East Carolina University celebrated a major milestone in the construction of the new Brody Center for Medical Education. ECU held a topping-out ceremony marking the placement of the final steel beam on the seven-story, 195,000-square-foot building.
The event was a visible turning point for the $265 million state-funded project — the largest capital construction effort at ECU in more than a decade. Soon begins the equally labor-intensive period of wiring, plumbing, sheeting and other trades work that transforms this structural space into an operational one. The building is scheduled to open ahead of the 2027–28 academic year.
While the N.C. General Assembly has generously funded the facility itself, donor support remains essential. From scholarships that help reduce student debt, to funding for groundbreaking research, innovative programming and hands-on learning opportunities, donor contributions bridge the critical gap between state funding and the full cost of delivering a world-class medical education at Brody.
Earlier this year, the effort got a boost when cousins David and Laura Brody, and Hyman and Stacy Brody of the Brody family, long one of ECU’s biggest and closest backers, gifted $10 million to the Brody Scholars program. The reinvestment will expand its impact and shape the next generation of service-minded physicians. In recognition of that commitment, the building was officially named the Brody Center for Medical Education by the university’s board of trustees, a decision meant both to honor decades of one family’s philanthropy and reinforce its particular purpose — to recruit and train physicians who will remain in North Carolina and serve its people, especially in underserved communities.
The facility has made students central to its purpose and design. It will feature modern simulation environments, anatomy labs and classroom technology as well as collaborative spaces aimed at preparing students for clinical practice in a profession increasingly built on teams and instant communication.
To learn more about how you can support the Brody Center for Medical Education, click here.
A transformational $10 million gift from the Brody family will expand the Brody Scholars Program, North Carolina’s premier medical school scholarship, creating new opportunities for future physicians committed to serving communities across the state. This investment strengthens the Brody School of Medicine’s mission to increase the supply of primary care physicians, particularly in rural and underserved areas, while advancing a proven pathway for training community-focused, service-driven clinicians.
The impact is far-reaching, reducing financial barriers for students, strengthening the pipeline of highly trained physicians and supporting long-term improvements in health outcomes across North Carolina. Current Brody Scholars point to expanded opportunities, experiences and access made possible through this generosity.
The Brody Scholars Program completely covers academic costs for medical students, who are selected through an objective process coordinated by the Brody Scholars Steering Committee, who seek to award the scholarship to the ‘best of the best’ of the incoming class. The school’s commitment to the scholars totals approximately $133,000 annually, or nearly $500,000 a year per class to cover the financial cost of attendance.
As Brody Scholar Christian Smallwood, ’27 shared, “The Brody Scholars Program impacts a lot more than the students. The program impacts the community and all of eastern North Carolina, and I am so thankful for their gift, which allows me and my classmates to make a difference in this community. It’s pretty special, and I take pride in being a part of this program.”
In recognition of this extraordinary generosity, the new Center for Medical Education, opening in fall 2027, will be named the Brody Center for Medical Education, honoring a legacy of philanthropy that will benefit patients and communities for generations.
Click here to watch a special video from current Brody Scholars.
The newly dedicated room in memory of Ann Parsons inside ECU Health’s Tender Evaluation, Diagnosis and Intervention for a Better Abuse Response (TEDI BEAR) Children’s Advocacy Center is filled with toys, games, puzzles, books and, of course, teddy bears, all designed to create a safe environment for children in crisis. For those at the clinic, dedicating the room to Parsons’ memory symbolizes her legacy as a nurse practitioner who committed decades of her life to supporting thousands of pediatric patients.
TEDI BEAR is a partnership between the Department of Pediatrics at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center that serves children from birth through 18 who may be victims of abuse. TEDI BEAR and the Mt. Olive Children’s Advocacy Center in Duplin County are valuable resources for families in eastern North Carolina, an underserved region with few behavioral health options for children and adolescents. TEDI BEAR provides forensic interviews, medical evaluations, child advocacy and specialized therapy designed to help children heal from trauma.
Civic groups, individual benefactors and partners like the ECU Health Foundation play a critical role funding the TEDI BEAR Children’s Advocacy Center to give kids in crisis a space to be kids. Recently, TEDI BEAR and the Center for Child and Family Wellness (CCFW) came together under one roof, creating a more connected, compassionate space for healing, prevention and hope. Donor support provides funding for these critical children’s programs.
For more information about how you can support TEDI BEAR, please contact the ECU Health Foundation at 252-847-5626 or click here and complete the form.
In April 2026, during Child Abuse Prevention Month, we celebrated an important new chapter for children and families across eastern North Carolina. ECU Health’s TEDI BEAR Children’s Advocacy Center and the Center for Child and Family Wellness (CCFW) officially came together under one roof, creating a more connected, compassionate space for healing, prevention and hope.
TEDI BEAR Children’s Advocacy is the largest advocacy center in North Carolina, caring for more than 900 children from 31 counties in eastern North Carolina annually. Providing a full spectrum of assessment, treatment, education and prevention for children who may have been victims of child abuse or neglect, TEDI BEAR provides specialized, trauma-informed care that helps reduce fear and uncertainty during an incredibly vulnerable time. Standing for Tender Evaluation, Diagnostic and Intervention for a Better Abuse Response, the center is a partnership between the Department of Pediatrics at the Brody School of Medicine and Maynard Children’s Hospital.
At the same time, the CCFW continues its important work focused on prevention, helping children stay healthy, safe and out of the hospital through programs centered on injury prevention, safe sleep, suicide prevention, asthma education and school health initiatives.
Together, these teams are creating a coordinated network of care that supports not only individual children, but entire families and communities throughout our region. Because of generous donors and community partners, children who walk through these doors are met not only with expert care, but with comfort, dignity and hope for the future.
For more information about how you can support TEDI BEAR, please contact the ECU Health Foundation at 252-847-5626 or click here and complete the form.
A program at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University that prepares high achieving medical students to make a tangible impact on health care in eastern North Carolina and beyond will expand thanks to the generosity of the family that has championed medical education across the region for nearly 50 years.
David and Laura Brody of Raleigh, and Hyman and Stacy Brody of Greenville’s transformational $10 million gift will allow the Brody Scholars Program at the Brody School of Medicine at ECU to expand. It coincides with the looming completion of the newly named Brody Center for Medical Education, which is expected to open in the 2027-28 academic year.
The family’s gift was announced in March by East Carolina University and ECU Health Foundation. The family’s name will now grace the upcoming Brody Center for Medical Education in honor of their generosity.
Pirates vs. Cancer, a student‑driven initiative dedicated to supporting children and families facing cancer, is set to host its annual spring fundraising event on April 10 at the ECU Health Sciences Campus. Led by medical, dental and allied health students, Pirates vs. Cancer brings together the entire health sciences community for a day of giving, celebration and solidarity with pediatric patients.
One hundred percent of the funds raised by Pirates vs. Cancer is donated to ECU Health Foundation to benefit programs at the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center. Some of those programs have included camps and other programs specifically designed to provide pediatric patients with childhood experiences.
Among the most tangible examples of the group’s efforts is on the Maynard Children’s Hospital’s second floor. In 2024, Pirates vs. Cancer funds were designated to renovate a playroom and fill it with toys, games, crafts and technology that help patients take their mind off procedures and just be kids.
“We were able to almost double the size of this playroom for these kids and add so many more interactive features,” said Elise Ironmonger, director of programs at the ECU Health Foundation. “It’s really a place of respite for them when they are facing treatment for months, weeks at a time.”
Pirates Vs. Cancer was founded by Brody School of Medicine students in 2017 and has raised over $176,000 in the past 10 years. Leadership and participants are composed of students, faculty and staff from the School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Allied Health Sciences and the Undergraduate campus. Together, they raise funds that directly impact their community.
To support Pirates Vs. Cancer, please click here.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (March 10, 2026) — A transformational $10 million gift from David and Laura Brody of Raleigh, and Hyman and Stacy Brody of Greenville, will support and expand the Brody Scholars Program, East Carolina University and ECU Health Foundation announced today.
The university will honor the family and their steadfast ties to the institution and region with the naming of the new 195,000-square-foot Brody Center for Medical Education when it opens for the 2027-28 academic year. Approved by the ECU Board of Trustees on Feb. 13, the naming recognizes a decades-long philanthropic relationship between the family and the university to strengthen ECU’s mission.
The gift directly strengthens the Brody Scholars Program and the Brody School of Medicine’s mission to train physicians to serve North Carolina, especially in rural and underserved communities.
“The Brody family has once again demonstrated its extraordinary commitment to the mission and success of East Carolina University,” Chancellor Philip Rogers said. “For nearly 50 years, our university has answered the call to train high quality physicians who will meet the health care needs of our rural communities. The state of North Carolina has put its trust in us to continue that success. I am profoundly appreciative of the Brody family’s unwavering generosity and steadfast commitment to enhancing the health and well-being of our region.”
“This gift builds upon the significant funding put forward by the North Carolina General Assembly and the UNC System Board of Governors to advance the future of health care in our state,” cousins Hyman Brody and David Brody said, before thanking those elected and appointed leaders as well as Rogers, deans of the school Drs. Michael Waldrum and Jason Higginson, and others whose work has made the new building a reality.
Next year, the medical school marks 50 years since the first four-year medical school class arrived on campus. In 1999, the ECU Board of Trustees named the school the Brody School of Medicine, the first time at the university a school had been named for a donor, in recognition of the family’s decades of significant contribution.
“Our family’s connection to East Carolina University dates to 1947 when (former Chancellor) Dr. Leo Jenkins’ friendship with my father, Morris, and my uncles, Sammy and Leo, planted seeds that grew into a shared belief in this university’s mission,” Hyman Brody said. “That relationship led to our family’s initial support of the School of Medicine — a commitment rooted not only in philanthropy but stewardship and partnership.”
Along with improving health outcomes in the region, the Brody family has funded arguably the premier medical school scholarship in North Carolina — the Brody Scholars program. It provides full tuition, fees and enrichment opportunities for four years of medical education. The Brody family’s latest contribution will expand the Brody Scholars Program. Today, there are 12 Brody Scholars at the Brody School of Medicine and 147 alumni of the Brody Scholars Program.
“This contribution to the Center for Medical Education is especially meaningful to Laura and me because it expands the Brody Scholars Program so more students can graduate medical school with little or no debt and focus on what matters most: caring for patients,” said David Brody. “Investing in those students is, to us, exactly what doing good looks like.”
The family’s gift will be added to an existing endowment dedicated solely to supporting the Brody Scholars Program, according to Dr. Scott Senatore, chief philanthropy officer with the ECU Health Foundation. The investment ensures long-term sustainability for the scholarship and signals the importance of philanthropy in advancing medical education, supporting community health and inspiring future generosity. The Brody family’s cumulative giving to ECU now totals more than $35 million. The new Brody Center for Medical Education will serve as one of ECU’s most advanced instructional facilities, enabling the medical school to expand its class size to 120 students while offering state-of-the-art simulation spaces, learning studios, a new anatomy lab, student collaboration spaces and outdoor gathering areas. Construction of the new $265 million facility is funded by the state of North Carolina.
“The Brody School of Medicine was founded to meet the health care needs of our state, and this gift advances that mission in profound ways,” said Waldrum, who along with his academic role, is also CEO of ECU Health. “Brody Scholars become the kind of physicians every community needs — compassionate, skilled and committed to service. This investment ensures that more of those physicians will stay in North Carolina, where their impact is immeasurable. It is deeply gratifying to know that the Brody name will accompany this new state-of-the-art facility.”
The Brody School of Medicine is nationally recognized for graduating physicians who choose primary care specialties and practice in rural communities historically underserved by medicine. The new naming gift reinforces ECU as a leader in this mission and encourages additional philanthropic investment in the university’s medical education and health sciences enterprise.
Click here to learn more about the Brody Center for Medical Education.
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The vision for the state-of-the-art technology in the Center for Medical Education (CME) at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine came into better focus this month thanks to a $1 million award from the Golden LEAF Foundation.
The award is the first million-dollar philanthropic investment — in partnership with the ECU Health Foundation — for the medical school expansion. The funding will outfit the CME’s learning studio with 360-degree screens and the software to run the whitebox simulation room.
“We are thrilled to celebrate this transformative grant from Golden LEAF in support of the Center for Medical Education, as it will allow us to further the mission-driven alignment between the health system and the university,” said Dr. Scott Senatore, Chief Philanthropy Officer of the ECU Health Foundation. “Golden LEAF is an outstanding community partner and is an integral part of elevating student success and training future physicians to meet crucial health care needs in North Carolina. Their award will provide a lasting impact for years to come, and for that, we are truly grateful.”
In addition to the CME support, Golden LEAF provides an undergraduate scholarship program, which currently supports 70 ECU students. The organization has provided funding for the world-renowned ECU Diabetes and Obesity Institute, the ECU Family Medicine Center, which trains future physicians, and the Eastern Region Pharma Center in ECU’s Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building, which connects industry and business to academics and research. In 2018, Golden LEAF also provided a $10 million grant for cancer care equipment for the Vidant Health Cancer Center (now ECU Health Medical Center).
Click here to learn more about the impact the Golden LEAF award will have on the CME building.
Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University held orientation week for new residents, officially welcoming the Class of 2029. The week included a lecture and luncheon was funded by the Albernaz family endowment. The entire week was laced with food, treats and programming made possible by gifts from alumni and donors to the Brody Loyalty Fund, maintained by the ECU Health Foundation.
The Brody Scholars program, created in 1983 with gifts from the Brody family and the Brody Foundation, is a merit award that pays for tuition over four years, most living expenses and $5,000 for travel. Only three incoming students get it.
Blue and silver Pinwheels for Prevention adorned yards, clinics, daycares and other businesses in Greenville, eastern North Carolina and across the country throughout National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April. The pinwheels, meant to represent childlike whimsy and lightheartedness, are a signature display during the month-long campaign to raise awareness around a difficult and important topic.
For team members and supporters at ECU Health and the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University’s Tender Evaluation, Diagnosis and Intervention for a Better Abuse Response (TEDI BEAR) and Mt. Olive Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs), the tireless effort to prevent child abuse in eastern North Carolina is a year-round endeavor.
