Brody School of Medicine inducts 14th Gold Humanism Honor Society class
The national organization recruits role models for compassionate, patient-centered care.
These 10 Brody School of Medicine fourth-year students were inducted into the national Gold Humanism Honor Society on May 20 in a banquet ceremony on campus. (Photos by Rhett Butler)
The East Carolina University (ECU) Brody School of Medicine recently honored 16 new members — 10 medical students and six ECU Health residents — inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society, a national organization that recognizes excellence in compassionate, patient-centered care. This marks the 14th class of inductees for Brody’s chapter, established in 2011.
The induction ceremony at the East Carolina Heart Institute, featured a banquet dinner and remarks from medical school faculty and staff at ECU Health, including Dr. Amanda Higginson, associate dean for student affairs, clinical sciences. “Medical science advances quickly, and our students are charged with keeping up on standards of care, but the practice of medicine is so much more than this,” she said. “The Gold Humanism Society reminds us that healing is an act of compassion and connection that springs from the part of us that first dreamed of being doctors.”
The newly inducted medical students are Brooke Allen, Manthi Dissanayake, Tyler Evangelous, Kathryn Flax, Reid Gudger, Hannah Herrick, Kena Lemu, Morgan Maner, Emily Moore, and Godgive Umozurike. The resident inductees include OB-GYN providers Dr. Adelaide Robbins and Dr. Anna Beth Robertson, surgeons Dr. Gwendolyn Carnighan and Dr. Micah Holloway, Dr. Maximo Acevedo from internal medicine/pediatrics, and Dr. Lauren Jordan from family medicine.
The night’s keynote speaker was Dr. Jessica C. Dudley, Chief Clinical Officer for Press Ganey, the health care company that develops, distributes and interprets patient satisfaction surveys.
These six ECU-ECU Health medical residents were inducted into the national Gold Humanism Honor Society on May 20 in a banquet ceremony on campus. (Photos by Rhett Butler)
Begun in 2002 by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, the society has over 180 chapters in medical schools and residency programs and more than 45,000 members nationwide. It honors individuals who exemplify humanistic patient care and who serve as role models in medicine. Members are selected based on peer nominations during their third year of medical school, recognizing qualities such as empathy, altruism, integrity and service. Each year, chapters may induct up to 15% of the medical student class, along with residents and faculty members.
Inductees are expected to participate in initiatives that promote humanism, such as Solidarity Week for Compassionate Patient Care and Thank a Resident Day. During their fourth year, medical student members undertake projects that exemplify humanistic values, furthering the society’s mission.
“Humanism in medicine, to me, is the willingness to sit with discomfort, both our own and our patients’,” said Dissanayake, a Schweitzer Fellow and a member of the Class of 2026. “I believe humanism lives in these small, quiet moments of emotional honesty, allowing trust to be built and healing to begin.”
“My belief that every individual is created with inherent worth in the image of God deeply drives my commitment to humanism in medicine,” said Flax, another ECU Medical student set to graduate in 2026. “We often hesitate to bring up faith as it can feel ‘safer’ to focus solely on the medicine. However, in taking the time to truly listen to our patients, we often discover that many draw strength from some form of faith, something greater than themselves [that] offers strength and hope in moments where science and medicine reach their limits.”
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation, founded in 1988 by Dr. Arnold Gold and his wife Sandra, aims to promote and sustain humanism in health care. In addition to the society, the foundation sponsors the annual White Coat ceremony.