The rural track of the psychiatry residency program at MAHEC (Mountain Area Health Education Center) was created to further our belief that everyone should have equal access to healthcare. There are stark differences in access to mental care between urban/suburban and rural areas and that is particularly true in rural and Western North Carolina, where all 16 counties have been federally designated as mental health professional shortage areas. Our mission is to train excellent psychiatrists who can work with rural populations and who are experts at providing consultation in primary care settings.
Our rural track is based out of Linville, NC, where our rural track residents will spend the majority of their four years. The Appalachian Regional Healthcare System’s Behavioral Health Services includes both an outpatient clinic as well as a 27-bed inpatient behavioral health hospital that opened in November 2021.
The partnership between MAHEC, Appalachian Regional Behavioral Health Hospital, Mission Hospital, Watauga Hospital, UNC Health, Broughton State Hospital, and AppFamily Medicine will achieve the goal of increasing rural access to mental healthcare by having residents train in a beautiful part of the state that has developed the resources to provide an excellent graduate medical education experience.
The rural track of the MAHEC Psychiatry Residency offers an opportunity to serve an area of Western North Carolina with great need for additional mental health services. We hope you will consider applying here for this next step in your training!
For more information or questions about our program, please contact psychresrural@mahec.net.
4th Year Medical Student Rotations
MAHEC offers a variety of student rotations in Family Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, General Surgery, Rural Medicine, and Psychiatry for both in-state and out-of-state students interested in our residency programs. Learn more about our 4th year medical student rotations
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.
Our Commitment
MAHEC is committed to inspiring and equipping the next generation of healthcare professionals and expanding access to care for all. Our vision is to create a healthier community in Western North Carolina and beyond.
PGY1
First-year residents spend the majority of their year in the Appalachian Regional Behavioral Health (ARBH) hospital doing inpatient psychiatry for a total of six months. Residents also have one month of inpatient psychiatry at Broughton State Hospital in Morganton, NC; one month of neurology at Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC; two months of inpatient medicine at the Watauga Medical Center; and three months of outpatient family medicine at AppFamily Medicine.
PGY2
Second-year residents start their longitudinal continuity clinics, seeing one full day of adult and one full day of child patients at the ARBH outpatient center. In addition, residents will have one half day of psychotherapy clinic each week. Longitudinal rotations in the second year include the Lees-McRae College Student Health Department and the Crossnore Communities for Children.
PGY3
Third-year residents return to the inpatient setting with more specialized psychiatry rotations including child and adolescent, geriatrics, and consultation/liaison with electroconvulsive therapy—as well as a second month of neurology—all of which take place at Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC. Residents also have a substance use disorder rotation at the Julian F. Keith Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center (ADATC). The third-year resident also returns to the general adult psychiatry inpatient unit at ARBH as a junior resident. Adult and child continuity clinics are one half day each week in addition to the one half day spent seeing psychotherapy patients. The basic requirements for residency are completed after the third year, allowing residents to fast-track into a child/adolescent fellowship if desired.
PGY4
Fourth-year residents will spend a couple of months at the ARBH inpatient psychiatry unit, as well as a half day of adult clinic and a half day of psychotherapy each week. One half day per week is spent doing collaborative and integrated care consultations with rural primary care physicians as part of the Rural Health Initiative. The remainder of the fourth-year resident’s time is elective, allowing them to create a personalized curriculum as they prepare to begin their career in psychiatry.
All residents have one afternoon each week protected for didactics. This includes an ongoing Journal Club, case conference, resident presentations, research, and ongoing lectures overviewing the psychiatric field of knowledge with an emphasis on evidence-based care. Didactics will be held jointly with the Asheville-based program, and lectures for both programs are offered virtually, allowing residents to join hassle-free from their rotation site rather than trying to commute to a central location.
The rural track of the psychiatry residency is located in Linville, NC, and is just a short drive away from Boone, NC, where one of our family medicine rural tracks is located. Residents will rotate at the Watauga Medical Center alongside Boone family medicine residents, allowing for more cross-fertilization of ideas and collaboration.
I grew up in the small town of Black Mountain, North Carolina just outside the Asheville area and am fortunate to call the Blue Ridge Mountains my home. Medicine has always been a strong influence on my life because of my mother, a nurse practitioner, who taught me at an early age the meaning of caring for others. After graduating from Appalachian State University with a degree in chemistry, I chose to follow in the footsteps laid before me, and dedicate myself to the art and science of healing.
I attended medical school at the Campbell University College of Osteopathic Medicine, and trained further in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege to live and travel across this great state and to learn in depth about the variety of culture and history that define it. It is a tremendous honor to be able to return to my roots by joining the MAHEC family and to help provide for the very population that helped me become the person I am today.
Faculty, Psychiatry Residency and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship
Hello and thank you for exploring Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) in Asheville, NC. I am originally from Eastern North Carolina, where I received degrees in biology and chemistry at East Carolina University (ECU). I then completed my medical degree at ECU’s Brody School of Medicine.
I am honored to now be a part of the MAHEC family for my psychiatry residency. I was drawn to this program for its blend of excellence in training with the unique collegial and benevolent atmosphere that I craved. I additionally chose the city of Asheville for its natural beauty, thriving social community, and incredible diversity of culture and thought.
A medical career was always within my plan, but psychiatry captured my interest more recently as I consider it to be the most interesting, challenging, and creative branch of medicine. As Pulitzer prize-winning political pundit and psychiatrist Charles Krauthammer said, psychiatry “combines the practicality of medicine and the elegance of philosophy.” Our residency was created to address the grave need for mental health services in Western North Carolina, and I personally hope to remain in this area for my career. My further interest is the changing economic and political landscape of medicine and I am completing a Master's in Business Administration to focus on this topic.
My interests include outdoor activities such as hiking, whitewater rafting, and mountain biking, which I have found in abundance around Asheville. I love all sports, though tennis is my favorite. I play piano and enjoy reading, film, and exploring Asheville’s thriving restaurant and beer scenes with friends and family.
My name is Ron and I am overjoyed to be a part of the MAHEC family and participate in the tremendous work they are doing here in vibrant Asheville and western North Carolina in general.
I was born in Providence, RI, but my family moved around to Massachusetts, Minnesota, Colorado, and Ohio. I went to college at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, where I fell in love with the vast beauty that is the Blue Ridge Mountains. During college, I tutored children at local elementary schools and delivered food to families in need in the surrounding community. I also spent a summer volunteering in the Dominican Republic and putting my Spanish major to good use. After completing my medical school education at Brown University, I am elated to live in the mountains once again and serve the people that live there.
I chose psychiatry because of the wonderful and unique communication that psychiatry encourages between caregiver and patient. I also seek to play a large role in increasing access to mental health resources so that patients from all walks of life may receive the care they need. With its emphasis on reaching the underserved, evident warmth, and scenic location, MAHEC was definitely the right choice for me. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me!
My name is Joseph, and I am originally from Jackson, Mississippi. I grew up vacationing in Western North Carolina every July for as long as I can remember, and it is hard to believe that I will now be living here 365 days a year! I am relocating with my wonderful wife of three years, Regan, who has also matched at MAHEC in family medicine. We are a sappy pair of high school sweethearts and cannot wait to begin our new exciting life together in beautiful Asheville. We are also accompanied by our two sister kitties, Ygritte and Sansa.
I first developed a conscious fascination with the human mind as an undergraduate at the University of Mississippi while pursuing degrees in biology and psychology. At the same time, I began to realize how much I love communicating with people, friends and strangers, listening to their stories and learning about their lives and what makes them who they are. As I prepared for the transition back down to Jackson for medical school at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, I had a strong feeling that I would ultimately end up in the field of psychiatry. Five years later, it turns out I was right! Additionally, Regan and I have both developed a passion for rural practice, and I know that MAHEC is the perfect place for us to develop the knowledge and skills required to thrive as rural providers.
I look forward to soaking up everything Asheville and the surrounding area has to offer from craft beer to whitewater kayaking to bluegrass music and everything in between! When I’m not occupied with my clinical duties, you may find me laboring in our garden, reading a good book, or out hiking one of the many peaks in the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains.
Danielle is originally from Tucson, AZ, and completed her undergraduate degree in neuroscience at the University of Florida. She continued her graduate studies at the University of Florida College of Medicine with a focus on psychoneuroimmunology, specifically researching the role of inflammatory cytokines and neurotrophic factors on the septohippocampal system.
During that time, she discovered her love of teaching through her work as a neuroanatomy teaching assistant and later developed a behavioral neuroscience course for the precollegiate science training program. After earning a doctoral degree in biomedical sciences, she volunteered at a free clinic for indigent and underserved populations, which inspired her interest in community medicine.
During medical school, Danielle continued to teach neuroanatomy, her work at the community clinic, and was elected by her peers to serve as president of their psychiatry interest group. In her free time, she enjoys spending time in nature camping, hiking, and kayaking. She also enjoys travel, attending festivals, and the arts.
Director, Psychiatry Residency Program
Director, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship
Susan Whitley, MD, was raised in New York City, but has deep roots in Western North Carolina. She is passionate about partnering with individuals to set goals toward improving their total health—including mental health, substance use, and physical health challenges.
Dr. Whitley is a graduate of the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, followed by a combined Residency in Family Medicine and Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York, NY. Throughout her training, she remained intrigued by the interplay between physical and mental health and the role of substance use. She decided to pursue subspecialty training in Addiction Psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, NY, to further hone her expertise in the management of addictions.
Dr. Whitley is Board Certified in Psychiatry and Family Medicine with added subspecialty certification in Addiction Psychiatry. She has over 20 years of experience including patient care, program administration, and the teaching of students and residents. She is an expert in the treatment of opioid use disorder, including multiple publications on this topic. Dr. Whitley has spent her career focusing on access to care for underserved populations with complex healthcare needs and is excited to join the MAHEC team.
Application Requirements
We invite you to apply to our program via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). We will review your application and contact you if we are able to offer you an interview. Typically, our interview season runs from October through January.
A complete ERAS application is required, including:
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Photo
Personal statement
Three letters of recommendation from faculty who have directly supervised clinical performance (at least one letter should be from a psychiatrist)
Medical school transcript(s)
Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)
USMLE, COMLEX, or Canadian licensing exam completion (Step 1 or COMLEX 1 required, Step 2 or COMLEX 2 preferred)
Questions regarding the application process should be directed to the Residency Program Coordinator at psychresrural@mahec.net.
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
The Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs will select from among eligible applicants on the basis of residency program-related criteria such as their preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials, communication skills, and personal qualities such as motivation and integrity.
Minimum Requirements
An applicant must meet or exceed the following minimum qualification(s) to be eligible for selection and appointment to MAHEC’s GME residency programs:
Be a graduate of a medical school in the United States or Canada, accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME); or
Be a graduate of a college of osteopathic medicine in the United States, accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA); or
Be a graduate of a non-LCME- or AOA-approved medical school who also meets one of the following additional qualifications:
holds a currently-valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) prior to appointment; or
holds a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a United States licensing jurisdiction in his or her current ACGME specialty/subspecialty program; or
has graduated from a medical school outside the United States and has completed a Fifth Pathway program provided by a LCME-accredited medical school.
Passed USMLE Steps 1 and 2 or COMLEX 1 and 2 within three attempts, as required by the North Carolina Medical Board.
Be eligible for a NC resident training license.
Be eligible to work in the U.S. (citizen, permanent resident, eligible visa including J1). MAHEC does not sponsor H1B or other visas.
VISA Sponsorship
MAHEC does not directly sponsor residents or fellows that need a J-1 Sponsorship VISA. Non-U.S. citizen applicants needing visa sponsorship must secure this directory from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). The ECFMG is authorized by the U.S. Department of State to sponsor foreign national physicians for the J-1 Exchange Visitor visa for the purpose of participating in U.S. programs of graduate medical education or training. ECFMG is designated by the U.S. Department of State as a BridgeUSA sponsor for J-1 exchange visitor physicians enrolled in accredited programs of graduate medical education or training, or advanced research programs (involving primarily observation, consultation, teaching, or research). Although many universities and research institutions in the United States are authorized to sponsor exchange visitors as research scholars, ECFMG is the sole sponsor of J-1 physicians in clinical training programs.
Questions regarding VISA Sponsorship should be directed to the GME office at 828-232-2946 or gme@mahec.net.
Ben Frost
Hunter Edwards, DO
Matt Edwards, MD
Ronald Magee, MD
Joseph Maxwell, MD
Danielle Meola, MD, PhD
Karin Nylund, MD
Sarah Volk, MD
Susan Whitley, MD