Brody faculty member receives award from state society

Dr. James deVente, associate professor in the Brody School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Dr. James deVente, associate professor in the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has received the Harold Pollard III Award from the North Carolina Obstetrical and Gynecological Society.

The award recognizes achievement, influence, character and attitude exemplified by Dr. Harold C. Pollard III and is a tribute to Pollard’s life as a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology for nearly 40 years. Pollard passed away in 2017.

The award was established in 2018 and honors physicians who are also notable leaders, mentors, advocates and public servants.

“I am very grateful to be chosen for this award,” said deVente, a Brody alumnus. “I knew Dr. Pollard who I deeply respected as a colleague and mentor, and having my name associated with his is humbling.”

Dr. Kerianne Crockett, clinical assistant professor in Brody’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and member of the N.C. Ob/Gyn Society’s Executive Committee, introduced deVente during the society’s annual award ceremony.

“Jim has had tremendous influence on our medical community, both in a micro and a macro sense,” Crockett said. “He is singularly focused on making eastern North Carolina a better place to be born.”

Crockett said deVente has not only impacted the field through his numerous publications and presentations, but also in the lasting lessons he leaves with students and residents.

“He inspires and influences residents and students every day,” she said. “As a former resident, I can say with good authority that he is a favorite among learners. He has made a tremendous impression on so many of us and is a huge part of the voice I hear in my head every day when I’m making hard management decisions.”

After earning his medical degree from Brody in 2001, deVente also completed his residency and internship at Brody in 2005. He also earned a Ph.D. from Brody in 1996 and a master’s degree from ECU in 1992.

Crockett said deVente’s career has been dedicated to improving care for patients in the East and across North Carolina.

“He has been involved with perinatal quality work at the state level for many years,” she said. “In his role as medical director of labor and delivery at our hospital, he leads the perineal outreach to the other hospitals in our network with the aim of standardizing and improving the quality of care patients receive throughout the region.”