In the culmination of years of hard work, studying and time spent in the clinical setting, fourth-year medical students from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University – and across the country – learned where they would spend their residency training on Match Day, March 21.
The Brody School of Medicine is a national leader in developing family medicine and primary care physicians, and this year 47 percent of the class is taking up residency in primary care fields. Fourteen students – more than 20 percent of the 68 students who matched – opened their letters to learn they’d stay in eastern North Carolina for residency with ECU Health.
Match Day was an especially exciting day for Sarah Waddell, who was also celebrating her birthday. Waddell matched into family medicine at ECU Health Medical Center.
The soon-to-be Dr. Waddell is eastern North Carolina through and through as an Elizabeth City native and graduate of Barton College in Wilson. She said ECU Health was her top choice, and she’s grateful for the opportunity to work toward ECU Health’s mission to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina.
“There’s just so many emotions, happy and excited for this new adventure, and getting to stay here and serve eastern North Carolina has always been a dream of mine,” Waddell said. “Mostly, I’m really looking forward to taking care of the people who need it and making connections with my future patients. I’m a lifelong learner, so I’m really looking forward to what else is out there for me to learn and explore during residency.”
Waddell has the added bonus of matching at ECU Health Medical Center alongside one of her best friends from medical school, Micah Lee.
Lee is another eastern North Carolinian from Mount Olive. She said choosing the Brody School of Medicine was easy for her as the medical school has strong connections to the community and seeing that extend to ECU Health during her training made staying in Greenville her No. 1 choice. On Match Day, she landed exactly where she’d hoped – in pediatrics at ECU Health.
“I grew up in eastern North Carolina, and I really care about the community here. I didn’t want to leave for residency. This is where I got to match, and I’m really excited about that; I’ll get to stay connected with the community and organizations I love to work with,” she said. “I love pediatrics because I’m passionate about being able to influence the next generation. There are so many healthy choices that you can encourage young people to make and seeing them grow from birth all the way up until adulthood is really special.”
Jamie Lemons, who also matched with pediatrics at ECU Health for residency, and Lee both said the pediatrics team was welcoming and encouraging during their time in medical school and during rotations, making it an exciting first choice for both.
Lemons is from western North Carolina and said she’s glad to be staying in state for her residency while serving in a rural area like the place she grew up. Her journey in many ways represents what the Brody School of Medicine sets out to do: train bright students from across North Carolina and prepare them to serve in communities across the state, particularly in rural areas.
“It’s the other side of the state, but it’s pretty similar between western and eastern North Carolina,” she said. “I think ECU Health focuses a lot on the rural environments and some underserved areas, which is really similar to western North Carolina, so I think that all applies really well for me.”
Dr. Michael Waldrum, chief executive officer at ECU Health and dean of the Brody School of Medicine, said he is proud of the class that came to medical school in the face of uncertainty, excelled and is now set to take the next step in their physician journey.
“These students understand what it means to answer the call of becoming a physician. They chose a career in medicine at a time when a historic pandemic made health care a particularly difficult and sometimes dangerous profession,” Dr. Waldrum said. “Their desire to run toward the challenge speaks volumes about why they’ve chosen this path, and it highlights the qualities that will make them incredible, compassionate physicians.”