NC AHEC presents awards and fellowships to faculty, staff, and colleagues . . .
. . . to recognize their contributions to our mission and to provide resources for the continued study and understanding of the needs for the future of health care in our state and around the world.
Pictured above: Diarmuid Mulhering, 2017 NACT UK Traveling Fellow, photo by cleibe souza
Glenn Wilson Award for Public Service
The Glenn Wilson Award for Public Service pays tribute to Glenn Wilson, founding director of NC AHEC, and is given to individuals who have made significant contributions to improving access to health care for the people of North Carolina.
John Payne Fellowship
The John Payne Fellowship honors the memory of former NC AHEC director John Payne and his nearly 25 years of contributions to AHEC. The fellowship enables AHEC faculty to further their professional interests and explore innovative educational efforts.
Eugene S. Mayer Traveling Fellowship
A part of the Traveling Fellowship exchange program, and in memory of Eugene S. Mayer, longtime NC AHEC director, the Mayer Traveling Fellowship supports NC AHEC-based faculty selected to spend a month in the United Kingdom, studying aspects of the British medical education and health services delivery system.
NACT UK Traveling Fellowship
As part of the Traveling Fellowship exchange program, NC AHEC hosts fellows selected by the National Association of Clinical Tutors from the United Kingdom, who spend a month in North Carolina, studying the American medical education and health services delivery system.
UNC Air Operations
Physical address: 1050 Meridian Drive, Morrisville, NC 27560
(see directions below)
Mailing address: UNC Air Operations, PO Box 90818, Raleigh, NC 27675-0818
phone 919-445-4790 | fax 919-445-4794
hangar 919-445-4790| email click here
The nine regional Area Health Education Centers span North Carolina, allowing resources from the state’s health science schools to reach communities and improve local health. The 500 miles between our coast and mountains present a challenge to university faculty who conduct consultation clinics and continuing professional development activities in the AHECs, while maintaining their teaching, research, and service responsibilities “at home.”
Since its early beginnings in 1968, AHEC’s UNC Air Operations, previously known as Medical Air, has transported health science faculty, medical residents, and university officials to all areas of the state for educational activities.
Annually, UNC Air transports about 1500 passengers to almost 100 destinations. These include North Carolina’s nine AHEC centers, community hospitals, health departments, and universities. This service makes it possible for faculty to reach very remote sites in the state on a daily basis while maintaining a full slate of professional activities. UNC Air has logged approximately 21 million passenger miles since 1978.
TYPICAL DAY
UNC Air flies between five and seven flights per day, averaging one to three passengers per flight. About 80% of its flights are scheduled during the daytime, transporting faculty, clinical staff, and medical residents to clinics around the state. Night flights are usually scheduled for faculty to conduct continuing professional development programs.
On a typical day UNC Air pilots may fly medical faculty and medical residents to Wilmington, NC to see patients at a consultation clinic. A professor in the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry faculty may conduct an evening continuing professional development program in Asheville after a full day of teaching students and treating patients in the dental clinic.
HIGH TECHNICAL STANDARDS
UNC Air’s standards for pilots and equipment maintenance exceed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements. Pilots possess Airline Transport Pilot Certificates and have flown an average of 10,000 hours in both civilian and military aviation. A team of three full-time certified mechanics maintain the aircraft’s readiness, performing eight inspections per aircraft per year and other routine maintenance procedures in a modern, fully equipped hangar. In addition, two experienced air transportation coordinators schedule flights for UNC Air passengers.
UNC Air operates in a highly sophisticated air traffic control system. Its fleet of three TBMs (see photo above) utilize state-of-the-art weather avoidance equipment and satellite navigational systems, comparable to those found on any major airliner. With these aircraft, most locations in the state can be reached in an hour or less, including small municipal airports inaccessible to commercial airliners.
As the “wings of AHEC,” UNC Air helps maintain a close partnership between the universities and the communities around the state. The UNC Air staff takes pride in its contributions toward improving health care access for all North Carolinians.
UNC AIR OPERATIONS PASSENGER ELIGIBILITY POLICY
As described in the UNC Air Operations Policy Manual, UNC Air Operations falls administratively within the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) Program. UNC Air Operations provides the option of air transportation to university faculty, staff and administrators in their efforts to accomplish the goals of the AHEC Program or other missions of the broader University. Faculty are from the University of North Carolina system, as well as the major partner educational institutions that are part of the NC AHEC Program, including Duke University and Wake Forest University.
The Passenger Eligibility section of the operations manual states that passengers who utilize UNC Air will undergo prior screening for eligibility by the Air Transportation Coordinator, usually by telephone. It must be determined in advance that a passenger is one of the following:
traveling on university business
traveling on AHEC business, such as teaching a class or conducting a clinic
traveling on state agency business
traveling to meet the mission of AHEC, UNC System and other AHEC partner universities, or state agency.
Payment for flights must be made from an AHEC Center, state, or university account.
UNC AIR OPERATIONS STAFF
Paul Cotrufo, Aircraft Mechanic
David Eastwood, Aircraft Mechanic Supervisor
Jeremy Greene, Aircraft Mechanic
Art Johnson, Pilot
Darien Brockington, Financial Manager
Heather Harris, Air Transportation Coordinator
Ryan Vernier, Pilot
GETTING THERE
Direct access from Chapel Hill via I-40 to I-540 to Lumley Road to RDU General Aviation. Follow signs to UNC Air Operations. Medical Air is located across from the RDU Observation Deck; separate from commercial terminals. Free parking in front of building. Your pilot will meet you in reception area and accompany you to the plane.
Our History
NC AHEC evolved from national and state concerns with the supply, distribution, retention and quality of health professionals.
WORK SESSION – the staff of the UNC Medical School’s Division of Education and Research in Community Care wrote a proposal that brought the $8.5 million contract to the university. Here, in a work session, they listen to Glenn Wilson, then project director, talk about the need for better distribution of health manpower across the state. From left, around the table, are: John Payne, Shirley Jacobs, Faye Pickard, Ann Francis, Jim Vaughn, John Parker, Dr. Glenn Pickard, Moses Carey, Sally Powell, Dr. Eugene Mayer, Vince Kavel, Ethridge Price, Dr. W. Reece Berryhill, and Glenn Wilson. Reprinted from The Chapel Hill News, Volume 50, Number 94, Friday, October 6, 1972.
In 1970, a report from the Carnegie Commission recommended the development of a nationwide system of Area Health Education Centers.
Legislation and federal support since the early 1970s has made the implementation of AHEC programs possible in many states. This national focus coincided with a growing effort in North Carolina to establish statewide community training for health professionals and reverse a trend toward shortages and uneven distribution of primary care physicians in the state’s rural areas.
The program began in 1972 with three AHEC regions under a federal AHEC contract with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. In 1974, the North Carolina General Assembly approved and funded a plan to create a statewide network of nine AHEC regions. The plan called for the establishment of 300 new primary care medical residencies and the regular rotation of students to off-campus sites.
The General Assembly also provided funds to build or renovate AHEC educational facilities in the nine regions and to develop the proposed program components. By 1975, all nine AHECs were operational.
Our Staff
For general questions about the NC AHEC Program, send us an e-mail. To search for a staff member from a regional AHEC office, visit that AHEC’s website.
The North Carolina Area Health Education Centers Program
Mission
To meet the state’s health and health workforce needs. NC AHEC provides educational programs and services that bridge academic institutions and communities to improve the health of the people of North Carolina with a focus on underserved populations.
Vision
To help lead the transformation of health care education and services in North Carolina.
Values
Collaboration
We will be team-based and open-minded.
Diversity
We will be respectful and inclusive.
Service Excellence
We will deliver quality activities and services that our customers value.
Innovation
We will continuously generate, test, evaluate, implement and improve new ideas.
integrity
We will act with fairness, transparency and the highest level of ethics.
History
The North Carolina AHEC Program evolved from national and state concerns with the supply, distribution, retention and quality of health professionals. In 1970, a report from the Carnegie Commission recommended the development of a nationwide system of Area Health Education Centers.
Legislation and federal support since the early 1970s has made the implementation of AHEC programs possible in many states. This national focus coincided with a growing effort in North Carolina to establish statewide community training for health professionals and reverse a trend toward shortages and uneven distribution of primary care physicians in the state’s rural areas.
The program began in 1972 with three AHEC regions under a federal AHEC contract with the UNC-CH School of Medicine. In 1974, the North Carolina General Assembly approved and funded a plan by the UNC-CH School of Medicine to create a statewide network of nine AHEC regions.
The plan called for the establishment of 300 new primary care medical residencies and the regular rotation of students to off-campus sites.
The General Assembly also provided funds to build or renovate AHEC educational facilities in the nine regions and to develop the proposed program components. By 1975, all nine AHECs were operational.
The NC AHEC Pipeline
The NC Area Health Education Centers
Area L AHEC – Serving Edgecombe, Halifax, Nash, Northampton, and Wilson counties. Charlotte AHEC – Serving Anson, Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Stanly, and Union counties. Eastern AHEC– Serving Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Greene, Hertford, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Washington, and Wayne counties. Piedmont AHEC – Serving Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Guilford, Montgomery, Orange, Randolph,and Rockingham counties. Mountain AHEC – Serving Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey counties. Northwest AHEC – Serving Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Iredell, Rowan, Stokes, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties. South East AHEC – Serving Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, Pender, and New Hanover counties. Southern Regional AHEC – Serving Bladen, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Moore, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, and Scotland counties. Wake AHEC – Serving Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Lee, Person, Vance, Wake, and Warren counties. Duke AHEC
