Meet the AHEC Program Office Staff

The Northeast Ohio Area Health Education Center Program Office is responsible for administrative operations of the region and is located within the Department of Family and Community Medicine at NEOMED.

The program office links four community based centers: the Akron-Region Interprofessional, the Canton Regional, Cleveland-Region Interprofessional, and the Eastern Ohio.

Regional Program Director

Patricia Thornborough, M.S. Ed.

Phone: 330.325.6585
Email: pthornborough@neomed.edu

Patti first joined the AHEC team in 2008 as program coordinator and in 2009, Northeast Ohio Region III Program Director. Patti supports the Akron-Region Interprofessional, Cleveland Region, Canton Regional, and Eastern Ohio AHEC centers in providing quality programming in the recruitment, training, and retention of health care students and professionals in medically underserved areas within 19 counties in northeast Ohio.

In addition, Patti facilitates a group of medical students in Foundations of Clinical Medicine as well as serves as an ambassador for the National Health Service Corps. Prior to joining AHEC, she worked throughout Ohio as a trainer in providing teachers a way to integrate technology into their classrooms.

Originally, Patti started her education in the far north suburbs of Chicago, Illinois as an educator for middle school students. Patti received her B.S. degree from Western Illinois University and her M.S. degree from Northern Illinois University.

Program Coordinator

Rebecca Brabander, M.S., M. Ed.

Phone: 330.325.6584
Email: rjohnson4@neomed.edu

Rebecca first joined the AHEC team as program coordinator in July 2020. She will be coordinating, planning, and organing activities for AHEC, including MEDCAMP, and will provide assessment of existing programs, program logistics, and evaluation of program outcomes.

Rebecca has a M.S. for Biotechnology and Chemical Sciences from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois, and M. Ed. for Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs from Kent State University.