Our Community

Accomplishments: I graduated from the MAHEC Asheville Family Medicine Residency in 2024 after first spending time at MAHEC as a medical student through the UNC branch campus. I am now working in the Blue Ridge Health clinic in Sylva, providing primary care to patients of all ages, including plenty of prenatal care and substance use disorder treatment. I'm very happy to be in this position. Blue Ridge is an organization of federally qualified health centers, so we are able to see patients with any or no insurance, and we have additional resources to help patients get the care they need. I'm also happy to be part of MAHEC's 2025 rural fellowship class, which has provided me with extra time to learn about rural healthcare and adjust to my role as a new physician.

Helene Recovery: The MAHEC Hendersonville Rural Family Medicine Residency Program responded with collaboration and resilience during and after Hurricane Helene. I am grateful for this community within MAHEC and Blue Ridge Health that supports one another and works together to care for our communities. It's been a privilege to be back in the residency I trained and I am grateful for MAHEC's work in our region.

Accomplishments: I am building a private practice clinic, Seven Peaks Family Medicine, in Ashe County, NC, with two other physicians to address the physician shortage in the High Country. We are working to create a model for other primary care physicians who may be interested in starting their own practice with the help of Community Care Physicians Network (CCPN). We open our doors to see patients on April 1, 2025!

Accomplishments: Dr. Russell Pace has made significant contributions to healthcare in his community through his leadership and clinical expertise. As the Medical Director of the Polk County Health Department and the Blue Ridge Polk site, he has played a crucial role in expanding access to quality care. He maintains a broad scope of practice, providing inpatient and outpatient care, including prenatal and obstetric deliveries. Additionally, he has expanded services by introducing colposcopies, marking the first time in years that this procedure has been available in Polk County, further demonstrating his commitment to comprehensive patient care.

Accomplishments: I have loved continuing my Global Health work at MAHEC, a consistent thread throughout my career. Since joining MAHEC, I’ve led our annual Honduras brigades to Camasca, Intibuca, alongside my pharmacy colleague, Dr. Bill Hitch. These experiences reaffirm my passion for medicine and highlight the connection between rural and global health in medical education. My proudest academic achievement has been launching and expanding our rural fellowship, which has placed over 35 providers in rural WNC since 2017. On a personal note, a writing project that spawned from a strange journey to liberate another physician, my predecessor, 'The Other Dr. Gilmer,' emphasizes the power of storytelling and advocacy in family medicine.

Helene Recovery: MAHEC played a vital role in responding to Helene. I first served in shelter clinics, where MAHEC provided all medical care, and later helped set up a clinic in Swannanoa, a hard-hit community. Drawing from global health experience, we quickly built a multidisciplinary clinic that operated for a month, offering acute care, chronic disease management, pharmacy support, and respiratory care. This effort highlighted the critical role of family medicine in disaster response. With MAHEC’s support and community collaboration, we treated and provided medical supplies to over a thousand patients. I’m grateful for the many volunteers who came together during this crisis.