COVID Vaccines: MAHEC community pharmacies at Biltmore and Enka can administer the COVID vaccine to patients 18 and older without a prescription. Patients 18-64 require a high-risk condition that is documented through a self-attestation form available at the pharmacy. Patients 65 and older do not require an attestation.
We train community-oriented family physicians by promoting sustainable and fulfilling careers as leaders among diverse and innovative healthcare teams. We do this in order to address the evolving needs of Western North Carolina and improve quality and access to primary care for everyone.
Our Culture & Values
Excellence: We are committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-informed services and activities that meet the evolving needs of our communities and partners.
Belonging: We actively foster environments where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.
Integrity: We lead with transparency, fairness, and a strong ethical foundation in all our decisions and actions.
Collaboration: We embrace partnerships across professions and communities to drive collective impact.
Innovation and Growth: We remain agile and forward-thinking, continuously improving through learning, creativity, and responsiveness.
Civility: We uphold a culture of mutual respect, empathy, and professionalism in all interactions.
Empowerment Through Accountability: We cultivate ownership, engagement, and shared responsibility in fulfilling MAHEC’s mission and stewarding its resources.
Key Partnerships
Mission Hospital
Mission Hospital is our primary inpatient training site. It is an 800-bed community and regional referral center which serves 18 counties and includes Mission Children’s Hospital. Mission HCA is a great educational partner; it is part of the HCA Healthcare graduate medical educations (GME) system which, as a whole, supports the most residency and fellowship positions in the country.
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
All of our faculty have academic appointments with the UNC SOM. UNC also has a branch campus of their medical school at MAHEC in Asheville, NC, meaning that medical students are a part of our training teams.
The Asheville Community and Surrounding Areas
Since its inception in 1974, our residency has developed and maintained a strong relationship with our local community’s residents, community organizations, and all of Western North Carolina. For decades, they have looked to us as a respected and dependable partner for solving community healthcare needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the MAHEC Family Medicine Residency Program so
special?
"The people! An incredible team to work with—I wouldn’t want to train
anywhere else."
— Marina MacNamara
"The culture—peers and faculty are supportive, are looking to change
medicine for the better, and are just fun to be around."
— Kate Rasche
"The energy of innovation and the incredibly positive and committed people
with a vision for the future of healthcare. MAHEC is a non-profit federally
qualified health center (FQHC) and therefore committed to the care of the
rural patients. We have decades of engagement and partnership with our community
hospital and University of North Carolina School of Medicine that gives us
all of the opportunities that a university-based residency offers while
being a great community program. Our community looks to us to help them
address problems. We have repeatedly taken our broad skillset and adjusted
it to meet the needs of our community to make sure the vulnerable populations
do not fall through the cracks of our healthcare system. This is one of the
things that makes me most proud."
— Lisa LaVallee, Program Director
"Would you choose the Asheville Family Medicine Residency all over again?"
"Looking back on my medical training, I am so glad I got to do my residency training at MAHEC. It is a rigorous program that produces highly skilled full scope family physicians, but more importantly the culture at MAHEC is one of love and care for our patients and our community. I consider myself privileged to have learned from the incredible faculty, and have built lifelong friendships with many of my co-residents. I felt supported by our faculty, while also being pushed to reach my potential. It is true that residency years are some of the more challenging you will face, but they also were some of my favorite years so far. If I could go back and match anywhere, I'd still come back to the people of MAHEC and the city of Asheville; it truly is one of a kind."
— Brian Atkinson
What kind of relationship do the faculty have with
residents?
"The faculty have a collegial relationship with the residents. We look to
the residents as peers who are in training. They often teach us just as
much as we teach them. We want to be available for any questions or
concerns that they have."
— Blake Fagan
What opportunities are available internationally?
"Wonderful opportunities. We have a strong global health curriculum that
is inspired by the long-term and sustainable relationship we have with
Hombro a Hombro (Shoulder to Shoulder), which is a non-profit,
non-governmental organization based in rural Honduras. Twice a year, our
residents and faculty—along with many others—travel to Honduras to offer
their services and skills to the rural healthcare network. That is only
the beginning. Many of our residents choose to spend their elective time
traveling and providing healthcare around the globe."
— Keith Whiteman
How does MAHEC serve the diverse community of Asheville?
"As residents, we get plenty of opportunities to interact with our
community. Asheville is a mix of people from many cultures. I love spending time with the
MAHEC Medical Mentoring Program and have worked with students
one-on-one along with speaking at some of their large events. We’ve started weekly Spanish classes so that I can
learn, and we can all work on communicating with all of our patients in
their own language. We get out into the schools and work on health goals
of the school communities. Asheville has something for everyone and it
is a privilege to walk down the halls of Mission and hear people call
out ‘Hey Doc.’"
— Margarette Shegog
What is the most challenging part of residency? What support
systems are in place for the residents?
"Residency is hard, no matter what. It’s long hours and the learning
curve is steep. As a result, it’s important to find the right fit. For
me, it meant finding somewhere that would be sure to challenge me
intellectually in a supportive environment. In addition to the built-in
support groups here (heavy in the first year) to help discuss challenges
you might be facing, there are regular meetings with your advisor as
well as the residency program director. There is also a built-in back-up
system so that a resident will ALWAYS be able to cover for you should
you be called away to a family emergency, get sick, whatever. Finally,
MAHEC simply embodies support—I have never heard a grumble or a
complaint when someone needs to cover another person’s shift."
— Marina MacNamara
Are MAHEC residents eligible for student loan repayment?
"YES! MAHEC is proud to be a non-profit FQHC, so residents are eligible
for student loan repayment. We are partnered with Mission—our for-profit
community hospital—but are not an HCA residency, so we still qualify."
— Lisa LaVallee, Program Director
