A hospital says a medical school professor in Eastern Carolina has been named an emerging leader for her work addressing some of the most challenging problems in healthcare delivery.
ECU Health says Yaolin Zhou, MD, associate professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University was named to the 2023 Becker’s Hospital Review “Emerging Leaders: Provider Organization Leaders Under 40″ list.
The Becker’s Hospital Review list recognized the director of Quality and Test Utilization, and head of Molecular Pathology at ECU Health as up-and-coming leaders who is quickly rising through the ranks at their organizations, focusing on development, innovation, and improved outcomes while being under the age of 40.
The hospital says since her arrival in 2020, Dr. Zhou established an innovative molecular consultation service, focused primarily on pre- and post-testing review, to ensure cancer patients get appropriate molecular tests and treatment.
Most recently in 2023 ECU Health says she secured a $250,000 industry-funded quality improvement grant aimed to identify and address healthcare disparities in cancer care, ultimately improving patient outcomes in eastern North Carolina’s rural 29-county region.
“As a cancer survivor myself, I strive to bring quality and equitable cancer care to those I am honored to serve,” said Dr. Zhou. “All patients deserve high-quality and guideline-recommended cancer treatment.”
As the only molecular pathologist in ECU Health’s 29-county service area, she provides expertise that benefits more than 1.4 million individuals in the region.
She was also recognized as an international quality improvement and test utilization expert after she partnered with clinical colleagues to establish a health system-wide initiative to reduce daily repeat lab tests in 2020. ECU Health says she achieved a 15 to 25 percent reduction in unnecessary repeat daily testing throughout the system, earning her and her team the American Society for Clinical Pathology Choosing Wisley Champion Award.
The East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine has surpassed 100,000 patients cared for through the campus and hospital clinics.
The university said this has come through their use of service learning centers and special care initiatives.
“This is a landmark moment for ECU and the School of Dental Medicine,” said ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers. “This is not only a milestone, but also a mile marker, as we are just getting started. It is a reminder that we are upholding a promise we made to the people of our state to prepare new dentist leaders and increase access to oral health care for patients everywhere, including our most rural communities.”
According to ECU, the dental school began in 2011 to build up and equip dentist leaders to provide oral health care for rural and underserved communities.
“Celebrating this milestone is not just about a number,” said Dr. Greg Chadwick, dean of the dental school. “It is about educating the next generation of dentists as we provided much needed care to 100,000 North Carolinians, many of whom may not have had access to this care if it were not for our community service learning centers across the state, as well as our supporters and donors who have been there from the beginning.”
The dental school has had more than 450 graduates since the first graduating class in 2015, and that 90% of those who continued with dentistry practice in North Carolina, the university said.