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Peiweng “PW” Chen, MDI’ve been fortunate to call WNC home for the past 10 years as a radiologist with ARA Health Specialists. I’m formally trained as a neuroradiologist, but also spend part of my working days in an emergency radiology setting. It’s been tremendously rewarding to be able to participate in the care of so many in our community, and meet great colleagues across a whole breadth of specialties. I can honestly and proudly say that I love what I do. Before landing here, I spent my entire life in various parts of New York State, growing up in Buffalo (go Bills!), studying undergraduate at Cornell, and completing medical school, residency, and fellowship in NYC. Outside of work, I enjoy(ed) traveling across the corners of the world with my wife. Nowadays, I’m in another phase of life where I temporarily traded in plane tickets for car seats and soccer practices with our children. I also enjoy running, having covered 25,000 miles across WNC. My proudest running achievement was finishing the Boston Marathon within the top 2% of all runners.
William Corcoran, MD
Primary Location: Mission Community Anesthesiology Specialists
Medical School: Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
Residency: Brigham and Women's Hospital
Fellowship: Brigham and Women's Hospital
Lucia Derks, MD
While you or a loved one are receiving care within our hospitals, you may have the opportunity to encounter specialists like me. I was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, and wanted to be a doctor since the age of 6. I excelled in academics and sports and attended Wake Forest University for undergrad. I then spent a year in Spain through a grant with the Spanish government. I returned to Wake Forest for medical school and fell in love with emergency medicine. I attended the University of Cincinnati (first EM residency in the country) and graduated with aspirations in medical operations and education. I love the outdoors and teaching.
Medical School: Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Residency: Emergency Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Melissa Hicks, MD
MAHEC Family Health Center at Biltmore
123 Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 257-4730
I am a true product of the MAHEC program, having completed my FM residency here in 1987, then joining the faculty in late summer of that same year. I have stayed here due to the fine caliber of the faculty, residents, and staff I have the privilege to work alongside every day.
I did take a one year LOA in the early 1990’s, to spend some time pursuing interests in outpatient care of HIV/AIDs. There I worked with the Family Medicine Department and the ID Department at East Carolina University School of Medicine. I learned a lot, but boy was I ready to return to the cool beauty of these WNC Mountains!
I was born in the Mid South- in Arkansas; and spent my “growing up” years in Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri. As the daughter of a preacher and a teacher, I learned the value of education and service, lessons that led both my brother and me into vocations of medicine. After attending college at Arkansas (now Lyon’s) College, I graduated from Medical School at University of Missouri, Columbia, MO., as did my older brother. My brother is now a physician in Chattanooga, TN.
It is a privilege to live and work in this progressive southern community, with a fine medical community that embraces education. We enjoy working for MAHEC and living close by on our “urban farm” where we have a few chickens, a bunny, dogs, and get to experience the joys of being able to walk to good food and fun activities. Outside of work we enjoy traveling, cooking, working in our local church’s community garden and trying to stay fit and healthy. We rejoice in watching our 2 adult children blossom and find their way in the world!
Within MAHEC and Medicine, I find great joy in caring for patients I have now known for MANY years, seeing families grow up into their own families, providing family maternity care, doing and teaching gynecologic procedures, and helping residents and students learn and find their passion in Family Medicine. I am excited by our increased ability to provide international experiences, and our local commitment to providing care to the underserved, through our office and through our community volunteer efforts.
Benjamin Hulkower, MD
Mission Hospital
509 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801
In 2017, I had the privilege of moving back to Asheville with our growing family to work at Mission Hospital as a Hospitalist, where I have thoroughly enjoyed working as an attending on the hospitalist teaching service with MAHEC residents.
High-quality, evidenced-based patient care and teaching is at the center of everything we do at the Mission Hospital Medicine program and MAHEC. Internal Medicine residents training here will have a unique opportunity to learn from world-class educators at an academic center with state-of-the-art facilities yet still maintain the comfort and support typically associated with smaller community-based residency programs. I enjoy working with residents because of their eagerness to learn and willingness to put themselves out there and ask great questions. This allows me to teach core concepts of medicine that I hope will last a lifetime. Quite frequently I am challenged to refresh my own medical knowledge and to stay up-to-date with the most recent medical literature. Working with residents makes me a better and more well-rounded physician.
Asheville has an amazing combination of access to outdoor activities as well as world-class restaurants, art studios, and music venues, not to mention the opportunity to work in a nationally recognized health system. My hobbies include soccer, hiking, playing with my kids, and a great deal of dad jokes.
Kristin James, DO
I grew up in a small Appalachian town called Olive Hill, KY. My mother went to nursing school as a single mother when I was in middle school. Volunteering in the nursing home where she worked seeded my desire to go into medicine. I was drawn to the human connection and desire to help people.
I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Kentucky, supporting myself by working as a Nanny and as a Client Sales Lead at Victoria Secret for four years. It was there that someone introduced me to Osteopathy. I was aligned with the tenets of osteopathy: 1. The body is a unit, the person a unit of body, mind, and spirit; 2. The body is capable of self-regulation, self-healing, and self-maintenance; 3. Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated; and 4. Rational treatment is based upon the understanding of the aforementioned principles. I applied to DO schools and happily found myself in another small town in Lewisburg, WV, attending the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine.
I completed residency in Wheeling, WV, where I served as chief resident during my fourth year. I have been an assistant adjunct professor for Lincoln Memorial University and UNC Asheville. I love teaching and continuing my own education.
I have been happily married for 15 years. We love to travel and do anything that takes us outdoors, including our pup, Rusty. The mountains of Asheville called us here in 2020 when we needed more tranquility in a chaotic time. We found it here in the mountains.
Boone Marois, MD
MAHEC Family Health Center at Biltmore
123 Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 257-4730
Boone Marois, MD, is board certified in Family Medicine and seeking board certification in Lifestyle Medicine. He graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School. Boone completed his Family Medicine Residency at MAHEC in Asheville, NC, and joined as faculty in 2024. He decided to stay at MAHEC for the robust community, educational atmosphere, and commitment to treating the underserved. He will be practicing inpatient medicine on the Family Practice Service in addition to outpatient medicine. He will also be assisting Dr. Poulton with the Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum while piloting Lifestyle Medicine Group Visits for patients. His other clinical interests include Sports Medicine, Vitamin B12 Deficiency, and Medical Education. Boone and his wife, Lex, are Michigan natives but are putting down roots in Western North Carolina. Boone is an active runner, cyclist, and backpacker with a particular interest in Ultramarathons. Outside of work, you will usually find him on the trails, reading a book, or playing with his two cats.
David Moore, MDI was born and raised just down the road in Fletcher, NC. I grew up in a medical family often accompanying my father to the emergency room and even into the OR. I determined that I wanted to be a radiologist around age 9. Best decision of my life. I attended Wake Forest Medical School. Radiology residency and fellowship in interventional radiology were completed at Vanderbilt. I was fortunate to find a job in Asheville and moved back home in July, 1991. My main hobby for the past 30 years has been cutting trees. I am the climber. I also enjoy every minute with my 2 sons fishing, hunting, riding motorcycles and time on the water.
Ginger Poulton, MD, MSEd, DipABLM
MAHEC Family Health Center at Biltmore
123 Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 257-4730
Ginger Poulton, MD, MSEd, DipABLM, is board certified in Family Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine. She is a former educator for Teach for America and a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School. Ginger completed her family medicine residency at the Mountain Area Health Education Center in Asheville and joined MAHEC’s faculty in 2013, and has enjoyed working in a variety of roles at MAHEC since then.
Currently she is the Assistant Program Director for the Transitional Year Residency Program, the lead physician for the Community Health Worker Project at MAHEC and the Family Medicine Clerkship Director for the UNC School of Medicine for the Asheville campus. Additionally, she is the Program Director for the Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum which is offered to all MAHEC residents.
Outside of work Ginger is an active runner, cyclist and sports enthusiast. She loves adventuring outdoors with her husband and sons in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina.
