This year’s Whitehead Lecture was delivered by Cedric Bright, MD, Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence, Director of the Office of Special Programs.
This year’s Whitehead Lecture was delivered by Cedric Bright, MD, Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence, Director of the Office of Special Programs.
The Whitehead Lecture is presented annually and functions as an unofficial convocation at the UNC School of Medicine, welcoming a new class of students to kick off a new academic year.
Each year, second year students vote on a faculty member to deliver the lecture and this year, and Bright was their unanimous choice.
Bright’s lecture was titled “Life Lessons from the Heart” and combined lessons from Bright’s family history with experiences gained over his career as a physician and educator.
In advocating for medical students to become “servant-leaders” Bright said “if service is beneath you, then leadership is beyond you.”
In addition, he told those in attendance to learn and grow from their mistakes and to always remember the ‘Four C’s” or medicine: curiosity, compassion, competence, and care.
The message of his talk was summed up in his final charge. Bright shared a story from his time at the Durham VA Medical Center where, during a physical exam, Bright noticed his patient beginning to tear up. Thinking he must have done something wrong, Bright asked the patient why he was crying. The man told him that Bright was the first doctor he had seen who had physically touched him. Others, he said, spoke with their backs turned, working on the computer throughout his visits.
“Validate the humanity of your patients,” Bright said. “Listen more, talk less, and remember that they are there to see you, not the back of your head. Take the time to look them in the eye.”
Following Bright’s remarks, several faculty and student awards were presented.
A full list of winners:
Faculty Awards:
The Hyman L. Battle Distinguished Excellence in Teaching Award in the Clinical Sciences:
Marco Aleman, MD, Professor of Medicine
Keisha Gibson, MD, MPH, Chief, Pediatric Nephrology, Associate Professor of Medicine
Best Application Phase Block Award:
Hospital, Interventional, and Surgical Care: Kathleen Barnhouse, MD, Anthony Charles, MD, MPH, Christopher Klipstein, MD
Outstanding AHEC Faculty Award:
Catherine Sotir, MD, Department of Family Medicine, Southeastern Area Health Education Center, Wilmington
George T. Wolff Award:
Yee Lam, MD, PhD, MS, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine
Kaiser Permanente Excellence in Teaching Awards:
Family Medicine: Kelly Hemmings, MD, Katie Trigonis, MD
Neurology: William Coleman, MD
Pediatrics: Caroline Newman, MD, Zachary Smith, MD
Surgery: Meredith Kugar, MD, Thaddeus Puzio, MD
Internal Medicine: Patrick O’Shea, MD, MBA, Tony Dang, MD
Obstetrics/Gynecology: Anna Fleischman, MD, Brittany Papworth, MD
Psychiatry: Anna Steffan, MD, Katy Sims, MD
The Hyman Battle Distinguished Excellence in Teaching Award in the Foundation Phase:
Alice Ma, Professor of Medicine, Fellowship Director, Hematology/Oncology Program
The Foundation Phase Outstanding Director Teaching Award:
Edward Kernick, DPM, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology
The Foundation Phase Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award:
Neva Howard, MD, MS, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Best Foundation Phase Coil Award:
Anatomy/Embryology Coil, Edward Kernick, DPM, Coil Director
Student Awards:
Brett Pearce and Lauren K. Brown Memorial Award:
Yousef Abu-Salha
Heusner Pupil Award:
Yousef Abu-Salha
Frank Lee Dameron Award:
Margo Faulk, Anna McKinsey
James A Bryan II Award:
Luisa Maria Paredes
William deB. MacNider Award:
Paul White, Travis Whitt Williams
Lucius Blanchard Carolina Family Loyalty Fund:
Emma Astrike-Davis, Sara King, Patrick Taylor
Carver Medical Student Teaching Awards
Michelle Brownstein, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery
Trista Reid, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Surgery
Alan W. Cross Social Medicine Paper Award:
Elizabeth Hanson
Honorable Mention: Laila Knio