The Duke/Southern Regional AHEC program is an unopposed community-based family medicine residency, affiliated with Duke University Medical Center.

The family medicine residency is based at the SR-AHEC Family Medicine Center, located across the street from Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

SR-AHEC is associated with Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, a 776-bed hospital that hosts most inpatient care and specialty rotations.


The Family Medicine Center at Southern Regional AHEC has been identified by the The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) as a “better performer” because of superior operational performance compared with similar medical group practices nationwide. The Family Medicine Center was recognized in the MGMA’s Performance and Practices of Successful Medical Groups: 2011 Report Based on 2010 Data.

The Family Medicine Center at Southern Regional AHEC (Area Health Education Center), located at 1601 Owen Drive, has achieved recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a Patient Centered Medical Home. This national recognition is reserved for physician practices that function as a medical home by using team-based systematic, patient-centered and coordinated care management processes. Currently, this recognition has been achieved by less than five percent of all practices in the country.

Program Features

  • Faculty with appointments at Duke University, University of North Carolina (UNC), and Campbell University
  • Rural rotations throughout the nine-county region
  • First residency program in North Carolina with an AOA-approved residency program in association with Virginia College of Medicine (VCOM)
  • Full RRC Accreditation
  • Diverse resident, faculty, and patient populations