“My teaching role has involved hosting health professional students from many different schools in the region. I feel fortunate to have learned from so many expert teachers and am grateful for these opportunities to give back to my profession. It is especially gratifying to be involved with the Kenan Primary Care Medical Scholars Program. I hope that I can inspire some of the students and get them excited to come practice in rural areas in Western North Carolina.”

Ben Stepp, MD, of Swain Medical Center in Bryson City, came to WNC every year of medical school for a clinical rotation through MAHEC, and this past summer, he trained a student in our Kenan Primary Care Medical Scholars Program. The program allows UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine students to pursue their interest in rural medicine by shadowing rural physicians for six-week periods.