From Classroom to Clinic
The registration period has ended.
From Classroom to Clinic: Illinois Area Health Education Centers’ Integrative Approach Through Programs, Resources, and Partnerships
Co-hosted by Rural Partners
Tuesday, March 5 at 12 PM CT
Presented by:
Mary Jane Clark, MS, RN, CHES, CHWC, Director, West Central Illinois Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), Memorial Hospital, Carthage, Illinois, ACLM-Certified Lifestyle Medicine Nurse
Rachel Benn, MPH, CHES, Director, Central IL AHEC, Illinois State University - Department of Health Sciences
This session will highlight programs, resources, and partnership opportunities with the
Illinois Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Network, which works to support and develop the rural and underserved healthcare workforce in Illinois. AHECs assist with building the infrastructure of the rural and underserved healthcare workforce through a collaborative approach with schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, health departments, and others to address gaps in education, workforce, and population health needs. Attendees will learn more about the IL AHEC Network's mission and goals, available programs and resources, and the benefits of collaboration.
Presenters:
Mary Jane Clark has been the Director of the West Central Illinois AHEC located at Memorial Hospital in Carthage, Illinois, since 2019. Before this position, she was the Grant and Wellness Coordinator for the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN). She has also served as the SOAR-RN (Supporting Onboarding and Retention of Rural Nurses) Coordinator for the ICAHN nurse residency program. Before her work at ICAHN, she worked at Western Illinois University as a Health Resource Specialist at the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA) and manager for the MAPPING the Future of Your Community’s Health program, a strategic visioning and planning process to improve community health in rural areas. Mary Jane has over 25 years of experience working and collaborating to improve rural communities.
Rachel Benn (she/her/hers) serves as the Central Illinois Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Director at Illinois State University, where she works to support and develop the health and healthcare workforce in Central Illinois. A graduate of ISU, Rachel has a bachelor's degree in community health education and a master's degree in public health from University of Illinois Chicago. Rachel previously worked for University of Illinois Extension on community nutrition and wellness programming related to chronic disease prevention and management, food safety, and staff wellness. Before her role with Extension, Rachel served two AmeriCorps terms, one at a non-profit in Laramie, Wyoming, and a second at a suburban Illinois health department.