The UNC SOM Asheville campus provides clinical education for third- and fourth-year medical students at MAHEC, regional hospitals, and outpatient practices in Western North Carolina utilizing an innovative longitudinal curriculum that has been replicated across the nation.
The Asheville campus started in 2009 with a cohort of four students in collaboration with UNC School of Medicine, Mission Health, and MAHEC. Since then, the Asheville campus has grown to more than 30 Application Phase (third year) students per year.
Longitudinal Integrated Curriculum
The foundation of this program, the longitudinal integrated curriculum, is similar to Harvard’s “Cambridge Model” in which third year medical students are placed in longitudinal integrated clerkships (LICs) in outpatient settings for much of their curriculum. This allows students continuity with their preceptors and patients; students develop relationships with their primary preceptors over a long period of time and are more likely to see the same patients over time through the continuum of care. The Asheville community is well-suited to this type of curriculum with its diverse specialty practices and robust primary care services.
The Application Phase
The Application Phase academic calendar at Asheville comprises three trimesters with a mix of two types of clinical experiences. The inpatient experience is 15 weeks and includes surgery, internal medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, cardiology, and ob/gyn. The remainder of the year is spent in the longitudinal outpatient setting. In addition, students complete time in emergency medicine throughout the course of the year.
The Individualization Phase
The fourth-year curriculum reverts to month-long block rotations. Asheville campus students have the same fourth-year requirements as all other UNC SOM students. All required courses and many electives are available in both Asheville and surrounding rural areas.
Campus Assignment Process
The Asheville campus is one of four UNC SOM campus programs where students can choose to complete their Application Phase. We offer a distinct but comparable experience that prepares students for Individualization Phase and future career endeavors.
For more information regarding the campus assignment process and our Asheville campus curriculum, please click here
Sandy Whitlock, MD, has been a palliative care physician at Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC since 2015. She received her medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Following internal medicine residency at the University of Chicago, she completed the Harvard Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship.
After fellowship, she practiced as a palliative medicine attending at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and served as an Instructor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. While at MGH, Dr. Whitlock was active in teaching medical students, residents, and fellows. During her time in Boston, she also completed the Harvard Medical Ethics Fellowship.
Dr. Whitlock currently serves as the Assistant Program Director for the Asheville Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship and the Associate Program Director for the UNC School of Medicine Asheville Campus. She remains active in teaching learners at all levels. She is particularly interested in teaching advanced communication skills.
Sandy has loved living in Asheville with her husband and three kids. She loves running and gardening.
M. Kristin Chally, MD, has practiced Emergency Medicine in Asheville since 2005, and has been a preceptor for UNC School of Medicine students in the Emergency Department at Mission Hospital since 2011. She joined the leadership team of the UNC SOM Asheville Campus in 2019 as Assistant Program Director. She also serves as the Clinical Academic Resource Director and an Advisor. She enjoys both of these roles and the opportunity to help students navigate the challenges of medical school.
She attended Dartmouth College as an undergraduate, where she enjoyed hiking the upper part of the Appalachian Trail and playing sports. She received her medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University and attended many Baltimore Orioles games as well as camping trips to the coast. After medical school, she headed to the West Coast and completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of California School of Medicine. She spent her time off hiking in Yosemite and Sequoia Kings Canyon as well as exploring the West Coast with her fellow resident/husband.
She has two kids, one who is in college in Minnesota, which is her home state. The other is in high school, but approaching college quickly. She loves spending time with her family and doing all sorts of outdoor activities.
Krystin Thomas, MD, is a practicing emergency medicine physician at multiple hospitals in the Asheville, NC, area. She joined the UNC SOM Asheville Campus in 2024 as an academic advisor. Prior to this role, she was involved in teaching medical students through simulation education, didactics, and clinically in the emergency department.
She attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo for her undergraduate education before moving to attend Indiana University School of Medicine for her medical degree. After medical school, she completed residency in emergency medicine at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. She served as chief resident in her final year of residency before moving to Asheville to practice as an attending physician.
Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and doing all sorts of DIY projects.
Jessica Poston holds a BS in Public Health from UNC Greensboro, and has been with MAHEC since 2006. She began her career here with the Division of Family Medicine, working primarily with the Family Medicine Residency Program. In 2013 she joined UNC School of Medicine Asheville Campus, where she now serves as Administrative Director.
Jessica is grateful that her roles with MAHEC and UNC SOM have offered her the opportunity to work with and come to know learners across a full spectrum, from prospective medical students, through residency, and to practicing physicians. Match Day still brings a special thrill every year.
A native of western North Carolina, Jessica enjoys reading, cooking, and traveling – especially if there’s a beach and a beautiful sunrise nearby.
Lisa Keiber has been with MAHEC for over 29 years. She has been given the opportunity to work in various positions throughout the organization, but has found her home with the UNC SOM Asheville Campus. She received her Bachelor’s degree from UNC Asheville.
Lisa currently serves as Program Administrator for the Asheville Campus, managing responsibilities for both Application and Individualization Phase students. She enjoys establishing connections and relationships with the students and watching them succeed in reaching their goals to become physicians.
Lisa grew up in Black Mountain and currently lives in Hendersonville with her husband. She loves spending time with her niece Scarlett, girl time with her sisters, and getting outdoors to run/walk in a few races.
Karen Vernon has spent the past three decades as part of the Asheville healthcare community, including CarePartners Health Services and Mission Health, before coming to the UNC School of Medicine Asheville Campus in July 2020. Her career has focused on the intersection of internal communications, human resources and leadership, and she continues to write and consult professionally in these areas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Emory & Henry College in her native Virginia.
In her current role as Curriculum Specialist, Karen manages the schedules of Application Phase (third year) students – everything from clinical rotations, to exams, to weekly didactics – and delights in spending her days surrounded by these bright young people. Away from work she loves creative writing, reading, gardening (badly), and sailing with her husband. She is mom to three young adult children and two unruly rescue dogs.
Christian Thompson has been involved with Administrative and Human Resources work over the last three years. He has his Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following graduation, Christian came back to Western North Carolina to help serve his community through his work.
He currently works as the Operations Coordinator for the UNC School of Medicine Asheville Campus. He remains interested in giving back to his community and finds his position at MAHEC gives him the ability to do so.
Christian lives in Marion, North Carolina, but loves to visit Asheville on the weekends. He enjoys exploring the different restaurants in the area, hiking the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, and spending time with his family and friends.
