The MassAHEC Network is a statewide program hosted by the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at UMass Chan Medical School and aims to develop a strong, collaborative approach to addressing healthcare workforce needs by nurturing the interest of health professions students in primary care and practice in rural and underserved areas. Participants include students of the UMass Chan School of Medicine (SOM) and Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing (GSN), and students from academic programs in each AHEC center’s service area. In Worcester, MassAHEC faculty are intertwined with the SOM and GSN, serve on a variety of committees, and teach across the schools and community. In addition to the Rural Health Scholars Longitudinal Elective, MassAHEC has developed an Urban Health Scholars Longitudinal Elective, supported several primary care electives, and collaborated with the GSN Central Massachusetts Advanced Nursing Education Academic Practice Program (CMAAPP), and Commonwealth Medicine, the consulting division of the medical school. The three main goals of the AHEC program have expanded to include Diversity, Distribution, and Practice Transformation.

Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Scholars is a national program for health professions students interested in supplementing their education by gaining additional knowledge and experience to better care for vulnerable populations. This is a longitudinal program with interdisciplinary curricula to implement a defined set of clinical, didactic, and community-based activities. All experiential or clinical training is conducted in rural and/or underserved urban settings.  The formal program duration is two years and each year includes (at minimum):

• 40 hours of community-based, experiential, or clinical training in rural and/or underserved areas

• 40 hours of education focused on health equity and core topics addressing:

  • • Interprofessional Education

    • Behavioral Health Integration

    • Social Determinants of Health

    • Cultural Competency

    • Connecting with Communities

    • Telehealth

    • Practice Transformation

    • Current and Emerging Health Issues like the COVID Pandemic and Opioid Use Disorder

Participating in AHEC Scholars appears on your transcript and is often a topic of conversation during residency interviews.  Faculty will provide students with information to include on their CVs and residency applications about participating in the federal AHEC grant.  There are also opportunities for student leadership. 

Self Assessment  - provides an opportunity for you to chronicle your involvement.

MassAHEC RHS-UHS Transcript Summary - provides very brief overall program background as well as the types of activities that “count” towards fulfilling the 40 hour co-curricular requirement.

In 1971, the federal government created Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) as an academic-community partnership to “improve the supply, distribution, diversity, and quality of the healthcare workforce.” UMass Chan Medical School has hosted the AHEC program since 1978 and is a member of the National AHEC Organization.  

Locally, the Central Massachusetts Area Health Education Center, Inc. (CMAHEC) was established in 1982 as part of a statewide system of six regional offices: the MassAHEC Network.

Located in Worcester, CMAHEC is part of The Center for Health Impact, a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 organization.

The mission of the MassAHEC Network is to reduce health disparities across the state by enhancing the skills and increasing the diversity of the healthcare workforce and facilitating access to culturally and linguistically responsive healthcare services.  We recruit, inspire, and train a diverse and broad range of health professionals to practice in underserved and vulnerable communities.