ECU School of Dental Medicine earns national award

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - The East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine has received a national award for its advances in social mission.

The school was presented a Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Award for Excellence in Social Mission in Health Professions Education on March 28 during the 2022 Beyond Flexner Conference in Phoenix. The award was one of four Macy Awards presented, and the only honor given in the Institutional Excellence category.

“We are humbled by this recognition; it is one of the most significant honors our school has received since opening our doors to students and residents just over a decade ago,” said Dr. Greg Chadwick, dean of the School of Dental Medicine, as he accepted the award alongside Dr. Margaret Wilson, vice dean. “This award is a beacon — a standard — by which we set our goals for the school’s next decade.”

The social mission encompasses initiatives that teach or improve quality of life in areas including community engagement, diversity, health disparities reduction, value-based care, and impact on the social determinants of health.

“We are inspired by ECU’s vision of creating leaders with a passion to care for the underserved and by their innovative community-based, service-learning model for educating oral health providers,” said Dr. Claire Pomeroy, chair of the award selection committee.