East Carolina University (Brody School of Medicine)

The School of Medicine of East Carolina University provides a carefully developed environment especially conducive to the study of medicine, one that emphasizes individual and continuing learning to prepare students for a lifetime of personal service. Many elements make up the ECU approach, but the most important are small class sizes, an outstanding and concerned faculty, and exceptional facilities.

Students at East Carolina University find that there is great opportunity for personal interaction and individual instruction, whether in the classroom, the office of a faculty member or at the bedside of a patient. Because faculty members are able and willing to spend more time with students, they are better prepared to contribute to the growth and development of each student, not only as a physician but as a person with unique needs, interests and goals.

More than 300 physicians and research scientists comprise our faculty and provide this professional and personal guidance to students as they proceed through their training. Complementing and assisting the faculty are nearly 200 practicing physicians in Greenville and throughout the state who contribute their expertise to the educational experience in the school’s classrooms, affiliated hospitals and community practice settings.

The faculty of the School of Medicine is the greatest strength of the educational program. By precept and example, the faculty upholds the standards of excellence which enable graduates to fulfill their professional duties throughout a lifetime of service, whether in primary care, specialty practice, or teaching and research. The faculty at ECU have a reputation for being innovative.

The school was among the first in the country to use simulated patients in the teaching program, a common practice today. ECU faculty have also helped pioneer standardized clinical practice examinations.

Supporting the faculty in its mission are the excellent facilities of the medical school and Pitt County Memorial Hospital, the primary affiliated teaching hospital of the school. These modern educational and clinical facilities were carefully designed to meet the needs of students--from the Health Sciences Library with its private study areas and computing resources to master classrooms equipped with multimedia, computer and teleconferencing technology. These resources contribute to an educational atmosphere that encourages mature study, intellectual curiosity, and the formal and informal exchange of ideas and knowledge.

But not all student learning takes place at the medical center. Clinical rotations throughout the region and state allow students to experience the practice of medicine in carefully selected hospitals, physician offices and rural health clinics. In many of these settings, medical students learn within an interdisciplinary framework that includes students from other health care disciplines.

Patient care activities conducted by faculty physicians in schools, health departments and outlying hospitals also enhance the study of medicine while helping to meet health care needs in the region. And many ECU medical students choose to pursue part of their training in foreign countries, adding to their appreciation of different cultures. This variety of clinical settings provides a solid foundation for residency training in primary care or other specialty area.

The emphasis of the School of Medicine, however, is on primary care. When North Carolina legislators were planning the establishment of a medical school at East Carolina University, they carefully assessed the health care needs of the state and specified that the school should direct special attention to three important goals: educating primary care physicians, making medical care more readily available to the people of eastern North Carolina, and providing opportunities to minority and disadvantaged students. This challenging mandate is reflected in daily activities in the classrooms, research laboratories and outreach programs of the school.

Recently, the school has increased its commitment to the primary care philosophy through its Generalist Physician Program. Supported in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the GPP is a broad-based effort to enhance generalist practice in eastern North Carolina.

The fundamental responsibility of the school is the education of competent and compassionate physicians who will provide quality care to their patients and leadership in their communities. The School of Medicine also recognizes the vital commitment physicians must make to professional growth throughout their careers as the mysteries of medicine are unraveled and science provides new ways of healing and caring. In many ways, a medical education is just a start. The East Carolina University School of Medicine is dedicated to making it an excellent beginning.

The Brody School of Medicine admits to each entering class 72 students, almost all of whom are North Carolina residents. The selection process emphasizes qualities which will serve a prospective physician well in primary care love of learning, commitment to service, concern for people. The relatively small class size, diverse curriculum and dedicated faculty contribute to a learning experience intended to produce physicians who are both competent and caring.

The medical school has been a leader in developing a curriculum that integrates training in clinical medicine throughout the four years of instruction. Much of this clinical experience occurs in settings away from the medical center, in doctors' offices situated in the state's smaller communities. This approach permits students to develop a deeper understanding of the value and rewards of small-town generalist practice. And while real world experience is essential, ECU is also a national leader in the application of objective methods to clinical skills training and assessment in a controlled setting. This is the "laboratory" where students sharpen their interviewing and diagnostic skills while working with simulated patients.

The school offers nine residency programs for the specialized training of graduate physicians. The largest is family medicine, with 12 positions in each of the three years of training. Others are emergency medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, pathology and laboratory medicine, psychiatric medicine, surgery, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. Combined programs are offered in internal medicine and pediatrics and in internal medicine and psychiatry. The hallmark of these programs is their emphasis on close, collegial relationships among faculty and residents in a challenging and diverse clinical environment.

The school also supports programs leading to the doctor of philosophy degree in six disciplines -- anatomy and cell biology, biochemistry, microbiology and immunology, pathology, pharmacology, and physiology. The Ph.D. programs are intended to foster scholarship, critical analysis and creative research, and graduates compete successfully for top post-doctoral positions throughout the country.

Education is not limited to students, of course; physicians must be students for life. The School of Medicine, in close cooperation with the Eastern Area Health Education Center, serves as a continuing education lifeline for thousands of practicing physicians and other health professionals in eastern North Carolina.

The tireless pursuit of new medical knowledge allows the faculty to provide the most advanced medical care to patients and to transmit this knowledge to students, the physicians and biomedical scientists of tomorrow. ECU medical school faculty and fellows have exceptional strengths in many vital areas of basic and clinical research. In keeping with the school's mission of service, many research programs focus on issues of special significance to eastern North Carolina.

Major multidisciplinary efforts are under way in diabetes, cancer therapy, allergic disease, cardiovascular disease, alcohol and drug abuse, obesity, transplant immunology and biotechnology. The development of knowledge, however, extends beyond traditional laboratory and clinical studies to the search for innovative ways to meet the health needs of rural populations.

Biomedical research is supported by many exceptional staff and technological resources. Expertise in such areas as biostatistics, informatics, epidemiology, computer programming and telecommunications is readily available. Inquiry and scholarship are supported by the superbly staffed and equipped William E. Laupus Health Sciences Library, which is also open to the general public. Investigators may also use the services of a Clinical Trials Office, which coordinates and supports clinical studies.

The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University is a source of excellent medical care for citizens of Greenville and eastern North Carolina. That care is provided in a variety of settings: through School of Medicine outpatient programs, through inpatient services at Pitt County Memorial Hospital, the school's affiliated teaching hospital, and through outreach service to communities in the school's 29-county catchment area.

The school provides medical services under the auspices of its multispecialty group practice, ECU Physicians. The hallmark of these services is the caring commitment of our physicians, nurses and support staff to their patients. Also, because School of Medicine faculty are involved in research and teaching, they are able to provide treatments that are on the leading edge of new medical knowledge.

The school is also a national leader in the development and application of telemedicine, the use of interactive television to treat patients requiring specialized care in their home communities.

The Brody Medical Sciences Building is the focal point of the School of Medicine’s education, service and research programs. Opened in mid-1982 and expanded in 1989-90, the 489,000-square-foot facility provides modern and comfortable accommodations for students, faculty and staff as well as convenient access to the school’s academic support programs and Pitt County Memorial Hospital.

The Brody Building’s many lecture halls, classrooms and conference rooms demonstrate the commitment of the faculty to student-faculty interaction in small groups. Several master classrooms are equipped with advanced computer and video technology designed to enhance learning. Numerous study areas throughout the building also create an academic atmosphere conducive to learning. Teaching laboratories are spacious, well-equipped and provide a stimulating environment for individual and group learning activities and independent study.

In addition to housing the basic and clinical science departments, the Brody Building includes a 525-seat auditorium, administrative offices for the School of Medicine and the Health Sciences Library.

Some faculty offices and teaching areas for the clinical science departments are in the Medical School Teaching Addition at Pitt County Memorial Hospital. The teaching addition, spanning the entire front of the hospital, offers convenient access to inpatients for faculty physicians, residents and students. It also includes on-call and patient treatment rooms, seminar facilities and classrooms.

The School of Medicine provides accredited education programs for medical students, residents and fellows, doctoral students in the basic medical sciences, and practicing physicians. The hallmarks of these programs are close-faculty student interaction, experiential learning, and development of students’ ability to continue learning even after they leave the formal educational setting. Our education programs are consistent with our missions of enhancing generalist training and offering opportunities in medicine to minority and disadvantaged students.

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Brody School of Medicine Medical School Location

Brody School of Medicine Courses

FIRST YEAR COURSES

* Basic Human Genetics : This course presents the principles of basic human genetics. It is largely a self study course, with material presented on the web and in scheduled review sessions with genetics instructors. Material covered includes basic cytogenetics, molecular genetics, patterns of inheritance and population genetics.

* Behavioral Sciences : This course focuses on the basic science of Psychiatric Medicine. Reading covers psychological and sociological aspects of human development with specific attention to the physician-patient interaction. Lectures followed by small
group seminars led by psychiatry faculty are the prime teaching modality. This course also covers medical research designs, statistical methodology, and critical appraisal of the medical literature.

* Doctoring : The Doctoring course integrates basic
biomedical and psycho-social sciences with clinical medicine into a system for comprehensive, humanistic care. The knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary
for developing a therapeutic physicianpatient
relationship as the fundamental unit of health care are taught. The principles of clinical diagnosis based on
the medical history, physical examination, basic pathophysiology and clinical reasoning are also taught systematically through lectures, small group
instruction and self-directed learning activities. Students practice interviewing and examination techniques with
standardized and real patients, and acquire facility in medical communication and in formulating diagnostic
hypotheses through oral and written patient presentations. The classroom, examination room, small group sessions, on-line information activities, home and
community are the settings for learning basic concepts of primary care. Preceptorship experiences with faculty
and community preceptors are important parts of this course.

* Ethical and Social Issues in Medicine I : This course provides an introduction to basic philosophical and ethical issues in the practice of medicine. In small
groups led by members of the Humanities Department and physicians, students critically examine such topics as medical oaths and codes, moral reasoning, autonomy and paternalism, patient and physician rights and responsibilities, truthfulness, confidentiality, informed consent, medical decisionmaking for children, human
experimentation, and care of dying patients.

* Gross Anatomy and Embryology : This course focuses on the structure and development of the human body.
Students learn anatomy primarily from dissection of human cadavers and prosection demonstrations. Embryology and radiology lectures are integrated
topically with the area of the body being dissected. Clinical relevance and application are emphasized

* Medical Biochemistry : This course correlates biological
function and molecular structure. Lecture topics and clinical examples illustrate progress from the molecular
level through more complex levels of organization and function. Major subject areas include chemistry and function of enzymes and other proteins, metabolism
of carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids, gene biochemistry and expression, tissue and organ metabolism and regulation, and metabolism in abnormal cells.

* Medical Histology : Microscopic Anatomy presents three basic areas of histology: (1) modern concepts of cell biology; (2) organization of cells and extracellular matrix into tissues; and (3) structure-function
relationships in organ systems. Laboratory sessions utilize a CD-ROM that provides an excellent collection of
histological images of tissue sections and electron micrographs.

* Medical Microbiology & Immunology I : This course presents the principles of microbiology and immunology as they relate to human disease. Topics include
immunology, virology and molecular genetics. Host-parasite relationships, epidemiology, pathophysiology of infectious diseases, preventive and prophylactic measures, and mechanisms of acquired
and innate resistance to infectious diseases are emphasized. Clinical conferences with faculty specializing in infectious diseases and other disciplines
emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of microbiology and immunology. Laboratory instruction emphasizes the
development of skills in handling and characterizing microorganisms in cultures and clinical specimens.

* Medical Neuroscience : This is an integrated course,
combining principles of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and the clinical neurosciences that are appropriate for medical students entering primary care disciplines.
It encompasses the anatomy and physiology of neurons in the human nervous system at organ, cellular and molecular levels. Lectures cover the synaptic and
topographic relations of neurons, the distribution and function of neurotransmitters, the functional organization of the central nervous system, its development and maturation, and its response to aging and damage. The in situ relationships of the central nervous system and its coverings are correlated with several diagnostic procedures including magnetic resonance imaging.
Laboratory sessions include the study of prosected human brain specimens as well as the study of images of transverse sections of brain, brainstem and spinal
cord.

* Medical Physiology : This course presents the basic
principles of cell physiology followed by an in-depth examination of the organ systems – muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, renal and
endocrine systems. Special attention is given to the integrative nature of organ system behavior and to interactive control mechanisms. Presentation is by lectures, conferences and demonstrations.

* Primary Care Preceptorship : Students spend three days as a learner in a primary care physician’s office in
various locations in the state; the experience reinforces the knowledge and concepts gained in the Doctoring and basic science courses. This program is
administered by the Department of Family Medicine.

SECOND YEAR COURSES

* Clinical Skills : The Clinical Skills course builds on the physical examination, interviewing, and critical appraisal skills introduced in the first-year Doctoring course. Students will enhance their doctor-patient relationship and interviewing skills. They will develop clinical communication skills to assist patients in adopting a
healthy lifestyle. Interviewing techniques for specific populations such as the adolescent, the geriatric patient, and the difficult patient will be discussed.
Students will develop their skills in the critical appraisal of the literature. Physical examination skills will be
refined and new techniques learned.

* Ethical & Social Issues in Medicine II : This course continues the critical examination of ethical and social issues in medicine begun in the first year.
Topics include the changing health care system, access to health care, global health issues, the relation of law,
medicine, and ethics, cultural competency, professional boundaries, new reproductive technologies, abortion, the maternal-fetal dyad, organ transplantation, medical
futility, affirmative action in medical education, and student dilemmas. Brief lectures introduce each topic, followed by small group discussions facilitated by
humanities and clinical co-instructors.

* Introduction to Medicine : This is a comprehensive course correlating basic science with clinical medicine
and emphasizing the interpretation of data in disease processes. It is here that students master pathophysiology of disease, learn clinical reasoning skills, develop problem lists and differential diagnoses, are introduced to diagnostic testing and begin to appreciate the multiple opportunities for preventive
interventions. Integrated with the Clinical Skills course and conducted by faculty of several clinical departments, much of this course is taught in casebased seminar sessions with faculty facilitators. Lectures and self-directed learning complement and extend the curriculum.

* Medical Genetics : This course expands on topics covered in the first year basic genetics course by
including clinical material to illustrate basic genetic principles and application of basic science techniques to the evaluation, management, and treatment of genetic disease. The impact of genetics on families and society is explored in lectures on genetic counseling, public health genetics and ethics.

* Medical Microbiology & Immunology II : This course continues presenting the principles of microbiology and
immunology begun during the preceding year. Second year content includes medical bacteriology, mycology and parasitology. As with previous topics, the basic concepts of each subdiscipline are reviewed and
developed into the concepts required for medical practice. Host-parasite relationships, epidemiology, pathophysiology of infection and disease, and therapeutic and preventive measures are discussed in
relation to the physiology and ultrastructure of the infectious agent. Clinical lectures and small group case conferences with faculty specializing in infectious
diseases and other disciplines complement the basic science fundamentals. Laboratory instruction and exercises emphasize the development of precautions and skills in handling infectious agents, proper communication with the clinical laboratory, and
an understanding of the role of the clinical laboratory in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases.

* Medical Pathology : The first section of this course emphasizes basic principles regarding structural
and functional alterations of organs, tissues and cells in the genesis and effect of disease. Topics include inflammation and repair, neoplasia, immune diseases, infectious diseases, genetic diseases and
environmental pathology. The second section stresses the basic pathologies of the various body systems with emphasis on their interrelationships. Topics include the
heart, respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, liver, pancreas, endocrine system, nervous system, genito-urinary tract, skin and musculo-skeletal system. Instruction includes lecture, demonstrations, gross and
microscopic laboratory work and caseoriented
discussions.

* Medical Pharmacology : The course in Medical Pharmacology provides students with the fundamentals
needed to practice rational drug therapy in humans, including drug actions, interactions, clinical uses and toxicity of drugs by drug classes. The logic of using drugs optimally in particular clinical situations is emphasized using lectures, clinically-based small group discussion sessions, computer-based laboratory simulations, and self-instructional materials.

* Primary Care Preceptorship : Students spend five days as a learner in a primary care physician's office in various locations in the state; the experience allows
further development of skills learned in the classroom. This program is administered by the Department of Family Medicine.

* Psychopathology : This course has three major sections: basic psychopathology, human sexuality, and
lifestyle abuse. The first part of the course covers
basic psychopathology and the diagnostic entities necessary for the practice of any medical specialty. Material for discussion in small groups comes from
assigned readings and lectures. It emphasizes an eclectic approach to mental and emotional disorders as medical problems and presents treatment modalities as
applicable to the nonpsychiatric physician. The human sexuality section covers aspects of the patient and the
student as sexual entities and deals with interactions
that may occur as a result. The lifestyle abuse section addresses lifestyle abuse in the medical profession in a thorough, multidisciplinary, patient-oriented way.
The student will enter the clinical years with a well-rounded knowledge of the pharmacological, pathological and behavioral aspects of lifestyle abuse and with the ability to diagnose and treat the conditions
and their complications. This course prepares the student for the third-year clerkship in psychiatric medicine.

THIRD YEAR COURSES(Clinical Clerkships)

* Family Medicine : The third-year clerkship allows
students to participate in the academic, hospital and ambulatory practice of family medicine. During the eight-week rotation, students work in the offices of
board-certified family medicine specialists at the Eastern Carolina Family Medicine Center and at other locations
throughout North Carolina. Didactic sessions are provided to augment the students' patient-care experiences.

* Internal Medicine : This rotation enables students to
apply basic science and clinical knowledge to patient care situations. Clinical problem solving, prioritization
of problems, correlation with pathophysiology,
diagnostic evaluation and therapy is emphasized. Students are encouraged to learn by daily reading pertinent to the patient problems they are encountering
on the wards. Students work with members of the total patient care team by participating in morning work
rounds, assuming increased responsibility for patient evaluation and care, and assisting with common procedures. During the eight-week clerkship, each
student is exposed to a balance of experiences in the major areas of medicine. Four weeks are spent on a
general medicine inpatient service and four weeks on one of four subspecialty services, i.e. cardiology, nephrology, neurology or hematology/oncology.

* Obstetrics-Gynecology : The eight-week clerkship introduces the student to the physiology and pathology of obstetrical and gynecological conditions, and relates these to the diagnosis and management of disease
in women. Students acquire knowledge and skills in health care maintenance including preventive medicine and family planning. They also achieve competence
in history taking, diagnosis and clinical management. Students develop skills in utilizing health care resources in the management of patients with disease, in
preventive health care, and health maintenance.
Self-study, supported by frequent small group seminars, complement the clinical experiences conducted on obstetrical and gynecological units at Pitt County Memorial Hospital, the School of Medicine Outpatient Center, and county health departments within the
region.

* Pediatrics : Upon completion of the eight-week
clerkship, students possess the skills and knowledge necessary to perform pediatric medical evaluations. Students are able to record and communicate pertinent data, and formulate and implement management plans for common health concerns for children from birth through adolescence. Preventive health principles for
optimal child health are also emphasized. Students
experience clinical teaching on the pediatric inpatient service and the newborn nursery of University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina. Subspecialty and general
pediatric care are taught at the Brody School of Medicine Pediatric Outpatient Centers. Students also experience rural health in approved pediatric practices in eastern North Carolina.

* Psychiatric Medicine : This eight-week clerkship consists of inpatient, outpatient and didactic experiences. The inpatient rotation is a four-week experience at Cherry Hospital (the regional state psychiatric hospital in Goldsboro) or at the psychiatric unit of Pitt County Memorial Hospital. The outpatient experience usually involves four weeks at a community mental health center or at the Brody School of Medicine Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic. Some students spend four weeks at the local alcohol and drug treatment program. One day a week is devoted to didactic sessions covering psychopharmacology, psychiatric assessment, and child psychiatry plus Psychiatry Grand Rounds. Students perform psychiatric and physical work-ups on assigned inpatients and participate in the assessment and care of outpatients. The goals of the rotation are for the student to hone interviewing skills and to learn the psychiatric interventions that are expected of all non-psychiatrist physicians. The supervision of students’ performance is by attending physicians and residents.

* Surgery : The surgery clerkship is the core of
the surgical education program. During the eight-week rotation, students serve on the general and specialty surgical services of Pitt County Memorial Hospital, the Surgicenter and the associated outpatient clinics, and rotate through private offices and emergency facilities. They assist in the diagnosis and treatment of surgical problems under the direct supervision of the surgical faculty and resident staff. Supporting the clerkship are a series of didactic lectures, rounds and conferences which emphasize the basic principles of surgical physiology, wound care and asepsis, the historical background of surgery, the diagnosis and surgical treatment of various body systems and the emotional
needs of surgical patients. Included in the rotation is a course in surgical technique and experience in the
operating room suites. Upon completion of the course, the student should have the basic training to evaluate the common surgical disorders and to be knowledgeable in their management.

FOURTH YEAR COURSES

In concert with a faculty advisor, students select an individual curriculum that includes the following:
* two months in primary care experiences
* one month in a surgery elective
* one month in a medicine elective
* one month in the "Transition to Residency" selective
* four months in electives
* (a one-month vacation may be taken during the first seven months of the academic year)

Other translation schools in North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (School of Medicine) FIRST YEAR COURSES * The Human Body: Molecules to Cells (Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Preclinical Informatics) : Medica... Address: CB# 7000 Room 125, MacNider Building

Duke University (School of Medicine) FIRST YEAR The first year introduces students to the building blocks of medicine--the basic sciences. Duke pares these subjects down to the essenti... Address: DUMC 3710, Duke University Medical Center

Wake Forest University (School of Medicine) PHASE I : FIRST YEAR COURSES * Human Structure and Development : This 12-week course is an introduction to human structure and development and in... Address: Medical Center Boulevard