ECU Health held its first Cancer Survivors’ Day event on Friday at the Monroe Conference Center.
The event was held to celebrate those who have fought the battle and survived the disease, giving them a safe space to be able to share their stories and experiences with those who can relate.
Food, music and guest speakers were there to make the day as special as possible.
Pamela Lepera has been an oncologist for 28 years but recently added a “cancer survivor” to the end of her title. After chemotherapy and her transplant back in April of 2023, she has been able to come out strong and hold events to give others the opportunity to speak on their fight.
“We are here to celebrate survivors,” Lepera said. “This is a gift to survivors and caregivers. In addition to that, to celebrate our excellent medical team and administration and we have come together today with such joy. Proud of our survivors, proud of our medical services and I am just so incredibly joyful that I’m here today.”
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ECU Health and Acadia Healthcare gathered on Tuesday to celebrate a milestone in the construction of the behavioral health hospital in Greenville. Sarah Gray Barr has more on this.
ECU Health Medical Center was among four hospitals in North Carolina and 26 in the country to receive recognition by U.S. News & World Report.
The recognition is for success in caring for patients in historically underserved communities. According to a media release, “The new accolade and corresponding hospitals were revealed today at an exclusive event in Washington, ‘The State of Equity in America.’ U.S. News convened thought leaders from business, government, health, education and other sectors for a day of solutions-oriented dialogue on erasing disparities in America.
ECU was joined by these NC hospitals:
- Cape Fear Valley Medical Center (Fayetteville)
- Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital (Greensboro)
- UNC Hospitals (Chapel Hill)
North Carolina was one of seven states to have three or more hospitals recognized. California led the way with seven with North Carolina placing second.
“U.S. News’ recognition of the Best Regional Hospitals for Equitable Access highlights the important and necessary work hospitals are doing to improve care for underserved communities,” said Tavia Binger, senior health data analyst at U.S. News.
“This positive representation of community hospitals’ dedication to equitable access across 26 states is promising. However, this recognition also underscores the need for continued focus on prioritizing health care among vulnerable populations who may face numerous social and economic challenges in receiving care.”
Click here to find out more and to see the list of hospitals recognized.
ECU Health is working to make sure all of Eastern North Carolina is healthy in not only body but also mind.
It hosted its 12th annual Mental Health Expo on Tuesday. Hundreds of people stopped by to get resources and learn from health professionals. There were 50 local organizations to show the importance of mental health.
“Mental health is health, right? And mental health has a tendency to be something a lot of times we don’t want to talk about if it’s not so good. And so just letting people know that it’s okay to. This is kind of. Lots of people have mental health issues. And to be able to connect the dots, you know, like, well, okay, if I need a resource, this is where I can go,” said Glenn Simpson, ECU Health System service line administrator for behavioral health.
ECU Health added that if you or a loved one struggles with mental health issues, you can always call or text the number 988 to be connected with professionals.
The ECU Brody School of Medicine held its 10th annual Medical Education Day. The event celebrates innovation in the medical field and offers an opportunity for leaders, educators, and students to promote changes in the industry.
The event was all about the discoveries being made in the medical field. It showed the growth of the medical community here in Eastern North Carolina with presentations and posters that allowed presenters to showcase their research.
Before the presentations started, ECU alumni Doctor Andrew Southerland gave a keynote speech about the impact of AI and Chat GPT in the medical field. After his speech, members of the event interacted with presenters about their projects, which were later judged in front of the crowd.
“Fills me with pride to see what our students are capable of doing. From start to finish the projects that then get adopted and adapted here and become a part of what is the Brody fabric,” said Dr. Jill Sutton, Obstetrics and Gynecology associate professor.
“This is really just an opportunity to share ideas and make sure we’re all together focused on how we can take the next step in medical education and I think that’s really what today all about and why I’m excited to be here,” said Brody School of Medicine student Ryan Dickerson.
Many of the topics mentioned at the event promoted education enhancement in certain fields including anatomy, and radiology, as well as tools that would help promote these subject matters.
Presenters in Thursday’s event featured not just students. Faculty and staff, as well as resident physicians, collaborated and looked forward to highlighting the curriculum and technologies used at the Brody School of Medicine in the future.
The Nursing Program at East Carolina University showed exceptional performance and has landed at No. 4 on the 2023 Ranked Nursing Programs in North Carolina.
The programs were assessed on several factors that represent how well a program supports students toward licensure and extreme success.
ECU’s program is home to multiple quality nursing programs that include several BSN options. Students are also given the option between the traditional BSN, accelerated second degree BSN, or the Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurse Program, otherwise known as RIBN.
RIBN works with several local community colleges and it allows students to earn both an ADN and BSN.
Click here to see the full list.