Campbell University’s Community Care Clinic was selected as one of four interprofessional teaching hubs in North Carolina, thanks to the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) Rural Hub Grant. The program, funded by the North Carolina state legislature and NC AHEC, supports the development of rural, community-based interprofessional clinical training sites across the state.

Led by Dr. Paige Brown, director of Doctor of Health Sciences, the Campbell team successfully secured grant funding to enhance interprofessional education at clinic sites in Dunn and Harnett County. Currently, these sites host medical students, residents, pharmacy students and physician assistant students in a collaborative, team-based care setting. The initiative aims to improve healthcare access in underserved rural communities by training and retaining a robust primary care workforce.

On April 30, representatives from NC AHEC and Southern Regional AHEC visited Campbell’s Dunn location to tour the clinic and review the first six months of the grant project. The visit included discussions around the benefits and barriers of interprofessional teaching clinics, as well as plans to expand participation to other disciplines such as physical therapy, nursing, public health and even high school-level shadowing opportunities.

NC AHEC’s Rural Hub Grant program was developed through the collaboration of statewide stakeholders in education and healthcare. The initiative is designed to prioritize team-based, rural health education models that improve access to quality care where it is most needed.

Visiting AHEC Representatives:

• Dr. Adam Zolotor, UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Family Medicine
• Dr. Nicole Pinelli Reitter, executive director for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice, Office of the Provost, UNC-Chapel Hill
• Elyssa Tucker, Health Professions Student Liaison, NC AHEC

Campbell University Hosts:

• Joe Cacioppo, director of Community and Global Health
• Pamela Edwards, director of Interprofessional Education, co-PI of the NC Teaching Hub project