Brody students recognize patients and families with Legacy Teachers Celebration
In the third year of medical school, students step out of the classroom and into clinical settings for the first time as physicians in training. As they interact with patients, many are left with lasting memories and lessons that will serve them through medical school and into their time practicing medicine.
In recognition of these experiences, ECU Health and the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University hosted the sixth annual Legacy Teachers Celebration on April 4. Fourteen students submitted stories, poems, drawings and other expressions of gratitude for their time with a patient and their family that has changed the way they view their role as a future physician.
Dr. Christina Bowen, chief well-being officer at ECU Health, said the event is important to thank patients and their families for making a difference in a medical student’s journey, and it’s also a great opportunity for the students to reflect.
“We have spent the last six years celebrating these relationships between students and patients,” Bowen said. “With each year’s celebrations I have seen an increase in the well-being of our medical students as they practice gratitude for patients, and they’re able to reflect on the impact that those relationships have on how they’ll practice medicine.”
Two students pose for a photo before a verdant backdrop at the sixth annual Legacy Teachers Celebration at the Greenville Hilton on Friday. (Photo by Ariana Shannon, ECU Health)
Andrew Cunningham and Jovanna Martin
One story shared during the event was from Andrew Cunningham, a third-year medical student at the Brody School of Medicine, and Jovanna Martin, a patient at ECU Health Medical Center.
Brody student Andrew Cunningham stands with ECU Health patient Jovanna Martin whom he assisted while working in the clinic.
(Photo by Ariana Shannon, ECU Health)
In February 2024, Martin had a serious health scare in which her hemoglobin levels, which should be around 14, were at just 1.5. She received seven bags of blood, and she was doing well until a September check-in with her provider.
“I went for a normal doctor’s appointment. I didn’t understand, because I was in Battleboro, why they were sending me to Greenville, but I thought that I would just get those blood bags again,” Martin said. “When they saw me, they were like, ‘We don’t want you to drive back home. We want you to go to ER here.’”
That’s when Cunningham met Martin for the first time. He said her lab results looked scary when he first saw them and expected to see someone who looked very sick when he made his way to her in the Emergency Department.
When he got to Martin, he was surprised to find someone in a positive spirit, thanks to her family.
“I remember walking into your room, and you were there with your son and it didn’t matter how bad your labs looked, you were just happy and bubbly,” Cunningham said to Martin. “I could tell you were going to be a mom to him before anything else.”
Martin said while she was far away from the rest of her family, she found Cunningham to be an extension of her family. As she prepared for surgery, she said Cunningham was there to comfort her and help her through the process.
“Every time there was an uncomfortable or a scary moment — and there were a lot of scary moments — whenever he would come in the room with that smile, I was like, ‘He’s here!’” Martin said.
Celebrating human relationships in the study of medicine
Martin and Cunningham had the opportunity to reconnect at the Legacy Teachers Celebration.
Martin said watching a video of their story during the event was emotional, and she was grateful to meet with Cunningham again and discuss their experiences.
For Cunningham, the event was important to connect himself with his purpose as a future physician.
“This is so special to be able to reflect on everything that has happened over the last year. It’s kind of rare to be able to meet patients that you’ve cared for,” Cunningham said. “It’s a great chance to reflect on everything and bring the lessons from the last year back to where we are now. It’s powerful, too, because it’s hard to understand what [Martin is] giving to me, and it’s really rewarding to put that into words.”