Our Stories & Publications
During her time as a MAHEC Minority Medical Mentoring Program (MMMP) intern, Fabiola Patricio has built relationships with people from across the medical field, learned more about what she wants to do in the future, and even helped deliver a baby, but the experience that had the biggest impact on her occurred early on in her internship.
Shanya Whiteside, CMA, learned how to be a caretaker before she ever stepped foot into a classroom. Every morning, Shanya would make her grandmother’s breakfast, take her sugar levels, and give her insulin if she needed it–all while getting herself ready for the day. After school, she would do it all again.
Maria Melchor Guerrero practically grew up in a hospital. Her older brother has hemophilia. When he was younger their parents would take him to the hospital whenever he got hurt. Sometimes he would stay in the hospital for weeks or months at a time. Once he was hospitalized for nearly a year.
MAHEC is saying goodbye to long-time friend and special project super star Cathy Nielson, MPH, who is retiring for the third and, she swears, last time. In 2007, Cathy ended her long career as an occupational therapist at UNC Chapel Hill. Her second retirement was from Mountain BizWorks where she spent several years helping local entrepreneurs and communities thrive.
Carlos Pena Magos has wanted to be a physician since he was a child, but growing up in a low-income neighborhood, he didn’t think that dream could be a reality until he got to high school. Because of his good grades, teachers started telling him about different scholarship opportunities and encouraging him to apply. That encouragement, plus an internship shadowing healthcare providers at a local hospital, convinced Carlos to try for a career in the medical field.
Throughout the pandemic, Kathey has continued knocking on doors herself, visiting more than 600 homes in historically Black and brown neighborhoods to listen to concerns and provide COVID education, prevention supplies, and vaccine information. Residents welcome these house calls from a familiar and trusted neighbor, and she welcomes the opportunity to connect them with the resources they need to stay healthy.
Michelle Angeles grew up in Hendersonville, NC, but she’s not a stranger to the rural parts of Western North Carolina, where some of her family lives. In fact, her knowledge of rural medicine and the lack of access to healthcare in some areas, has her considering a career as a rural primary care physician.
When Dr. Keller created a special device to help her patient use his new dentures, he told her it was magic. He should know. Now in his early 60s, Ricky Boone has been a professional magician most of his life. He also owns one of the few remaining brick-and-mortar magic shops in the United States, Magic Central in North Asheville.
Thanks to Project ECHO®, an innovative virtual training model offered by UNC Health Sciences at MAHEC, no one had to leave their office to help this student or the thousands of other children in their care.
