Guideposts for Progress | Eastern North Carolina Now

Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of ECU News Services. The author of this post is Crystal Baity.


    East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine is one of the nation's most diverse medical schools according to a new ranking.

    In addition, Brody was ranked among the best in the country for primary care in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools released March 30.

    ECU graduate programs in education, English, library science, public administration and public health also were included in updated rankings for 2022.

    U.S. News worked with the Robert Graham Center, a division of the American Academy of Family Physicians, to publish four new standalone rankings for medical schools.

    The four new areas and Brody's rankings are:

• Most Diverse Medical Schools — 13th (24.9% of Brody enrollment from underrepresented minorities defined as Black or African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander; 68.5% of enrollment from underrepresented minority students relative to state or national proportions)
• Most Graduates Practicing in Primary Care Fields — 10th (40.1% practicing primary care)
• Most Graduates Practicing in Rural Areas — 28th
• Most Graduates Practicing in Health Professional Shortage Areas — 16th (51.33% of graduates practice in federally-defined geographic areas, populations or facilities with a shortage of primary, dental or mental health care providers).

    Brody ranked the highest for medical schools in North Carolina in each of the four new categories. Brody also ranked 28th in primary care for best medical schools.

    "The Brody School of Medicine's latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report reflect our values and dedication to our mission. Being honored in the areas of diversity, family medicine and primary care, as well as producing physicians who practice in rural areas and health professional shortage areas, speaks well and loudly to the commitment of our faculty and students to improving health care for rural North Carolina," said Dr. Mark Stacy, dean of the Brody School of Medicine and vice chancellor for ECU's Division of Health Sciences. "These rankings serve as guideposts as we assess our progress and continue to uphold the promises we made to the east and to the people of North Carolina."

    In addition, ECU's graduate education program ranked 136th out of 277 ranked, placing it in the top 50% of programs nationwide. U.S. News weighs factors such as faculty resources, reputation and research activity to rank the top graduate education programs.

    Other ECU programs in updated 2022 rankings are: Ph.D. in English, 147th; master's in library science, 47th; master of public administration, 146th; and master of public health, 123rd.

    U.S. News periodically — not annually — ranks programs in the sciences, social sciences and humanities, health and other areas based solely on a survey of academics at peer institutions.

    Professional school programs in business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing, including specialties in each area, are ranked each year by U.S. News. Those rankings are based on expert opinions about program excellence, and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty, research and students.

    Programs that are offered predominantly online are ranked separately in U.S. News Best Online Programs, which is released at a different time of year.

    For more information, visit the U.S. News & World Report website.