ECU physicians are best in the country

Best Doctors, Inc. named 47 physicians who work at the Brody School of Medicine on the Best Doctors in America list.

Best Doctors, Inc., based out of Boston, was founded and created by physicians to provide the best medical consultation services. The Best Doctors in America list represents the top 5 percent of physicians in the country, and has more than 46,000 doctors in 400 different specialties. 47 of these doctors are physicians, mentors and teachers through the Brody School of Medicine.

“I think ECU has done an outstanding job of attracting leaders of their field. They work hard with their residents and training their faculty,” said Dr. Danielle Walsh, clinical associate professor of surgery, pediatric surgeon at the Brody School of Medicine and physician named out of the best in the nation. “I think it’s outstanding that they’ve been able to attract that many physicians in such a small town and that their peers throughout the country view them as the best doctors.”

Dr. Walsh, one of the newest physicians at the Brody School of Medicine, was a teacher before she went to medical school. Now, she uses those combined skills to teach the residents and students who come to her through the Brody School of Medicine. She has practiced teaching medical students at hospitals all over the country, including medical students from Harvard at Mass General Hospital.

“Other physicians that are already named best doctors have to nominate you saying you’re a good physician and both good with the patients,” said Dr. Walsh. “What happens after that is they have to re-evaluate you and say ‘Yes, she’s still on top of her field and her patients are pleased with her.’”

Doctors are nominated to the list by their colleagues and cannot nominate or vote for themselves. Voters are given a survey on the medical profession, which includes questions such as, “Would you let this physician care for your family members?”

The Best Doctors’ website states that its methodology for voting mimics the informal peer-to-peer process the doctors use to identify specialists for patients and uses balloting software to get the insight of thousands of professionals. They then confirm all of the credentials and specific areas of expertise.

“It definitely gives me a positive outlook on my future as a doctor because I’m going to be learning from some of the best,” said Kerri Smith, a senior public health studies major who is applying to the Brody School of Medicine in the fall.

The Brody School of Medicine is composed of 336 physicians in different areas of expertise that work closely with one another. There are also a large number of scientists that conduct research for the school.

“As a practicing physician, I feel that we have a real depth of ability in the various departments of the school to take care of complex medical problems,” said Dr. Kathleen Previll, interim associate dean of Academic Affairs for the Brody School of Medicine. “It’s really good to be able to consult with somebody who can help solve a problem.”

The physicians who work at the Brody School of Medicine are focused on teaching. The mission for the school is to promote primary healthcare as a career for medical students and to give the best quality health care to eastern North Carolina, according to Dr. Previll.

“I think it’s a really exciting opportunity. It’s nice to have these kind of resources here in Greenville, and it says a lot about the medical school and the direction that the university is going,” said Alex Richmeider, a senior public health studies major who is in the process of applying to the school of medicine.

This writer can be contacted at news@theeastcarolinian.com.