ABOUT US
Our History
Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED) is a national pre-professional pre-health honor society, with chapters at universities across the country. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is home to the NC Beta Chapter, founded in 1926. Our goal is to provide our members with valuable resources and experiences that help guide them on their way to professional careers in health care, while also forming valuable friendships within the organization.
AED has three pillars of membership, including Academics, Service, and Social. Each of these areas plays an important role in a member’s experience in our organization.
Our academic resources include regular lectures from health professionals, test prep courses, study groups, peer mentoring, and more. We have also been able to guarantee the opportunity to shadow a clinical health professional at least once during a member’s time in AED. Each Fall, our organization co-hosts a Medical School Deans Panel, made up of deans from major North Carolina Medical Schools (UNC, Duke, ECU, Wake Forest, etc.). These resources allow our members to network with professionals, explore different careers within health care, and to gain experience in fields in which they are most interested.
AED is also dedicated to service, and provides a large variety of opportunities for students to volunteer on campus and in the local community. We have partnered with a wide variety of organizations in Chapel Hill for small and large service projects, including UNC Health Care, Orange County Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, TABLE, MedWorld, Hope Gardens, and more. AED also hosts two on-campus philanthropy events each semester. In Fall 2017, our members put on “AED for the Kids,” a talent show for performance groups on campus to raise money for NC Children’s Hospital, and “Shaved by the Bell,” an event raising money for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to childhood cancer research. While giving back to our community, our members work together, get to know each other, and foster connections that strengthen our brotherhood.
AED hosts a number of social events throughout the semester for our members to spend time together outside the classroom, and to get to know each other better. Each year, members are invited to cocktails, mixers with other pre-professional organizations, a retreat, and a spring formal. Smaller events include dinners, YoPo nights, game nights, and more! Our Big/Little mentoring program also partners new members with older members, allowing for fast friendships and guidance through the challenges of being a college student.
AED has a lot to offer, and we invite you to explore our website and participate in Fall or Spring Recruitment if you are interested in becoming a member. Please feel free to contact the Executive Board with any questions about our organization - we look forward to hearing from you!