Kenan Scholars doctors return to rural roots
Graduates of the Kenan Rural Primary Care Medical Scholars program will serve in Avery and Chatham counties.
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. These communities also struggle to recruit and keep healthcare providers and equitable services for their citizens.
The Kenan Rural Primary Care Medical Scholars program combats health inequities in rural North Carolina by recruiting first-year medical students who sincerely commit to practicing medicine in rural communities. The purpose of the program, launched more than a decade ago by the UNC School of Medicine’s Office of Rural Initiatives, is to increase the number of students seeking healthcare careers in rural North Carolina and to provide experiences and scholarship support to sustain their decisions.
Two program graduates currently completing their residencies will soon return to rural communities to serve in primary care positions. Both say they are excited to give back to their communities through health care careers.
Caleb Smith ’22 (MD) grew up on a tobacco farm in Stokes County. He came to UNC-Chapel Hill 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 ’20 (MD) is from West Jefferson, North Carolina. He is currently completing a year as chief resident at UNC Family Medicine. After his term ends next year, he plans to continue working in primary care and hospital medicine in Chatham County. He hopes to expand access to health care services in this community in his position.
The mentor for both graduates was Dr. Caroline Roberts, the faculty lead for rural education. Roberts is an alumna of the UNC School of Medicine and a native of Alamance County. She is a doctor of family medicine at Piedmont Health Services at Prospect Hill Community Health Center in Caswell County.
Roberts’ 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.” Roberts and the Office of Rural Initiatives have been vital in continuing this pipeline of recruitment and training while establishing relationships in rural North Carolina to create longevity and equity in rural medicine.
