Brody welcomes Class of 2011

GREENVILLE, N.C.  —   Seventy-three new medical students capped their first week at the Brody School of Medicine today as they received their symbolic white coats.

As usual, all students are North Carolina residents representing 24 counties from across the state. Thirty-seven are women, 36 are men. They range in age from 20 to 42. Thirteen percent are under-represented minorities. They have undergraduate degrees from 24 different schools, led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (19), ECU (14) and N.C. State University (10). Sixteen of the

From left, Brandon Yarns, Brandi Gilchrist, Ying Zhang and Jennifer King are the newest Brody Scholars. Photo by Cliff Hollis

students have graduate degrees. Their average undergraduate grade-point average is 3.5, and the average graduate GPA is 3.7.

Among the class of 2011 are the four newest Brody Scholars: Brandi Gilchrist, Jennifer King, Brandon Yarns and Ying Zhang. Like the other students, after a week of orientation, they’re eager to get started with classes. Zhang predicted what her first semester will include: “A lot of studying,” she said.

The Brody Scholars program honors J. S. “Sammy” Brody, who died in 1994. He and his brother, Leo, were among the earliest supporters of medical education in eastern North Carolina. The legacy continues through the dedicated efforts of Hyman Brody and David Brody. Subsequent gifts through the Brody Foundation have enabled the medical school to educate new physicians, conduct important research and improve health care in eastern North Carolina.

The scholarship is administered through the ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation.