AHEC Scholar Spotlight

AHEC Scholar Megan Keersmaekers worked as a registered nurse for 11 years before enrolling in Wayne State University Applebaum's Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies degree program last May.

Because Keersmaekers has been dedicated to community service since her undergraduate days, she says she was drawn to the way AHEC Scholars would broaden her perspective about the needs of Wayne County's citizens, as well as the resources available to help her better serve the community.

"I feel that helping people is everyone's purpose we just have to decide where our niche is," Keersmaekers said. "In health care, we're so busy that we can easily lose sight of what's important. Both at WSU and through AHEC Scholars, I've learned that the best way to make a difference in someone's life is to provide respect, empathy and meet them where they are."

She says the online didactic activities she has completed during her first year in AHEC Scholars focused on how to interact with patients from varied religious, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Her second year will offer hands-on practice-transformation opportunities, working in Detroit clinics alongside the other Wayne State students in the program as well as other AHEC Scholars throughout the state.

"AHEC has helped me better understand the challenges underserved community members face and how to improve their overall health care experience," Keersmaekers said, adding that the experience has meshed well with her physician assistant coursework. "Even though I started at Wayne State at the beginning of the pandemic, I don't feel like I've missed out on anything. I really have to commend my program for adapting to the current state of our new reality. I didn't anticipate going to school online but they've handled it really well, and I feel a strong sense of belonging."

by Rebecca Kavanagh, Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Science, Wayne State University