Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health Beaufort Hospital – a campus of ECU Health Medical Center now offers the MISHA Knee System for patients suffering from medial knee osteoarthritis. The MISHA Knee System is designed to reduce the daily physical toll on the knee joint, offer rapid pain relief and preserve patients’ natural anatomy.
“The MISHA Knee System fundamentally changes how we can support patients living with medial knee osteoarthritis by giving them a joint preserving option that delivers real, measurable relief,” said Dr. Dimitri M. Thomas, orthopedic surgeon, ECU Health Beaufort Hospital. “For many people who want to stay active but aren’t ready for a knee replacement, this approach fills a longstanding gap in treatment options. It’s exciting to bring this level of innovation to our community and help patients regain comfort, confidence and mobility.”
Knee osteoarthritis affects more than 15 million Americans and can make everyday activities painful and difficult. Non-surgical treatments such as medications, injections or physical therapy sometimes do not provide relief, and they are often left with ongoing pain and limited mobility. The MISHA Knee System is a less-invasive approach designed to reduce knee pain and help patients return to the activities they enjoy by reducing the peak forces on painful knee joints while walking, running or simply standing. No removal of bone, cartilage or ligament is required.
“ECU Health Beaufort Hospital is committed to ensuring that patients in our region can access advanced, patient centered solutions close to home, and the MISHA Knee System is a powerful example of that commitment,” said Dennis Campbell II, DHA, RN, president, ECU Health Beaufort Hospital. “By offering this innovative treatment locally, patients do not have to travel long distances to receive cutting edge orthopedic care or to find relief earlier in their treatment journey. We are proud to expand access to high quality options that help people stay active, remain in their communities and maintain their quality of life.”
The procedure is covered by Medicare. For those interested in learning more, please contact ECU Health Orthopedics – Washington at 252-946-6513.
Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health’s Office of Community Health is expanding its summer meals program in partnership with Food Lion Feeds, Sodexo and the ECU Health Foundation, adding three new locations to bring nutritious meals to kids while school is out. The summer meal program will be offered in six eastern North Carolina communities — Ahoskie, Greenville, Tarboro, with new locations in Edenton, Roanoke Rapids and Windsor.
“We are excited to continue offering healthy meals during the summer months, and our expansion to Edenton, Roanoke Rapids and Windsor reflects ECU Health’s commitment to nutrition and overall health,” said KaSheta Jackson, vice president of Community Health at ECU Health. “For many children, school is where they receive their most consistent meals and many parents struggle to provide meals when school is out. ECU Health’s Summer Meal Program help fill that gap, ensuring kids and teens are nourished and healthy during months when school is not in session.”
Meals will be available Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with the following dates and locations:
- Ahoskie: The Gathering Place, 701 Church St., June 8-Aug. 20
- Edenton: Shepard-Pruden Library, 106 W. Water St., June 8-Aug. 20
- Greenville: York Memorial AME Zion Church, 201 Tyson St., June 15-Aug. 20
- Roanoke Rapids: East 10th Street Christian Church, 1207 E. 10th St., June 8-Aug. 20
- Tarboro: Braswell Community Center, 1501 Western Boulevard, June 8-Aug. 20
- Windsor: Bertie Cooperative Extension, 104 Lancaster Avenue, June 8-Aug. 20
Since 2021, ECU Health and its partners have provided free meals over the summer. In 2025 alone, the program served more than 4,500 meals.
Valorie Nelson, HIMS operations specialist, joined what was then Pitt County Memorial Hospital in 1981 as a high school student. While her first job was as a volunteer, she has made a few career shifts along the way.
“You could say the hospital and I have grown up together,” she said. “After being a candy striper, I worked in dietary for a while, but I wanted to do more.”
A turning point
Nelson said the support of Dr. Murray Merner, who worked in behavioral health, started her on a new path.
“He gave me this test with abstract questions, and at the end it told you about your strengths and your weaknesses, and it listed some recommended occupations. Dr. Merner said I wasn’t challenged enough and that test helped guide me in a positive direction.”
At that time, Nelson said the hospital offered free classes on-site for team members to progress in their careers.
“You could complete your GED,” she explained. “And they had other classes like basic medical terminology or anatomy and physiology. They weren’t for college credit, but they helped team members excel in the hospital. I took as many as I could, and I did well.”
One of the instructors happened to be a medical records manager, who approached Nelson about a job.
“She asked me what I planned to do after taking the classes, and then offered me a position in medical records,” she said. “I tried to be calm but I was so excited. I knew I wanted a change and I dove in.”
Nelson said she’s had great colleagues and leadership, and she has found her work to remain challenging and interesting.
“Time has a way of going by so quickly, but I’ve been able to advance my career. You have to know that systems are always evolving, and you have to evolve with them,” she said. “Every time I’ve seen an opportunity, I’ve taken it – no one will give it to you. You have to seek it out.”
“When I joined medical records, I didn’t know how to operate the computer,” Nelson continued. “Someone had to show me. From there, I just leaned into it. As systems changed, IS sent a manual and I’d sit down and read it. Then I’d take out a pen and paper and simplify it, creating my own breadcrumbs. You have to be flexible and learn because otherwise you can’t get the work done.”
Looking ahead
Although she recognizes that 45 years is a milestone anniversary, retirement isn’t in Nelson’s immediate future.
“I enjoy what I do – that’s why I’ve been here so long,” she said. “There’s a lot of opportunity in Greenville, but I’ve never found anything that makes me want to leave. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished and I’m grateful. I don’t take my job for granted.”
She does, however, plan to travel.
“I went to Las Vegas recently, and my favorite place to go is the Dominican Republic,” she shared. “My goal is to get to Europe and see the Eiffel Tower and go to Rome.”
For those just starting their careers at ECU Health, Valorie had some advice.
“It’s our job to bring the light. Don’t come to work expecting others to make you have a good day,” she said.
“Have an open mind,” she added. “You never know what you might learn or who you might meet who will change your life. It’s a life changing place.”
Washington, D.C. – Dr. Michael Waldrum, a critical care physician and chief executive officer of ECU Health, testified today before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, urging federal policymakers to pursue targeted solutions to address rising health care costs and protect access to care for America’s rural communities.
During his testimony, Dr. Waldrum emphasized that rural health systems operate under fundamentally different conditions than their urban counterparts and stressed that “one size fits all” policies risk disproportionately harming rural patients and providers.
“I am deeply appreciative of the opportunity to testify before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means to highlight the important, mission-driven work we do here at ECU Health, as well as the challenges we face as a rural safety net health system,” said Dr. Waldrum. “Access to affordable, high quality care should not depend on where someone lives. The challenges facing rural health systems are real and structural, and they require solutions that recognize the unique realities of rural communities.”
As the leader of a nonprofit health system serving more than 1.4 million people across a 29 county region in eastern North Carolina, Dr. Waldrum shared firsthand insights into the pressures facing rural providers, including older and sicker patient populations, limited population growth, workforce shortages and care delivery across vast geographic areas. He noted that if eastern North Carolina were its own state, it would rank among the poorest and sickest in the nation — realities that, when combined with regulatory and financial pressures, have contributed to rural hospital closures and increasing consolidation across the health care landscape.
At ECU Health, those ongoing pressures have required a deliberate, community driven approach to sustaining access. The system operates a regional hub and spoke model in which its academic medical center supports eight hospitals and more than 1,200 providers throughout rural communities — not in pursuit of scale, Dr. Waldrum said, but out of necessity.
“When profit driven systems exit rural markets, nonprofit health systems like ECU Health are left to serve as the safety net,” Dr. Waldrum told committee members. “Thoughtful policy intervention is needed to support rural safety net providers like ECU Health in order to preserve access, improve outcomes and lower costs for rural patients.”
Drawing on experience training and practicing at nationally recognized health care institutions, Dr. Waldrum contrasted the abundant resources available in urban markets with the consequences he has witnessed when even basic access to care erodes in rural areas.
“These dynamics are not theoretical — they are playing out every day in rural communities across America,” he said.
ECU Health is actively transforming its rural academic regional system of care to lower costs, sustain essential services and support the economic vitality of eastern North Carolina. While progress has been made, Dr. Waldrum stressed that meaningful, lasting solutions will require partnerships with federal policymakers.
As Congress weighs health care affordability and payment policy, he encouraged committee members to design approaches that account for the needs of the nation’s 66 million rural residents and avoid inadvertently disadvantaging communities already facing limited access.
“We recognize the immense challenge before Congress,” Dr. Waldrum said. “ECU Health stands ready to work with policymakers on solutions that strengthen access and affordability and ensure rural communities are not left behind.”
Greenville, NC – Dr. Warqaa Akram, colorectal surgeon with ECU Health Cancer Care, became the first surgeon in North Carolina to perform colorectal procedures using the da Vinci Single Port (SP) robotic platform. Dr. Akram completed the state’s first two single port colorectal surgeries on March 16, 2026, at ECU Health Medical Center.
The da Vinci SP system allows surgeons to perform complex colorectal procedures through a single small incision — which may be hidden in the belly button or along the waistline — rather than multiple incisions required in traditional minimally invasive surgery. Because the incision also serves as the extraction site, patients experience a single incision operation.
Dr. Warqaa Akram
“This platform opens a new chapter in colorectal surgery, allowing us to offer patients advanced, minimally invasive care through a single small incision,” said Dr. Akram. “With improved visualization and greater precision, we can preserve healthy tissue and offer a less invasive option – tailored to each patient – for both cancerous and non cancerous conditions. Integrating this technology into ECU Health’s surgical oncology program further enhances our ability to deliver advanced, high quality surgical care close to home for the communities we serve.”
The da Vinci SP system provides enhanced visualization and access to angles previously difficult to reach. This allows surgeons to address polyps and tumors higher in the rectum that were difficult to treat in the past. ECU Health will use the SP platform for a wide range of colorectal procedures, including colon and rectal cancer resections, partial and total colectomies, surgery for inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis surgery, rectal prolapse repair ostomy reversals and minimally invasive resections for select benign or early rectal tumors.
“Being able to offer this technology means patients in eastern North Carolina can receive advanced colorectal care close to home,” said Jay Briley, president of ECU Health Medical Center. “We are proud to be the first institution in the state to perform this single‑port robotic colorectal surgery, expanding access to innovative, minimally invasive treatment options. This milestone reflects our commitment to ensuring patients in our region don’t have to travel long distances to receive the highest level of care.”
ECU Health team members that were part of the new procedure include: Warqaa Akram, MD, FACS, Jennifer Bryant, RN, Paula Boyd, surgical technologist, and Smith Accius, surgical first assist.
Fourth-year medical students from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University learned where they will begin their career as medical residents during Match Day, March 20, and nine won’t have to look far to find their new home.
The Brody School of Medicine’s latest class continued the institution’s established track record of training future family medicine and primary care physicians. Of the 74-person class, 39 will enter a primary care residency. Nearly half matched at a North Carolina hospital and nine matched to ECU Health Medical Center.
“These students share a commitment to service that will change patients’ lives, and today we celebrate that commitment,” said Dr. Michael Waldrum, ECU Health CEO and dean of the Brody School of Medicine. “In their four years at the Brody School of Medicine they have learned how to heal, certainly, but also how to communicate and connect with people in the important landscape of rural health care. Their impact will be felt in communities across the nation, including right here in eastern North Carolina. I am exceptionally proud of them all and happy to welcome the nine continuing their journey here at ECU Health.”
Match Day was a full circle moment for Blaiz Rodman, a native of Kill Devil Hills who matched into physical medicine and rehabilitation at ECU Health. When Rodman was 16, he was in a car accident that broke a vertebra in his spine, which required fusion surgery to put titanium rods and screws in his back.
“That’s what made me really want to become a doctor and help people going through something traumatic like that in their life,” Rodman said. “It’s really why I chose rehabilitation as a specialty to go to.”
Rodman said he is healthy now and able to touch his toes, run, and play basketball. On Match Day he was excited to take his next step as an ECU Health resident.
“I love the people here. All of the people in the program are amazing,” Rodman said. “I get to stay close to my friends and my family so I’m really happy.”
Haris Shehzad also matched into physical medicine and rehabilitation at ECU Health. He agreed with Rodman that his experience working with current residents, faculty and team members have him excited to continue that relationship. As a first-generation college student, Shehzad said he wants to be a role model for others.
“I chose medicine because I really wanted to help my community,” Shehzad said. “I think that representation is very important because it provides people of different cultures a good image. Patients are more comfortable. I want to provide that comfort.”
Match Day continued a streak for Emily Tate, who matched into emergency medicine at ECU Health. A “triple Pirate,” Tate earned her undergraduate, graduate and now medical education at ECU and the Brody School of Medicine. She spent years teaching at ECU before she followed her calling into patient care.
“I have always wanted to go into medicine and I’m just so happy to be here at the end of this step in my journey,” Tate said. “Medicine is a combination of all of the things I like – education, patient care, and research are all very important to me. I’m very happy to do those things here in the place that I have trained up to this point.
“I’ve really loved it here and always feel very supported. I’m glad to work with the people who have helped me get to this point. I’m ready to shoot for the stars and be the best emergency medicine physician I can be.”
A fellow triple Pirate, Cooper Butts, was accepted into the Brody School of Medicine’s Early Assurance Scholars program when he decided to come to ECU for an undergraduate degree. Early Assurance Scholars uphold high academic standards and participate in group and enrichment activities in exchange for a guaranteed seat in their medical school classes. He said the investment made in him as an 18-year-old inspired him to want to serve eastern North Carolina.
“I felt like I need to give back to the community since they put their investment in me,” Butts said. “I’ve enjoyed my training here, so I wanted to stay – not only for the great training and experiences that I know I can get here and have gotten here, but just for the people and the patient population as well.”
Emily Gerlach is an eastern North Carolina native who was overjoyed to match into the obstetrics and gynecology program at ECU Health for residency. She said serving the community she calls home is an opportunity she looks forward to for years to come.
“I think ECU Health has an emphasis on rural health care and it cares for everyone east of I-95, basically,” said Gerlach “ECU Health Medical Center is a tertiary care center, academic medical center and I think that’s an amazing place to train with what I want to do – working in rural eastern North Carolina in the future.”
ECU Health, Safe Kids Pitt County, Pitt County Council on Aging and the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office helped Pitt County residents do a little spring cleaning during the 16th annual Operation Medicine Drop on Friday, March 13, at the Pitt County Council on Aging. The annual event gives residents the opportunity to drop off unused, unwanted or expired medication for safe disposal.
Operation Medicine Drop marks ECU Health’s commitment to educating the public about the importance of safe disposal.
More than 67,000 children go to an emergency room for medicine poisoning each year, according to a study by Safe Kids Worldwide.
Ellen Walston, injury prevention program coordinator and Safe Kids Pitt County coordinator at ECU Health, said the hosts gathered 244 pounds of medication. She said the partnership is essential to keep those medications out of the hands of small children.
“Local law enforcement agencies maintain drop boxes for people to dispose of their medication year-round,” Walston said. “It’s convenient and we don’t want people to hold onto them. We want them to dispose of them either at our annual event in March or throughout the year at a permanent drop box.”
Operation Medicine Drop serves as a reminder that those resources are available to the public.
“It also protects our waterways,” Walston said. “People tend to flush medications, and we do not want them to do that. We want safe disposal.”
ECU Health also partnered with the Pitt County Council on Aging to help residents shred their unwanted documents. Volunteers from the North Carolina Department of Transportation helped guide a long line of vehicles to a paper shredding truck where waste bins full of documents were able to be safely disposed of.
Since 2010, Operation Medicine Drop campaigns have successfully incinerated more than 422 million pills collected through permanent drop boxes and more than 4,600 events across North Carolina. Operation Medicine Drop is a partnership between Safe Kids North Carolina, the North Carolina Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the State Bureau of Investigation.
Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health today announced the appointment of Cathy Yablonski as the new president of Outer Banks Health following an extensive national search. Yablonski will officially join the organization on April 20.
Cathy Yablonski
“I am deeply honored to join the Outer Banks Health team,” Yablonski said. “From the very beginning, I was struck by the health system’s profound dedication to the community it serves. I’m eager to collaborate with ECU Health and Chesapeake Regional Healthcare to strengthen and expand the care we provide to both year round residents and the visitors who make the Outer Banks such a special place.”
Yablonski brings more than 30 years of progressive health care leadership experience, including hospital administration, ambulatory strategy, physician practice management and system‑level operations. She most recently served as senior vice president and chief ambulatory operations officer for Mary Washington Healthcare in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where she oversaw a division of more than 1,200 team members. Previously, she spent 14 years as chief executive of Stafford Hospital, a community hospital within the Mary Washington Healthcare system.
“Cathy is a relationship‑driven, patient‑centered leader with a deep commitment to quality, operational excellence and community health,” said Van Smith, president, ECU Health Community Hospitals. “Her experience and leadership style align seamlessly with ECU Health’s mission and values. I have full confidence she will continue to advance Outer Banks Health’s reputation of providing outstanding care.”
Outer Banks Health’s strong partnership with Dare County is a key component of expanding access to high quality care for residents and visitors. With the support of county leaders, the health system continues to focus on expanding essential services and strengthening its ability to meet the community’s evolving needs locally.
“Cathy is joining an incredible team and a local community that takes great pride in having high-quality care available here in the Outer Banks,” said Myra L. Bone, chair of the Outer Banks Health Board. “Her collaborative spirit and strong commitment to local partnerships make her an exceptional fit for this role. We’re confident she will continue to strengthen our relationships across Dare County and with community leaders as we work together to support the health and well being of the Outer Banks.”
Yablonski’s appointment follows the retirement of Ronnie Sloan, who will conclude his career-distinguished service on April 1. Smith will serve as interim president of Outer Banks Health until Yablonski officially joins the organization on April 20.
A transformational $10 million gift from David and Laura Brody of Raleigh, and Hyman and Stacy Brody of Greenville, will support and expand the Brody Scholars Program, East Carolina University and ECU Health Foundation announced today.
The university will honor the family and their steadfast ties to the institution and region with the naming of the new 195,000‑square‑foot Brody Center for Medical Education when it opens for the 2027-28 academic year. Approved by the ECU Board of Trustees on Feb. 13, the naming recognizes a decades‑long philanthropic relationship between the family and the university to strengthen ECU’s mission.
The gift directly strengthens the Brody Scholars Program and the Brody School of Medicine’s mission to train physicians to serve North Carolina, especially in rural and underserved communities.
“The Brody family has once again demonstrated its extraordinary commitment to the mission and success of East Carolina University,” Chancellor Philip Rogers said. “For nearly 50 years, our university has answered the call to train high quality physicians who will meet the health care needs of our rural communities. The state of North Carolina has put its trust in us to continue that success. I am profoundly appreciative of the Brody family’s unwavering generosity and steadfast commitment to enhancing the health and well-being of our region.”
“This gift builds upon the significant funding put forward by the North Carolina General Assembly and the UNC System Board of Governors to advance the future of health care in our state,” cousins Hyman Brody and David Brody said, before thanking those elected and appointed leaders as well as Rogers, deans of the school Drs. Michael Waldrum and Jason Higginson, and others whose work has made the new building a reality.
Next year, the medical school marks 50 years since the first four-year medical school class arrived on campus. In 1999, the ECU Board of Trustees named the school, the Brody School of Medicine — the first time at the university a school had been named for a donor — in recognition of the family’s decades of significant contribution.
“Our family’s connection to East Carolina University dates to 1947 when (former Chancellor) Dr. Leo Jenkins’ friendship with my father, Morris, and my uncles, Sammy and Leo, planted seeds that grew into a shared belief in this university’s mission,” Hyman Brody said. “That relationship led to our family’s initial support of the School of Medicine — a commitment rooted not only in philanthropy but stewardship and partnership.”
Along with improving health outcomes in the region, the Brody family has funded arguably the premier medical school scholarship in North Carolina — the Brody Scholars program. It provides full tuition, fees and enrichment opportunities for four years of medical education. The Brody family’s latest contribution will expand the Brody Scholars Program. Today, there are 12 Brody Scholars at the Brody School of Medicine and 147 alumni of the Brody Scholars Program.
“This contribution to the Center for Medical Education is especially meaningful to Laura and me because it expands the Brody Scholars Program so more students can graduate medical school with little or no debt and focus on what matters most: caring for patients,” said David Brody. “Investing in those students is, to us, exactly what doing good looks like.”
The family’s gift will be added to an existing endowment dedicated solely to supporting the Brody Scholars Program, according to Dr. Scott Senatore, chief philanthropy officer with the ECU Health Foundation. The investment ensures long-term sustainability for the scholarship and signals the importance of philanthropy in advancing medical education, supporting community health and inspiring future generosity. The Brody family’s cumulative giving to ECU now totals more than $35 million.
The new Brody Center for Medical Education will serve as one of ECU’s most advanced instructional facilities, enabling the medical school to expand its class size to 120 students while offering state-of-the-art simulation spaces, learning studios, a new anatomy lab, student collaboration spaces and outdoor gathering areas. Construction of the new $265 million facility is funded by the state of North Carolina.
“The Brody School of Medicine was founded to meet the health care needs of our state, and this gift advances that mission in profound ways,” said Waldrum, who along with his academic role, is also CEO of ECU Health. “Brody Scholars become the kind of physicians every community needs — compassionate, skilled and committed to service. This investment ensures that more of those physicians will stay in North Carolina, where their impact is immeasurable. It is deeply gratifying to know that the Brody name will accompany this new state-of-the-art facility.”
The Brody School of Medicine is nationally recognized for graduating physicians who choose primary care specialties and practice in rural communities historically underserved by medicine. The new naming gift reinforces ECU as a leader in this mission and encourages additional philanthropic investment in the university’s medical education and health sciences enterprise.
Greenville, NC – The North Carolina Healthcare Association (NCHA) announced that Brian Floyd, MBA, RN, Chief Operating Officer of ECU Health, has been elected to serve as chair of the association’s 2026–2027 Board of Trustees. As chair, Floyd will help guide the association’s strategic direction and oversee its efforts to advance policies and partnerships that improve the health of communities across North Carolina.
“I am honored to serve as chair of the NCHA Board of Trustees to work alongside leaders from across the state to strengthen our health care system and support the incredible teams who care for our communities every day,” said Floyd. “Ensuring that rural health care remains at the forefront of statewide policy and investment will continue to be a driving priority for me as we move forward together. I look forward to championing the health care needs of North Carolinians and helping expand access to high‑quality care across our state, especially in rural communities.”
Floyd began his career as a nurse in the post‑operative cardiac surgery unit at ECU Health Medical Center and brings nearly three decades of experience in health care leadership and operations. His administrative roles have included physician practice management, service line development, hospital operations and serving as the president of ECU Health Medical Center where he led several expansions to today’s nearly 1,000 bed capacity. He now serves as chief operating officer for ECU Health with oversight of the health system clinical enterprise in eastern North Carolina.
A long‑time advocate for rural health care, Floyd is deeply committed to meeting the health needs of the region. He also contributes his expertise on several national and state boards, including the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board, the North Carolina State Health Coordinating Council and the NCWorks Commission (by gubernatorial appointment), the Governor’s Council on Workforce and Apprenticeship, Pitt Community College Board and the NCHA Board. Floyd has served on the NCHA Board since 2023 and is currently serving as NCHA Chair.
“NCHA is incredibly fortunate to have Brian Floyd as our Board Chair,” said NCHA President and CEO Josh Dobson. “His exceptional leadership and extensive expertise in providing high quality healthcare, especially in a rural setting, makes him the ideal chair for our advocacy organization. His proven ability to build strong relationships and navigate complex health care challenges positions us well toward achieving our goals of improving the health of our state.”