Med school hits 125th year

UNC led a revolutionary movement in medical education when it became the first school in North Carolina to establish a medical program soon after the end of the Civil War.

University President Kemp Plummer Battle advocated to establish a school that would prepare students to enter programs at leading medical colleges, and in February of 1879 UNC's Board of Trustees followed through on his suggestion.

Exactly 125 year later, UNC administrators, faculty and alumni of the School of Medicine gathered in the Carolina Club of the George Watts Hill Alumni Center on Thursday night to celebrate both the anniversary of the School of Medicine and the 50th anniversary of the graduation of the first four-year class.

During the past 125 years, the school has grown from a modest two-year program that admitted 37 students during its first six years to a highly touted four-year program.

The school graduated its first four-year class of 48 members in 1954 and now boasts 1,200 students and 1,300 faculty members, Chancellor James Moeser said during the celebration.

Person Hall first housed the medical school. Caldwell Hall, the first University building planned with adequate laboratories, classrooms and library space for medical instruction, opened in 1912.

Today, the School of Medicine has a legion of impressive facilities and is a national leader in medical education.

The school ranked 20th in the National Institutes of Health fiscal 2003 awards to medical schools, with $199.1 million in NIH funding, said Leslie Lang, director of science communications for the Medical Center Public Affairs department.

Nancy Nye, administrator of the Department of Pathology, has worked at UNC for her entire career She lauded tremendous growth, an influx of distinguished researchers and work in education as her favorite aspects of the school.

The anniversary also was noted with the Norma Berryhill Distinguished Lecture, a tradition at the University since 1985 to honor the school's faculty and scholars.

"(The lecture) reaffirms a commitment to scholarship and students," said William Roper, dean of the School of Medicine.

The lecture is named after Norma Berryhill, the wife of Walter Reece Berryhill, who served as dean of the School of Medicine for an unprecedented 24 years and facilitated the expansion of the school to a four-year program.

"(The Berryhills) gave the medical school its bones and, more importantly, its heart and soul," said George Cox, president of the Medical Alumni Association.

Cox said the couple changed the atmosphere at medical schools by providing a warm and caring environment that sought to graduate compassionate and caring physicians and to still demand the best efforts from students.

Moeser also recognized the extraordinary contributions of Norma Berryhill. Her legacy of excellence encourages faculty to "carry on her contributions to the University," he said.

Philip Bromberg, the M.D. Bonner professor in pulmonary and allied diseases, highlighted the achievements of the Berryhills and praised their idealism and vision during Thursday's event.

When Reece Berryhill joined the UNC staff as acting dean of the school in 1940, he had an ambitious agenda, Bromberg said.

Berryhill's goals included "making good medical care available to North Carolina residents, and creating and maintaining an environment of scholarship befitting an academic institution," Bromberg said.

While he noted that his greatest satisfaction at the school has been the successes of his colleagues, Bromberg called for a return to the collegiality that pervaded the school during the Berryhill's tenure.

The task for UNC's faculty is "to keep intact the ideals and beliefs of the remarkable couple," he said.

Contact the University Editor at udesk@email.unc.edu.