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The Palau Area Helath Education Center (AHEC) is a joint program between Palau Community College (PCC), the Palau Ministry of Health, the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) of the University of Hawaii, and the University of Auckland Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS). The primary mission of this US federally funded program is to improve regional health care through formal postgraduate medical training of Micronesian physicians. Its mission is to train Family Practitioners and provide a Diploma in Medical Sciences (General Practice). PCC is under contract to the University of Hawaii JABSOM to provide the academic venue for the training and administrative support; the University of Auckland FMHS provides the curriculum and credentialing, the University of Hawaii JSBSOM provides administrative support and clinical training; and the Ministry of Health contributes by providing the venue for clinical training and training support. Currently, there are 13 physicians matriculating in the Palau AHEC program (Palau 8, Yap 4, Marshall Island 1). A virtual campus has also been established in Yap State to support the 4 physicians from Yap.

The Palau AHEC is a one-year program leading to a diploma in Medical Sciences (General Practice), which qualifies recipient physicians to matriculate in the Masters Degree program in Medical Sciences at the University of Auckland. Two to three class intakes of regional physicians are scheduled over the three year period of the grant, which was secured through a competitive grant application process from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the US Department of Health and Human Services by JABSOM. The Palau AHEC is part of the Hawaii AHEC system and is the first ever AHEC program to be conducted outside the United States. The grant specifically follows up recommendations by the prestigious US Institute of Medicine in its 1998 report “Pacific Partnerships for Health- Charting a New Course” which endorsed formal postgraduate training for physicians from the US-Associated Pacific Islands. (J.C. Feasley, and R.S. Lawrence, eds. Washington, D.C., National Academy Press, 1998)

The Palau AHEC learning process is carried out through a combination of face-to-face academic and clinical teaching and a variety of distance learning techniques including utilization of the University of Hawaii Peacesat System for real time video teleconferencing (VTC).

The training process includes four learning streams: 1) the academic University of Auckland Postgraduate Diploma program, 2) clinical training, 3) community health training, and 4) special topics. The Palau AHEC is supported by the Pacific Basin Medical Association and the Pacific Health Officers Association.

Palau AHEC staff include:

Dr. Gregory Dever
Director, Palau AHEC
Director, Bureau of Hospital and Clinical Services, Palau Ministry of Health
Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, JABSOM

Dr. Stevenson Kuartei
Associate Director, Palau AHEC
Chief, Primary and Preventive Care, Palau Ministry of Health

Dr. Victor Yano
Community Clinical Tutor, Palau AHEC
President, Pacific Basin Medical Association
Director and Founder, Belau Medical Clinic

Dr. Sitaleki Finau
Community Health Advisor, Palau AHEC
Professor and Head of School of Public Health
Fiji School of Medicine

David Rykken, MPH
Academic Coordinator, Palau AHEC
Peace Corps Volunteer, Palau

Dr. Mark Durand
Clinical Coordinator, Palau AHEC

Patricia Maech
Administrative Officer, Palau AHEC

For further information, please contact the Palau AHEC Office at PCC: Phone/Fax: 680-488-2002;
Email: ahec@palaunet.com; Address: P.O. Box 8007, Koror, Republic of Palau 96940