Get Prepared for Your Career in Health Care!

As part of our mission to meet the state’s work and workforce needs, NC AHEC created a pathway for students across North Carolina to become academically prepared for careers in health care.

We help students interested in health occupations find enrichment activities and education programs before high school graduation. Regional programs may include puppet shows, after-school clubs, workshops, summer programs, and special events in which participants visit health care facilities, college campuses, and health science programs; gain volunteer experience; shadow health care professionals; and learn about health careers professions and job requirements.

Our pathway programs aim to engage, educate, and provide exploration opportunities to pre-college students, parents, educators, and community members to help you learn more about the many careers in the health care workforce.

Engage

Engage experiences support students in seeing themselves and the communities they aim to serve. These activities introduce students to the people, places, and pressing health needs across North Carolina, particularly through the lens of community context and factors that influence health. Students begin to understand why local connection, rural reach, and regional commitment—ensuring that future health professionals reflect the communities they serve matter in building a healthier North Carolina.

Educate

Educate experiences provide students with structured opportunities to gain academic knowledge, hands-on skills, and practical tools necessary to succeed in postsecondary health programs or the workforce. These programs build confidence, reinforce preparedness, and offer tangible skill development that supports both career and college readiness.

Explore

Explore experiences immerse students in authentic environments where they can observe, ask questions, and imagine themselves in various health careers. These opportunities are designed to help students make informed choices about their future paths and understand what different professions look like in real life.

Click on the AHEC region below that serves your county for more information about each region’s health careers program offerings.

Area L AHEC – Jordan Blake, jordan.blake@arealahec.org
South Piedmont AHEC (formerly Charlotte AHEC) – Michelle Boyd,Michelle.boyd@advocatehealth.org,
Sophia Moore-Dennis Sophia.moore-dennis@advocatehealth.org
Eastern AHEC – Blair Forde, savocaB19@ecu.edu,Timothy Speight, M.Ed speightti23@ecu.edu
Piedmont AHEC (formerly Greensboro AHEC) – Patricia Parrish, patricia.parrish@conehealth.com,
Gabrielle Steele, BS Gabrielle.Steele@conehealth.com
Mountain AHEC (MAHEC) – Leslie Council, leslie.council@mahec.net
Northwest AHEC – Melanee Mills, Melanee.mills@advocatehealth.org
South East AHEC (SEAHEC) – Cyndi Meredith, cyndi.meredith@seahec.net
Southern Regional AHEC – Gregory Singleton, healthcareers@sr-ahec.org 
Wake AHEC – Becky Brady, bbrady@wakeahec.org
Duke AHEC – Monica Taylor, monica.taylor@duke.edu