorado Plateau Center for Health Professions (CPCHP), which is NCHC’s education department and embedded Area Health Education Center (AHEC), we host two cohorts annually in northern Arizona. Each cohort visits our communities twice per year for an immersion weekend. On February 2nd and 3rd, these students visited the communities of Winslow and Williams/Ash Fork.
First Year Cohort: Winslow
The 2024-2026 ASP Cohort in Winslow is led by community mentor and NCHC physician, Cherish Lorica, MD. In the first year of the ASP, the students learn a lot about the community, complete a windshield survey where they take note of community resources and gaps, and develop an academic paper and poster about the community.
During their community immersion experience in February, the students participated in several presentations by community members, including:
- Shanna Ramat, APRN-C, NCHC Hep C Project Lead
- Darcey Mckee, City Council member and Navajo County Public Health Services District Tobacco Program Manager
- Laurie Lashomb, Mother Road Farmers Market
- Aurilia Calamity, Growing in Beauty Early Intervention
- Veronica James, NCHC Health Benefits Advocate
- Tamara Crues, NCHC Referrals Manager
- Sylvia Ortiz, NCHC HIV Program Coordinator
- Ryan Wood, RDH, NCHC Dental Hygienist
Second Year Cohort: Williams & Ash Fork
The 2023-2025 ASP Cohort is led by community mentor and NCHC physical therapist, Victoria Noack, PT. This cohort concentrated their efforts on the communities of Williams and Ash Fork and recently completed their fourth and final immersion over the first weekend in February.
First, the students worked on land preparation for a garden to supply a popular community food bank in Ash Fork. Second, they started efforts on a comprehensive resource guide for the food bank to complete the garden project, including a sustainability plan and the support of local master gardeners. Finally, the students hosted a food preservation information session for community members with demonstration materials for safe preservation and written handouts on the easiest methods for storing food.
Many students who visit northern Arizona and get to know NCHC through the ASP come back to do clinical rotations. The more a student is embedded in a local community, the more likely they are to seek a job there when they graduate. Supporting this educational program is not only a great opportunity for the students and the community, but it can be a recruitment tool for NCHC as well!
To learn more about education at NCHC, visit cpchp.org
“Colorado Plateau Center for Health Professions exists to improve the health of rural and underserved communities in northern Arizona by building, training and strengthening the health workforce.”
