Mid Rio Grande Border AHEC connects South Texas students to mentors, training and healthcare career paths while supporting providers.
Courtesy/AHEC
The path to becoming a healthcare professional doesn’t always begin in a science lab or college lecture hall. Sometimes it starts with a summer academy, a mentor or a hands-on activity that sparks a lifelong passion for helping others.
For thousands of students across South Texas, those first experiences have come through the Mid Rio Grande Border Area Health Education Center, better known as AHEC. For more than 30 years, the organization has been helping students turn that spark into a career while strengthening the healthcare workforce that communities across the region depend on.
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Founded in 1993 through a partnership between community leaders and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the Mid Rio Grande Border AHEC was established to address the growing need for healthcare professionals and educational resources throughout South Texas. Today, the nonprofit serves Webb, Zapata, Jim Hogg, La Salle, Duval and Dimmit counties, connecting students, healthcare providers and community members with educational opportunities designed to improve both individual lives and the region’s overall health.
“Our mission is to develop and sustain a skilled, diverse and community-focused healthcare workforce,” Executive Director Dr. Julie Bazan said. “When students can see themselves in these careers and have access to the right opportunities, they begin to realize there are no limits to what they can accomplish.”
That mission is rooted in a simple belief that has guided Bazan throughout her career.
“I realized early that while talent is universal, access to opportunity is not,” she said. “Our responsibility is to create programs that open doors, expand possibilities and help students envision themselves achieving meaningful careers in healthcare.”
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Rather than waiting until students reach college, AHEC begins introducing healthcare careers at an early age. Through programs such as the AHEC Mini Academy, Junior Academy, College Academy, Summer Biomedical Enrichment Program, Student Leadership Club and Health Careers Opportunity Program, students from elementary school through college gain exposure to the many professions that make up the healthcare workforce.
Those opportunities extend well beyond physicians and nurses. Students learn about careers in pharmacy, behavioral health, public health, rehabilitation sciences, healthcare administration, medical technology and numerous other fields that play essential roles in patient care.
AHEC’s educational philosophy emphasizes experience as much as instruction. Students participate in hands-on activities, interact with healthcare professionals, explore college campuses and receive mentorship from individuals already working in the field.
“Mentorship and hands-on learning help students develop confidence, professional identity and a commitment to serving their communities,” Bazan said. “Those qualities are essential if we’re going to build a resilient healthcare workforce that understands the people it serves.”
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The organization’s long-term impact is reflected in the stories of its alumni. According to AHEC, more than 90 percent of participants who continued into higher education credit the organization with contributing to their educational success.
One former student attended an AHEC Junior Academy simply because her parents wanted a safe place for her during the summer. While there, laboratory activities — including frog and pig brain dissections — sparked an unexpected fascination with medicine. That experience ultimately inspired her educational journey, and today she serves her community as a licensed pharmacist.
Stories like hers reinforce AHEC’s belief that early exposure can change lives while addressing one of South Texas’ greatest challenges: developing more homegrown healthcare professionals.
The organization also supports those already working in healthcare. Since its founding, AHEC has provided more than 101,000 continuing education hours to over 5,000 healthcare providers and professionals across multiple disciplines, helping ensure they remain current with evolving medical practices and community health needs.
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Beyond workforce development, AHEC promotes healthier communities through health literacy initiatives focused on disease prevention, mental health awareness, cancer prevention, opioid education, suicide prevention and other public health priorities. The organization expanded many of these efforts through virtual programming following the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing it to reach more families throughout South Texas than ever before.
During the 2023-2024 fiscal year alone, AHEC served more than 85,000 individuals through its educational and community outreach programs, a reflection of both the growing demand for its services and the organization’s expanding role throughout the region.
Looking ahead, Bazan believes one of the greatest opportunities lies in preparing students to address the area’s shortage of mental health professionals while continuing to strengthen partnerships with schools, colleges, universities and healthcare organizations.
“What excites me most is watching our students realize that healthcare careers are within their reach,” she said. “We’re building a homegrown workforce that reflects our culture, language and community values. Our students are no longer asking if they belong in healthcare—they’re imagining how far they can go and how they can lead.”
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For Bazan, the message to students considering a future in healthcare is simple.
“Build your career on purpose, not under pressure,” she said. “Always keep in mind that you have the ability to achieve every goal you desire. Your potential is limitless.”
For additional information and to participate in AHEC program, call (956) 712-0037 or visit facebook.com/AreaHealthEducationCenter
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