Clemmons native awarded prestigious ECU medical school scholarship

Helina Gan, of Clemmons, was one of three incoming medical students at ECU’s Brody School of Medicine to be awarded the university’s most prestigious scholarship. (Photo courtesy of ECU)

Helina Gan, a Clemmons native, was one of three incoming medical students at ECU’s Brody School of Medicine to be awarded the university’s most prestigious scholarship.

Gan was chosen for the Class of 2022 Brody Scholar award – valued at approximately $112,000 – which includes four years of medical school tuition, living expenses and the opportunity to design her own summer enrichment program that can include travel abroad. The award will also support community service projects she may undertake while in medical school.

The West Forsyth High School graduate received bachelor’s degrees in biology and psychology and a minor in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2017.

While in college, Gan – the daughter of Xueling Hu and Huamin Gan, also of Clemmons – spent a majority of her time working with The Arc of the Triangle, which provides one-on-one support to children and adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. She also volunteered at a local community health clinic that offers free health services to individuals who are uninsured or underinsured.

Gan said she has been hooked on the idea of being a doctor since she was a child, but that her passion for medicine grew during her time in college.

“Through my time at UNC, I realized that practicing as a doctor would allow me to address prevalent health disparities in underserved communities at the individual level,” she said. “Medicine is my opportunity to have a career dedicated to service to others.”

While at Brody, Gan said she hopes to learn how to “effectively serve North Carolina communities facing health disparities due to lack of quality, consistent health care.”

“Whether it be innovative clinical solutions such as telemedicine or bigger picture approaches through health policy, I hope to come out of medical school prepared to tackle the problems of health care inaccessibility,” she said, adding she’s planning to pursue a career in primary care. “I plan to practice as a physician who is competent and prepared to meet the needs of underrepresented and underserved populations.”

Gan said being named a Brody Scholar is an “incredible and humbling experience.”

“This honor not only means that I can pursue primary care without the financial burden, but it also reinforces that medicine is my opportunity to commit to a lifetime of serving others and my community,” she said.

Since the program began in 1983, 140 students have received scholarships. About 70 percent of Brody Scholars remain in North Carolina to practice, and the majority of those stay in eastern North Carolina.

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