Today, Dr. Ashley Woods is a Board-Certified Pediatrician at Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center with 7 years of experience caring for children and families in the same community that raised her. But at one time, she walked through the halls of Matthew Walker as a high school student shadowing physicians.
Her return to Matthew Walker was more than a coincidence—it’s a testament to programs like HOSA-Future Health Professionals and the Tennessee Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Scholars Program that help instill a passion for community health in students and young adults.
Dr. Woods’ story is one that presents the question: What if workforce retention didn’t start with recruitment, but years earlier?
Why Early Exposure Matters
Dr. Woods grew up in Nashville, TN and attended Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School, which happens to be right down the road from Matthew Walker. During her senior year, she did a work experience class and had the opportunity to shadow providers at the health center.
“That was the first time I had a chance to learn about the mission and value of a health center,” Dr. Woods reminisces. “By doing that, prior to me even going to college, I always had in mind—that’s a place I could see myself going back to.”
Through that experience, Dr. Woods was able to see herself in the work and the community. And just a handful of years later, when she had the opportunity to return, she didn’t hesitate.
The AHEC Scholar Experience
During her medical training at Meharry Medical College, Dr. Woods joined the TN AHEC Scholars Program. This program aims to provide education and training for graduate students, specifically in rural and medically underserved areas. With support from the AHEC Program, students are able to get hands-on experience at Federally Qualified Health Centers such as Matthew Walker.
“It was kind of like a coming home situation,” Dr. Woods jokes. “They couldn’t get rid of me.”
Dr. Woods tells me that the program allowed her to get real-world exposure to things like referrals and care coordination, navigating insurance and documentation, understanding chronic conditions, and learning the “language of medicine”. These experiences, as well as the mentorship of providers at Matthew Walker, helped her build confidence before becoming a decision-maker.
The Culture that Keeps Providers
“Matthew Walker is a well-oiled learning machine,” Dr. Woods tells me. “We have high school students coming in and shadowing, we have a partnership with Nashville State Community College, we have nurse practitioner students in residency, we have physician assistants—people at every level.”
A big part of what fosters such a collaborative environment, Dr. Woods shares, is that people aren’t afraid to ask questions. Matthew Walker prides themselves on having a culture of curiosity, mentorship, and non-judgement.
“If you have something to show, you grab the student next door so they can see it, too,” she explains. “I think providers stay here because even as you grow, you still feel comfortable asking your colleagues for advice.”
The takeaway: Retention thrives where learning never stops.
How AHEC Shaped Her Patient Care Philosophy
Dr. Woods’ experience of beginning her provider journey at an FQHC through AHEC has had a tremendous impact on her perspective on primary care.
“FQHCs are an integral part of the community,” she says. “I think having a relationship with your patients where you’re building trust is really important.”
She emphasizes to me how Matthew Walker tries to be truly comprehensive, including behavioral, dental, and pharmaceutical under the same roof as primary care. As a result, her approach to patient care is focused on making patients feel heard and prioritizing understanding over speed. Dr. Woods happily goes above and beyond for her patients, whether it’s calling the pharmacy on their behalf or helping them understand their insurance.
“Making people feel comfortable helps them enter the healthcare system and feel that they can take ownership of their own health and have better outcomes,” she says. “Here at Matthew Walker, they’re not just a number. They’re not just a condition.”
Why Programs Like AHEC Matter—Now More Than Ever
Right now, FQHCs are facing challenges like provider burnout, primary care shortages, and student loan pressure, making it more difficult than ever to hire and retain providers. But for many providers, AHEC is a reminder of why they entered medicine.
“It’s important to give back,” Dr. Woods shares. “I think a lot of medical students enter specialties that are more lucrative. But the heart of primary care is in FQHCs and doing programs like AHEC.”
Workforce challenges won’t be solved by recruitment alone—they require investment in people and place. That’s why early, sustained exposure is an important retention strategy.
Programs like AHEC don’t just fill positions, they build trust, improve outcomes, and support students passionate about serving their communities.
Resources for Health Centers
- Want to learn more about the Tennessee AHEC Scholars Program? Contact Natasha Yokley, Program Director, at nyokley@mmc.edu.
- Want to learn more about MWCHC’s workforce programs? Contact Robin Dean, Director of Human Resources, at rdean@mwchc.com.
- Interested in exploring HR-related topics, exchanging ideas and strategies, and sharing practical solutions to common issues? Reach out to sade.sleet@tnpca.org for information on TPCA’s HR/Workforce Networking Group.
This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
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