Hugh Chatham Health is teaming up with Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine for the Rural Track residency program.

Patrick Stevens, DO, is fulfilling his lifelong dream as a family medicine physician for Hugh Chatham Health in Elkin, NC. His journey to medicine, though, began on an unusual path.

After studying business administration in college, enlisting in the Navy, and a few years in the corporate world, Stevens and his wife, Aubrey, had a candid conversation about the couple’s life goals. It led to a stark pivot: pursuing medicine.

“This is something I’ve always wanted to do; this is always something I’ve been interested in. I never really thought that this would be attainable for me to do it,” Stevens recalls.

Stevens graduated from the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine at Campbell University in 2017 as part of its inaugural class. Aubrey followed suit, entering her third year of medical school at Campbell University this summer.

“It was always the continuity of patient care that got to me, the social aspects of medicine and that’s where I feel like we really fit,” Patrick says.

Patrick and Aubrey left Indiana to interview at hospitals and health systems across North Carolina. The last stop of their tour was Hugh Chatham Health, a place Stevens says immediately felt like home.

Hospitals and health systems in rural areas are vital to their communities, often the only places community members have access to care close to home. Their need for medical providers is especially prevalent. Urban settings hold 80% of current North Carolina family medicine positions, according to Hugh Chatham Health’s chief executive officer, Paul Hammes.

In coordination with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Hugh Chatham Health and Campbell University have teamed up to bring more family medicine providers to rural communities. In July 2025, the health system will welcome the first class of the Rural Track residency program. Medical students who graduate from Campbell’s School of Osteopathic Medicine or any other accredited medical school will be eligible to gain three years of hands-on experience as a Family Medicine Resident in Elkin, with Stevens serving as associate program director.

“It’s going to be a great experience just in general to have our residents train in our area, understand the community, understand the challenges it faces and stick in with us long-term,” he says.

New physicians will complete rotations in pediatrics, obstetrics, inpatient, and outpatient family medicine, as well as select specialty opportunities. By 2027, up to 12 family medicine residents will be enrolled in the program, helping to resolve the imbalance of medical providers in rural areas.

Interviews for admission to the Rural Track will take place in the fall of 2024. To learn more about the Rural Track residency program, click here.