Graduate Medical Education

Residency Program Support

Northwest AHEC provides financial support to the primary care (Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pediatrics and Psychiatry Residency) programs of WFUBMC which help to fulfill the Northwest AHEC mission as demonstrated by the following data.  The Northwest AHEC - supported Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center’s primary care and psychiatry residency programs graduated 61 physicians in 2004. Of major significance is that 38 of these new physicians (62%) have chosen to stay and practice medicine in North Carolina. Additionally, and of even more significance given the state’s mental health reforms, seven of the 31 graduated psychiatry residents from 2001-2004 are currently employed in the North Carolina /public mental health sector.

The Community Plunge

The Community Health Partnerships initiative is having an impact on the pediatric interns of WFUSM.  The interns piloted a Northwest AHEC-designed community plunge. This half-day plunge provided a unique opportunity for new pediatric interns to spend a day in the Winston-Salem community and learn directly from community members of their perceptions of the healthcare system and how the healthcare system could better meet their needs.  Northwest AHEC provided funding and technical assistance to the other four primary care and psychiatry residency programs to implement this cultural competency activity.  

Student National Medical Association

Northwest AHEC provides support to Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s Student National Medical Association (SNMA) chapter in a variety of ways. Northwest AHEC participates in SNMA’s annual spring event at which graduating residents are recognized.  Additionally, SNMA members have been recruited in past summers to act as counselors in several of Northwest AHEC’s Health Careers programs.  SNMA is a nationally known and recognized organization which focuses on the needs and concerns of students of color.