We’re preparing tomorrow's health care leaders through proven programs and sweeping new initiatives.

The UK Markey Cancer Center is expanding horizons through a variety of pipeline programs:

• Markey’s Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) Program offers Appalachian Kentucky high school and undergraduate students enrolled at UK a chance to gain experiences to enrich their interest in pursuing a cancer-focused career. 
• The Summer Healthcare Experience (SHE) in Oncology Program aims to empower female high school student leaders in Kentucky with exposure to opportunities in the field of oncology. 
• The Markey Science Training in Research, Oncology, Networking and professional Growth (STRONG) Scholars Program is a 10-week program that aims to provide career and professional development for college sophomores, juniors and seniors interested in cancer research who come from historically underserved or underrepresented ethnic and racial backgrounds.

The new Center for Interprofessional and Community Health Education (CICHE) strengthens development and distribution of an effective, diverse and collaborative health workforce for Kentucky and beyond. CICHE was formed by merging two existing resources, the Center for Interprofessional Health Education (CIHE) and the Area Health Education Center (AHEC).  

Through UK AHEC, CICHE works to support, train, recruit and retain the best health care professionals in our region. The AHEC is a collaboration between UK, the University of Louisville Health Science Center and eight regional centers to positively affect the distribution of health professionals throughout the state. Through AHEC, pathway programs for Kentucky students from kindergarten through high school provide exposure to health careers.

We're helping our employees reach their full potential. Through our Nurse Tuition Reimbursement Program, we’re creating pathways for UK HealthCare team members to grow and advance in their careers. The program provides tuition payment for nursing employees at UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital, Kentucky Children’s Hospital and UK HealthCare Good Samaritan Hospital who are pursuing a degree in nursing at a fully accredited nursing program. The program is expanding to cover job titles in lab, radiology, perioperative services and therapeutics to create even more opportunities.  

We also offer scholarship programs for nurses and nursing care technicians. We know our investments today will pay off in the care we provide tomorrow.

We are providing young people in our community an inside view into the world of health care through partnerships with numerous community organizations, including YMCA of Central Kentucky Black Achievers, Junior Achievement, Leadership Lexington and the Bryan Station Diversity Health Program. We look forward to these opportunities to inspire and inform as we help students explore future career paths. 

For college students, we offer clinical site placements and learning affiliations to provide up-close exposure to our work at UK HealthCare. In addition to placements with LPNs and medical assistants, we place students in such areas as pediatric sonography, radiology, lab services and respiratory therapy.

A key barrier to improved health and wellness for Kentucky is the shortage of doctors working in communities across the state. To meet the need, the UK College of Medicine has expanded training opportunities and jointly operates four-year medical school campuses in Bowling Green and Northern Kentucky, as well as the Rural Physician Leadership Program, a program in which students complete their third and fourth years of medical school in Morehead. These programs are made possible by our strong working relationships with our hospital and state university partners serving these regions.

The Kentucky Medical Opportunities Website (KMOW) connects providers with opportunities in solo, partnership and employed medical practices and gives health care organizations across the Commonwealth an affordable means to promote their health professions opportunities.