The Great 100 Nurses in North Carolina honors the nursing profession by recognizing nurses around the state for their commitment to excellence. The recipients are distinguished for their outstanding professional ability as well as their contributions to improving health care services in their communities. This year, 19 ECU Health nurses were recognized as honorees, including Dennis Campbell, II, Myra Thomson, Alex Gilbert, Gina Coldwell and Lou Ann Proctor.
Dennis Campbell, II
Although he is now the president of ECU Health Beaufort Hospital and the interim president at ECU Health North Hospital, Dennis Campbell, II began his career in 2004 as a nurse in the medical/surgical intensive care unit. Over time, he spent his early career in the emergency department, the burn center and the telemetry floor, and he was a staff nurse educator and a clinical educator for local nursing schools in his home state of Indiana.
However, a job opportunity brought him to eastern North Carolina, and he’s since navigated his way into quality leadership, corporate compliance, behavioral health and nursing leadership.
Dennis said finding his path to nursing was a winding road. “I was looking for something I could do that would provide a secure job,” he shared. “I shadowed a nurse in the local community as well as a respiratory therapist. What attracted me to nursing was how polished that nurse was. She was neatly dressed in white scrubs and a hat. The way she presented herself to her patients made me say, ‘I can do that.’” What kept Dennis coming back day after day was the difference he was making every day. “It’s the connection with people at the most vulnerable times of their lives,” he said. “I get to make the ordinary extraordinary, and if there’s something I can do to put a smile on your face, that also fills my cup.” That hasn’t changed since Dennis found his way into leadership roles. “It’s a platform that impacts healthcare and people in a larger way.”
Still, Dennis was surprised that “little old me” was nominated for and selected as a Great 100 Nurse. “It says a lot about what my colleagues think about me, and I’m grateful,” he said. “And it’s good for all Great 100 nurses, because it’s often the case that we are the unsung heroes. It means people are taking notice and want to recognize those who give their heart and soul.” Dennis said the honor is also a legacy for his family. “They don’t get to go to work with me every day and see what I do, and my work is hard to quantify. To have that recognition is impactful to my family.”
Myra Thomson
Myra Thomson, a nurse manager in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) and the Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy program at ECU Health Medical Center, decided to be a nurse because her mother was a nurse. “It was all I knew; I was raised in a medical profession home. It fit me and my personality,” Myra said.
The East Carolina University graduate began her career with ECU Health right after graduation. During her clinical rotation on the medical intermediate unit, she had the opportunity to shadow in the MICU. This confirmed Myra’s conviction to work with the critically ill patient population. “I love that there’s a complexity, with more than one thing to treat,” Myra said. She also enjoys the MICU team. “It’s the place to be,” she said. “I love my team at work and outside of work. They call me if they need something, and I check in on them. They’re my people.”
Myra said it was amazing to find out she was named a Great 100 Nurse. “It’s an honor for me that the people I work with think enough of me to say what they did about me. It shows they’re exactly why I do what I do.” It’s also special that so many ECU Health nurses are recognized this year. “The nurses here work very hard across the system, and they deserve to be recognized. It makes you proud to work at ECU Health,” Myra said.
Alex Gilbert
Alex Gilbert, a staff nurse III in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU), calls himself a “second generation nurse,” because both of his parents were also nurses. “Mom works in the ECU Health Cancer Center,” Alex said. “Dad was a flight nurse with EastCare. That’s how my parents met.”
Alex used to watch his father on the helipad and wait for him to get off work, which sparked his own interest in a health care profession. That spark was reignited when his grandmother got sick during his senior year of high school. “That renewed my interest and showed me I could care for people. I knew I had a calling.”
After graduating from East Carolina University with his BSN, Alex split his time between the SICU and the ECU Health EastCare Transport Team as a flight RN. He also serves as an EMT-B in the community. Alex said he was surprised when he discovered he was a Great 100 Nurse honoree. “I can think of so many others who deserve this award,” he said. “We don’t do the job for recognition; we do what we do to care for people.” Alex did cite his passion for his work as a key factor in his success, as well as the support from his family and his co-workers. “It’s not just a nine to five job; it’s someone’s life. It’s an honor and a pleasure to care for someone. But I can’t take all the credit. My faith, my family and my co-workers all play a part. I’d put my team up against any in the country, and I wouldn’t be getting this award if not for them. I’m just a piece of the puzzle.”
ECU Health’s representation in the Great 100 Nurses is a testament to the care our nurses provide, and the education and support ECU Health provides its nurses, Alex said. “We’re the biggest level one trauma center East of I-95,” he said. “Our patients are the sickest of the sick, and our nurses are on the top of their game.”
Gina Coldwell
A Newport News, Virginia, native, Gina Coldwell knew she had an interest in nursing early-on, but she couldn’t go to school while caring for her four small children. “I was a stay-at-home mom for 15 years,” she said. “But then I got divorced and was working two minimum-wage jobs and I wanted to do something I enjoyed.” That’s when Gina went back to school and received her associate degree in nursing from Edgecombe Community College in 2019. “I started working at ECU Health that following summer,” Gina said. She began on the Neuroscience Intermediate Unit, but she also continued her education to complete her BSN from East Carolina University in 2021, followed by enrolling in a master’s program at Carson Newman University, with plans to graduate in 2025.
Gina said she didn’t know what specialty she wanted after initially graduating from nursing school. For her, the team on 3 North drew her to the neuroscience unit. It was a challenging first year, but Gina said she has grown to love the challenge. “It’s hard to not take the work home with me,” she said. “But it’s so fascinating. You get such a diverse group of people, from someone who fell and broke their back to someone who had a stroke. It’s not an easy fix, but you have the benefit of seeing the fruits of your labor and how your patients improve. It’s so rewarding and fulfilling.”
That passion is one reason Gina was nominated for and recognized as a Great 100 Nurse. “I was shocked when I found out,” Gina said. “I was proud because I still consider myself a baby nurse. And we have amazing nurses at ECU Health. We’re a Level I Trauma hospital, and everything we deal with is big. You must have your heart in it, and you must have good leadership that recognizes that heart.” Gina also works with new graduates and new hires. “I love to teach and train,” she said. “And if I don’t know something, I ask someone who does. We’ll find out the answer together.”
Lou Ann Proctor
Lou Ann Proctor, a staff nurse IV in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), calls herself a legacy Great 100 Nurse. “My mother, Janice Proctor, was in the first group selected to be a Great 100 Nurse in 1989, the year I graduated from nursing school at ECU,” Lou Ann said. “My Aunt Lucy Weaver and Aunt Becky Lewis were also chosen in 1994 and 1993. Sadly, I just lost my mother last year, and she would have loved this.”
It was her mother’s work that inspired Lou Ann to become a nurse in the first place. “My father was a farmer, so when I turned 15, I wanted to get out of the tobacco fields and I went to work with my mother at Edgecombe General Hospital in Tarboro. I got to work beside her and see how amazing she was at her job,” she said.
Lou Ann has continued that legacy by being nominated as a Great 100 Nurse several times before being an honoree this year, although she remains humble about the work she does every day. “I’ve been a bedside nurse for 35 years and have been involved in Nurse Congress, Quality/EBP Council and my unit council, but there are so many nurses I would nominate for this award. That recognition is overdue and well deserved for them.” When she found out she has won the award this year, the moment was bittersweet. “My co-workers nominated me this time and I was both thrilled and heartbroken to be selected,” she said. “It would have meant so much if my mother was still here. But my Aunt Lucy and family plan to attend the Gala with me and that will make it special.”
The recipients will be honored at a statewide gala in September, to be held in Concord.