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.
East Carolina University Health Sciences donors Ed Demaree and Sandy Brotherton celebrated their March wedding not with a gift registry, but with an invitation to give. In lieu of presents, they asked family and friends to donate to university scholarships, a fitting reflection of two people who have spent their lives in service to others. The centerpiece of their appeal is the Demaree-McGinnis Endowed Scholarship at East Carolina University’s College of Nursing, established in memory of Ed’s sister Pam.
A pioneering flight nurse with EastCare air ambulance, Pam was among the program’s founding members in 1986 and was widely remembered as someone who poured herself into mentoring others interested in emergency medicine. She died in the tragic 1987 EastCare crash during one of her missions, alongside chief flight nurse Mike McGinnis. Over the scholarship’s 39-year history, it has supported 19 ECU nursing students with more than $15,000 in aid.
Sandy brings her own philanthropic legacy to the marriage. After more than 30 years as a professor in the physical therapy program at the Medical University of South Carolina, she became acutely aware of the financial pressures facing healthcare students. She and four retiring colleagues established the Come Together Physical Therapy Endowed Scholarship, and donations in the couple’s honor can be directed there as well.
Their message to peers, particularly those entering second marriages or later-in-life celebrations, is straightforward: if you’re already established and don’t need another set of dishes, consider directing that generosity toward the next generation of healthcare professionals. As Sandy put it, it’s a meaningful way to honor loved ones and invest in fields that depend on talented, dedicated people willing to do demanding, often dangerous work.
To give to the Demaree-McGinnis Endowed Scholarship, click here.
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.
2026 marks a meaningful milestone for the ECU College of Nursing as the college honors the upcoming retirement of Dr. Rebecca Bagley, a beloved educator, mentor and national leader in midwifery education.
Dr. Bagley’s story is deeply rooted in ECU. She began her journey as a student at the College of Nursing, returned as faculty and spent decades shaping the nurse-midwifery program while continuing to practice clinically and serve in leadership roles across the country. Her impact can be seen not only in the program’s success, but in the countless nurses and midwives she has mentored along the way.
As she prepares for retirement, Dr. Bagley is creating a scholarship in her honor to support future nursing students, a fitting continuation of the legacy she has built over more than 35 years.
If you are interested in supporting the Rebecca Bagley Scholarship Endowment in Midwifery, please click here.
Donors like Atticus Fisher understand the life-changing impact of nurses because he saw it firsthand in his mother, Mary Lou Fisher, whose compassion and skill touched lives across the globe.
Mary Lou Schulz Fisher graduated with a Bachelor of Science in nursing from East Carolina University in 1985, and went on to live a full life as a successful travel nurse.
Mary Lou’s excellence caught the attention of President Jimmy Carter, who invited her to join a medical mission to Costa Rica. Inspired following the trip, she continued her education to earn a Master of Science in Nursing, which opened doors for her to serve internationally with Samaritan’s Purse. Through this work, she cared for people in need around the world.
Mary Lou passed away in 2016, but her legacy of compassion continues. To honor her lifelong commitment to caring for others, the Fisher family established the Mary Lou Schulz Fisher Scholarship at ECU, the place where her nursing journey began. To date, the scholarship has provided $1,000 awards to five students.
“As a senior pursuing a BSN degree, this scholarship will significantly help ease the financial burden of my education. The Fisher family’s support allows me to focus more on my academic and career goals without the much-added stress of finances,” said Haley Gipson, a recipient of the Mary Lou Schulz Fisher scholarship. “Not only that, but it encourages and motivates me to work hard and make the most of the opportunities that have been provided to me, just like Mary Lou Fisher did herself. I hope that one day I will be as inspirational as her.”
Sarah Swain, executive director of Health Sciences Philanthropy with the ECU Health Foundation, said creating a scholarship is a powerful way to honor a loved one’s legacy.
“We’re deeply grateful to families like the Fishers who understand the impact of an ECU education and are committed to transforming the lives of our students — both now and for generations to come,” Swain said.
To learn more about supporting College of Nursing students through an academic scholarship or to make a gift, contact Swain at 252-847-5874.
A generous gift from the Bedford Falls Foundation-DAF, through the ECU Health Foundation, will launch a first-of-its-kind initiative at East Carolina University to establish a medic-to-nurse pathway that will bring military medics through the accelerated Bachelor of Science program in the College of Nursing.
The five-year, $2 million partnership strengthens the relationship between ECU and the military and will bridge the transition between active military service and careers in community health care.
East Carolina University’s College of Nursing will have Service League Scholars among their Pirate nurses beginning in 2024-25 academic year thanks to a $1 million gift from the Service League of Greenville.
Service League Scholars will earn full tuition and fees for the academic year in which they receive the award. Two scholars will be named in the inaugural year.
“The Service League’s investment in Pirate nurses will make a meaningful impact on the health and well-being of our state and region. Through the Undergraduate Nursing Scholarship Endowment, the legacy and impact of the Service League will continue in perpetuity at ECU,” Chancellor Philip Rogers said. “The Service League is stitched into the very fabric of East Carolina University and ECU Health through 80 years of service and support of the medical center and the students who are educated at ECU. We are grateful they are dedicated to furthering our mission.”
The Service League of Greenville Undergraduate Nursing Scholarship Endowment was established by the league in honor and recognition of the nursing profession. It is one of the first major gifts made through the ECU Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm supporting ECU Health and ECU’s health sciences campus.
“It is fitting for the Service League endowment to be one of the first major gifts established through the ECU Health Foundation as it highlights the alignment of the health system and the university and our shared mission to benefit the well-being of eastern North Carolina,” said Scott Senatore, chief philanthropy officer, of the foundation. “The Service League is an outstanding community partner and a prime example of the relational bonds that connect ECU Health and the university. Their gift will further student success in the College of Nursing and outstanding patient care at ECU Health.”
The Service League is well known by anyone who has visited ECU Health Medical Center. The nonprofit manages three gift shops at ECU Health, coffee kiosks and vending machines throughout the medical center.
Supporting health care initiatives and the education of health care providers closely aligns with the Service League’s mission to promote interests among its members in the community’s social, medical, economic, cultural and civic conditions.
League President Wendy Farrior said the organization committed to supporting health care education in 2018 through an endowed scholarship for students enrolled in the ECU School of Dental Medicine, the College of Allied Health Sciences, the College of Nursing (CON) and the Brody School of Medicine. Since then, league members have realized the significant impact these scholarships have had on health care in eastern North Carolina, she said.
The Service League of Greenville Scholarship Endowment has funded more than $105,000 in scholarships to students. The original endowment will continue to provide scholarship support at Brody, the School of Dental Medicine and the College of Allied Health Sciences.
“Nurses have a special place in the heart of the league. The profession is well-represented in our membership and many remain active in their nursing careers,” Farrior said. “With this scholarship, the league hopes to encourage nursing students to practice in eastern North Carolina after graduation and thereby continue the league’s legacy of service and partnership with the hospital.”
Dr. Bimbola Akintade, dean of the College of Nursing, said scholarship investment is a significant part of the formula the college needs for continued success in the education of nurses.
“Your heart was in the right place when you made this (scholarship) decision,” Akintade said. “Our students are challenged in this program, and our standards are high. We produce the best nurses in North Carolina, and we’re competitive against any program in the country.”
Karen Gagnon, chair of the league’s scholarship committee, said the selection of the College of Nursing is a response to the national nursing shortage and because the CON represents the largest group of students within health care with the lowest scholarship support.
“For years, the college has prepared nurses to transform health care in North Carolina,” Gagnon said. “We hope to transform student lives by helping them graduate without the significant burden of loan debt and provide a connection between the recipients and ECU Health.”
The Service League of Greenville Undergraduate Nursing Scholarship Endowment will create the first full scholarship in the CON. Eligible students will have a demonstrated financial need, a 3.0 GPA or higher and a commitment to community service. Recipients are expected to be residents of eastern North Carolina, with first preference given to Pitt County residents.
Jeanne Martin, interim chair, baccalaureate nursing education department, said the need for scholarships is very real. Scholarships remove barriers for students who are putting themselves through the nursing program.
“This scholarship will pay dividends for a long, long time,” Martin said. “The need is real, and this is going to make a big difference.”
Proceeds from the league’s business within ECU Health have been used by the league to fund a wide variety of hospital equipment needs and capital projects. The organization’s members consider the scholarship endowments a natural extension of the league’s mission.
“The Service League has historically invested money into the bricks and mortar of the hospital,” Gagnon said. “It was time to bring the buildings to life.”