Working together to stand apart.
What does Dr. Mark Bowling want you to know about working for ECU Health? Bottom line, the patient’s number one. But education is also key. “When you have a medical school and a hospital, there’s going to be research and innovators in promoting science and medicine,” he says. What makes the system so successful? “We do work as a team—and that includes the community physicians.”
Rising to the Challenge of an Underserved Region
After studying medicine at East Carolina University, Dr. Bowling went elsewhere for two fellowships and spent several years in a faculty position before coming back to Greenville to work for East Carolina University and ECU Health. But even when he left, he planned to return. Professionally, he wanted to work in a cutting-edge environment while doing more for the community he’d grown close to—a community that, outside the city of Greenville, is medically underserved and therefore poses unique challenges. On a personal level, Dr. Bowling knew eastern North Carolina was the right place for his family.
“It’s Just a Wonderful Place to Live and Raise a Family”
Getting to the coast in a couple hours or less, getting to the mountains in less than a day—if you love the outdoors, “this is a paradise,” says Dr. Bowling. He also appreciates the cultural opportunities in the region—largely through the presence of East Carolina University. “Having a major university here—you have to think about what that means,” he says. “There’s a tremendous amount to do…and it’s all accessible from this area.”