Northeast Indiana Area Health Education Center

The Indiana AHEC Network enhances access to quality health care, primary and preventive care, by improving the supply and distribution of health care professionals through community/academic educational partnerships. We have four core functions: health careers promotion/pipeline programming, community-based education and clinical training, AHEC Scholars Program, and continuing education for health professionals. The Indiana AHEC Network also works to educate students, healthcare professionals, and our communities about emerging health topics, such as the opioid crisis.

Indiana is served by nine regional Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) that work to improve health workforce development and access to care across the state. The Northeast Indiana Area Health Education Center (NEI-AHEC), hosted by Goshen College, was established in 2022. Since its inception, NEI-AHEC has developed strong strategic partnerships throughout the region, enhancing both its mission and the impact of its programs. NEI-AHEC serves eight counties in northeast Indiana: Allen, DeKalb, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, and Whitley.

 

AHEC works within these four main goals:

1. High School Career Exploration: To increase the overall diversity and representation of individuals from underrepresented minority, disadvantaged, and rural backgrounds who are willing and able to pursue a primary or public health profession career.
2. Clinical Training and Community-Based Experiences: To develop a health care workforce that will deliver and distribute high-quality patient-centered care in rural and medically underserved communities.
3. AHEC Scholars Program: To prepare a health care workforce that is prepared to deliver high-quality team-centered care in rural and medically underserved communities.
4. Continuing Education: To develop, maintain, and improve access to quality health care to rural and medically underserved communities.

Forms

Indiana AHEC Scholars

Indiana AHEC Scholars is a two-year program designed to enhance health professions students’ readiness to practice, particularly in rural and medically underserved communities across Indiana. The program is ideal for students interested in careers as physicians, physician assistants, nurses, public health practitioners, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, and other allied health professionals.
Participants engage in a combination of online coursework and community-based learning experiences in underserved areas, training alongside healthcare providers and community members. These hands-on experiences help students deepen their knowledge, build expertise, clarify values, and develop the skills needed to serve communities in need.
Each Scholar receives a stipend of $1,800, disbursed in installments throughout the program, to help cover travel and related expenses.

Eligibility:

• Must be in the final two years of a health professions program (two-year degree programs and certificate programs are eligible to apply)
• Must have transportation – this program includes multiple site visits across the selected AHEC region
• Must be available to participate for two years
• Must be available to participate in 40 hours of online didactic training and 40 hours of team-based community experiences per year
• Must be willing to respond to AHEC on an annual basis upon completion of the Scholars program for updates on practice and activities

Application deadline: September 21, 2026

NEI-AHEC Staff