The Kenan Scholarship provides support to students from rural backgrounds in North Carolina. Two recent Kenan Scholars share a passion for rural healthcare and are returning to their home communities to serve in high need positions.
In January 2024 the Office of Rural Initiatives (ORI) celebrated over ten years of the Kenan Scholars Program. This program seeks to combat health inequities in rural North Carolina by recruiting first-year medical students who sincerely commit to practicing medicine in rural communities. Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, 78 of them are considered rural. Data shows that these communities have worse health outcomes than their urban counterparts when considering length and quality of life (Rural Health Disparities Overview – Rural Health Information Hub 2023). These communities also struggle to recruit and maintain healthcare providers and equitable services for their citizens. The program’s ultimate purpose is to increase the number of students seeking healthcare careers in rural North Carolina and provide experiences and scholarship support to sustain their decisions.
The Kenan Program has recently produced two graduates who are currently completing their residencies and are positioned to return to rural communities and serve in primary care positions.
Graduate Caleb Smith, MD,’22 grew up on a tobacco farm in Stokes County. He came to UNC because of his interest in serving rural communities through family medicine. He will be working in rural Avery County for the MAHEC Boone Family Medicine Residency program starting in 2025.
Wes Roten MD, ’20 is a graduate from West Jefferson, North Carolina. He is currently completing a year as chief resident at UNC Family Medicine. After his term is up next year he plans to continue working in primary care and hospital medicine in Chatham County. He hopes to expand access to healthcare services in this community in his position. These students are excited to have the opportunity to give back to their communities through healthcare careers.
One common thread these scholars share is their mentorship by Dr. Caroline Roberts, the faculty lead for rural education. Dr. Roberts is an alumna of the UNC School of Medicine and a native of Alamance County. She currently serves as a doctor of Family Medicine at Piedmont Health Services in Caswell County at Prospect Hill Community Health Center. Dr. Roberts’s philosophy of care is “Equal access to quality health care for all, no matter where you’re from, what you earn, what you believe, or what you practice.” Dr. Roberts provided mentorship to all three of these scholars and helped inspire their current pathways into rural healthcare. Dr. Roberts and the Office of Rural Initiatives have been vital in continuing this pipeline of recruitment and training while establishing relationships in rural NC to create longevity and equity in rural medicine.
Rural Health Disparities Overview – Rural Health Information Hub. Overview – Rural Health Information Hub. (2023, December 1). https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/rural-health-disparities