Denver, CO: Sept 16, 2026— The National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement (NIMAA) is proud to celebrate its tenth year providing community-focused Medical Assistant training that helps address the MA workforce gap with high-quality, certified graduates and create pipelines for future health careers.
Founded in 2016 by Salud Family Health of Colorado and Community Health Center, Inc. of Connecticut, NIMAA was designed to make post-secondary education and health careers accessible to students from medically underserved communities. NIMAA graduates are prepared to succeed in high-performing, team-based practices through a combination of flexible online learning and an extensive hands-on externship experience throughout the program in NIMAA’s partner primary care clinics across the US.
During the past ten years, NIMAA has expanded from approved operations in 2 to 29 states and has provided training to more than 1000 graduates over 16 cohorts (Fall and Spring) with a total of 94 partner organizations. In 2021, NIMAA received accreditation from the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), allowing the ability to offer financial aid through the Federal Student Aid Program (FSA) beginning in 2022. NIMAA’s meaningful work has yielded receipt of over $2 million in federal and state grants since 2022, providing funding for tuition, safety-net programs, laptop and internet access, and other support for students and faculty.
“We are excited to enter our 17th cohort on NIMAA’s 10-year Anniversary,” says Dr. Mary Blankson, NIMAA’s Executive Director. “It is amazing to see this program develop from a need identified by CHC and Salud to a fully functioning, nationally recognized Medical Assistant training program. We look forward to continuing our mission of providing access to affordable and high- quality education to students in their own communities while simultaneously helping fill the widening workforce gap with first-rate employees for many years to come.”
Applications for NIMAA’s Spring 2027 cohort are now open. Apply today at nimaa.edu.
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About the National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement
NIMAA is an accredited educational institute focused on a new and innovative approach to medical assistant training created in partnership between Community Health Center, Inc., in Connecticut and Salud Family Health in Colorado. The NIMAA program uses the latest online teaching methodologies with extensive in-clinic experience to prepare medical assistants to be effective members of the primary care team in community health centers and other high-performing healthcare organizations. NIMAA is an affiliate of the Moses/Weitzman Health System. For more information, visit nimaa.edu and mwhs1.com.