Change of leadership announced for Brody, Health Sciences
Chancellor Philip Rogers announced today a change in leadership for the Brody School of Medicine and the Division of Health Sciences at East Carolina University.
The chancellor has named Dr. Jason Higginson as interim dean of the Brody School of Medicine. A neonatologist, Higginson is chair of the Department of Pediatrics. Since joining Brody in 2012, Higginson has served as chief of neonatology for the department, medical director for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Newborn Medicine, and the pediatrician-in-chief for the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at Vidant Medical Center.
Higginson also holds the rank of Captain in the U.S. Navy Reserves, which he joined in 2012 after 13 years of active duty; he recently returned to ECU after a 12-month active-duty deployment.
Today, Rogers also named Dr. Ron Mitchelson as interim vice chancellor for the Division of Health Sciences. Mitchelson previously served as interim chancellor, provost, and chairman of the Department of Geography. Currently, Mitchelson is professor of geography, special assistant to the chancellor, and co-chair of the committee responsible for planning for a more traditional fall semester post-COVID-19; he joined ECU in 1999.
“I have confidence in Jason Higginson and Ron Mitchelson to lead the Brody School of Medicine and the Division of Health Sciences during this period of transition,” said Rogers. “I am grateful to Dr. Mark Stacy for his service and passion for providing health care to the underserved of eastern North Carolina.”
Higginson said, “I was drawn to the Brody School of Medicine because of its mission. I left a fulfilling career as an active-duty physician in the Navy to become the director of the NICU at Vidant and chair of the ECU Department of Pediatrics. We are the health care engine for the region and provide cutting-edge, compassionate care for people who are often on the margins of society. As we emerge from the disruption that the COVID-19 pandemic has created to the health care system, I believe the Brody School of Medicine has a strong base to build upon.”
Mitchelson said, “ECU has developed superior programs in health sciences and health care over the years. The Colleges of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, the School of Dental Medicine, and the Brody School of Medicine are sources of pride for our institution and our region. While there is clear focus on student success and the region’s health, the impact of these programs extends across all of North Carolina. I will do all I can to support these programs and to ensure their continued progress. This is in everyone’s best interest.”
The Division of Health Sciences comprises the Brody School of Medicine, the School of Dental Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Allied Health Sciences, the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute, the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, and Laupus Health Sciences Library.
Higginson and Mitchelson will serve as interims for the positions vacated by the departure of Dr. Mark Stacy. Stacy joined ECU as Brody’s sixth dean in September 2017 and has served vice chancellor for the Division of Health Sciences since Jan. 1, 2019.
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