The California AHEC Program, a thirty-six year old organization of partnerships, brings together community and academic interests to improve access to health care and decrease health disparities for all Californians. AHEC develops, with its partners, a population-based approach to health professions education with a special emphasis on community-based training. Supported by HRSA grant U77HP03015 and the state of California, the AHEC Program accomplishes its mission through a network of twelve AHEC centers, each located in an underserved area and affiliated with, but separate from a health professions school. All of the AHEC centers are independent community organizations; each governed by an advisory board and strategically located throughout the state. Because of the emphasis on community-based training, the California AHEC is closely affiliated with community health centers with eight of the twelve AHEC centers sponsored by community clinic consortia or large clinic systems.