Promoting a cultured climate at the Brody School of Medicine

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Feb 062013
 

“Culture” is all around us—even at the Brody School of Medicine. People may not think of culture as an everyday part of academia or work life here at Brody, but our beliefs and behaviors are ever-present, daily influencing our environment. One of the goals of the BSOM Office of Diversity Affairs (ODA) is to bring a consciousness to our cultures by celebrating diversity, promoting awareness, and valuing differences through programming, activities, and ongoing projects.

One of the ongoing projects of the BSOM Office of Diversity Affairs is the Faces of Brody. The ODA sponsors the Faces of Brody project to promote diversity awareness, inclusion, and appreciation of differences among our BSOM community. Each month,  we feature students, staff, faculty, and administrators (picture and diversity bio) on the first-floor North hall bulletin board. The diversity bio enables participants to express why they feel diversity is important at BSOM, what diversity means to them, interesting facts about themselves, and highlights of their diversity identity.

Another means for promoting cultural awareness is through educational programming such as Diversity Week. Annually, the Diversity Representative of the second year medical class collaborates with ODA to organize a week of daily programs on topics such as race, gender, religion, and sexual orientation/sexual identity. This year, Diversity Week is Feb. 11-14 and includes a panel of students representing various religions on Monday, a gender-and-healthcare talk on Tuesday, an LGBT health presentation from ECU’s Resource Office Director on Wednesday, and a multi-generational panel of African American physicians on Thursday. Diversity Week will end with performances from Dark Water Rising, an award-winning contemporary Native American group, and Bourbon Rebellion, a group comprised of members from BSOM, at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 at Tipsy Teapot in downtown Greenville.

These are just a few efforts of the Office of Diversity Affairs. To learn more about diversity and our programs visit us online at http://www.ecu.edu/bsomdiversityaffairs/ or email me at arringtonc@ecu.edu.

 Chanel Arrington

Diversity Coordinator

Brody School of Medicine Office of Diversity Affairs

ECU goes green for second consecutive year

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Dec 212012
 

East Carolina University will go green again this winter break in a utilities setback plan that saved the university more than $50,000 last year.

While ECU Physicians clinics will re-open for patients Dec. 27, most of the university will shut down Dec. 22 through Jan. 1 as part of a holiday plan to allow employees a longer break and help reduce utility expenditures and energy use. Most faculty and staff return Jan. 2.

According to University Energy Engineer and Sustainability Committee Chairman Brian Pipkin, the university will use an automatic control system to lower the temperature control points down to around 60 degrees in major campus buildings. All lights and electric hot water heaters will be shut off as well.

“This year, the shutdown will last 12 days and we hope to capture even more buildings,” Pipkin said. “We want [the setback plan] to be as advantageous as possible.”

Employees who have individual spaces and offices are asked to participate in the shutdown as well. Pipkin said individuals should turn off and unplug all non-essential electronics and close all exterior doors and windows.

Students who live in off campus apartments or houses can also participate in the event and save on utilities while they are away by setting back thermostats and turning off water heaters.

“Anything with a remote can be turned off and unplugged,” Pipkin said. “Even when electronics are turned off, they use power when plugged in.”

For more information on the program, visit sustain.ecu.edu.

BSOM leading the state in producing NC Physicians

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Nov 272012
 

A recent article in the Triangle Business Journal noted that the Brody School of Medicine, part of the Division of Health Sciences at ECU, leads the state in producing physicians who remain in NC to practice.  Unlike graduates of the other three medical schools in the state, over half of Brody’s 2006 graduates are now in practice across NC.  53% of those 2006 graduates matched in primary care specialties (67% if OB/GYN is included).

In keeping with its legislatively-mandated mission, the BSOM has also repeatedly been cited over the past few years for being the top school in the nation for producing family physicians.  Brody is also in the top 10% of all US medical schools for training physicians who go on to practice in rural and underserved areas.

http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/print-edition/2012/11/09/nc-educating-doctors-then-losing-them.html

James G. Peden Jr.,  MD

Associate Dean, BSOM Admissions

 

* 1st annual Run For A Reason 5K sponsored by the Greenville Women’s League will be held on Saturday,  December 8th at 9 am benefiting Camp Rainbow and Camp Hope. These are week long camping experiences with children who have cancer or hemophilia  and their siblings. This is a new course and Walkers are Welcome! You can register at runtheeast.com or email gwlruns@gmail.com for more information.

 

A day dedicated to preventing stroke

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Oct 292012
 

World Stroke Day is Oct. 29.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability in the United States.

An estimated 795,000 people suffer a stroke each year. Someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, and someone dies of a stroke every four minutes, according to the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.

In eastern North Carolina, the rate of stroke is higher than the national average.

World Stroke Day encourages everyone to:

1. Know your personal risk factors: high blood pressure, diabetes, and high blood cholesterol.
2. Be physically active and exercise regularly.
3. Maintain a healthy diet high in fruit and vegetable and low in salt to stay healthy and keep blood pressure low.
4. Limit alcohol consumption.
5. Avoid cigarette smoke. If you smoke, seek help to stop now.
6. Learn to recognize the warning signs of a stroke and how to take action.

According to the East Carolina Heart Institute, the warning signs of stroke include:

• Numbness or tingling in an arm, leg, face or on one side of the body
• Severe headache
• Dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Not being able to talk
• Brief loss of consciousness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Blurry or double vision

Remember the 3 R’s: reduce your risk of stroke; recognize the signs of stroke; respond right away to the warning signs of stroke by calling 911.

The East Carolina Heart Institute is the first in North Carolina devoted exclusively to education, research, treatment, and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. The primary facilities that make up the Heart Institute are located on the campuses of Vidant Medical Center and ECU’s Brody School of Medicine. For more information, go to www.eastcarolinaheartinstitute.com

The Brody Family doing their part to make Greenville…. PINK!

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Oct 232012
 

Last Thursday night, many of the Brody family came out to roll the dice, have fun and raise money for a cause that is close to the heart of many that work on the Health Science Campus.

Greenville Women’s’ League along with Carolina Breast and Oncologic Surgery sponsored the 9th annual Bunco for Breast Cancer at the Greenville Convention Center. All proceeds benefit Gardeners for Hope, a fund that has been assisting local breast cancer patients for many years.

Gardeners for Hope began by a group of friends to honor the memory and spirit of a dear friend lost to cancer in 2002. Their friend, Joan Balch, was a consummate gardener and fascinating companion. Her devotion to her family and friends were inspiring and her spirit, strength, and joy in life as well as her fight against the disease gave all who knew her the hope they needed during her illness. Joan’s friends wish to pass on that hope and strength to others coping with breast cancer. The fund is a way to help patients maintain hope and gather strength by receiving care and support.

All proceeds donated to Gardeners for Hope are given to patients actively undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Breast cancer patients who are challenged by economic problems or are in need of positive encouragement receive assistance from the fund. There is no income qualification to receive assistance.

The Gardeners for Hope funds are distributed to the patients through the dedicated social workers and nurses that work at the Leo Jenkins Cancer Center. Other local oncology centers such as Carolina Breast & Oncologic Center and the McConnell-Raab Hope Lodge will contact the fund to assist local breast cancer patients in need as well.

Operational costs for Gardeners for Hope are minimal. There are no personnel or building maintenance costs. No one receives any type of compensation from the fund. Only the breast cancer patients receive assistance. Retired nurses and social workers still remain active on the board of Directors of the fund and volunteer at events. It is the mission of the fund founders, who continue to remain active, that this fund remains unrestricted to assist patients with various things in their time of need in a timely and efficient manner. The Gardeners for Hope fund is completely operational due to the generosity of others.

Due to the vast geographical landscape that the Vidant Hospital system incorporates in eastern North Carolina, more patients are being diagnosed and sent to the Leo Jenkins Cancer Center for treatment. Due to the rising cost of gasoline, many patients are struggling to make chemotherapy appointments. Assistance with transportation has become a large portion of what the fund assists with covering for breast cancer patients. More patients are traveling further distances to receive treatment at Leo Jenkins Cancer Center. Some of the local patients are elderly and cannot drive. The fund has assisted with transportation costs such as taxis, ambulance transportation and minor car repairs such as a tire or battery.

Assistance with Co-Payments for Prescriptions has been another area that the fund has seen increase tremendously. Due to the economic climate, many patients do not have insurance. The patients with insurance are foregoing filling prescriptions. This is due to the escalating cost of co-payments for drugs, especially without generics available and the reported shortage. Without assistance, prescriptions are not being filled therefore, at times possibly slowing recovering for some of the patients and hindering treatment.

Jan Tysinger, Health Science Personnel; Reagan Askew, Health Science Personnel; Cindy Reaves, BSOM Dean’s Administration; Amy Tysinger

Gardeners for Hope have been able to assist many patients with many needs. In addition to the transportation and prescription assistance, the fund has also assisted patients with their utility bill, wigs, mammograms, massages, new clothing due to rapid weight loss, prosthesis, family portrait for terminal cases, flowers to light spirits, eye glass prescription, grass mowing service and many other items for many situations.
As we enter the holiday season, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to honor the survivors, the ones we have lost and the ones currently in the fight. For more information please contact Anita Proctor, Nurse Manager at Leo Jenkins Cancer Center at 252-744-3740 or by email PROCTORA@ecu.edu

To those of you that attended, thank you for your willingness to help others in their time of need and with painting Greenville PINK!

Marsha Hall
Daughter of a Breast Cancer Survivor
Treasurer, Greenville Women’s League
Business Coordinator, Medical Education & Student Development

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