North Carolina Construction News staff writer
East Carolina University and its construction partners celebrated a significant milestone on Thursday as crews placed the final steel beam atop the new Brody Center for Medical Education, a seven-storey facility that will expand physician training capacity and support healthcare delivery across North Carolina.
The traditional topping-out ceremony marked the completion of the building’s structural framework and highlighted the state’s $265-million investment in medical education infrastructure. The 195,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in the summer of 2027 and is designed to help address growing demand for physicians, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
Delivered through the Tri-Venture partnership of T. A. Loving Company, Barnhill, and Metcon, Inc., and designed by BSA, the project reflects the strength of collaboration at every level. Each milestone reflects the hard work, problem-solving, and progress of our project team as we build a transformative space for future healthcare education and innovation.
The Brody Center for Medical Education will connect directly to the existing Brody Medical Sciences Building and significantly expand educational, research and collaboration space for the Brody School of Medicine. The medical school is recognized as a Tier 1 institution for primary care training and has earned national recognition for producing physicians who serve rural communities while maintaining comparatively low student debt levels.
Construction began in March 2025 and remains on schedule for completion by August 2027.
According to project officials, the new facility will feature two large, flexible learning studios capable of accommodating up to 500 people in lecture or banquet configurations. The spaces can also be divided into classrooms, meeting rooms and seminar areas with seating for up to 136 people each.
Additional educational amenities will include advanced anatomy laboratories, a new simulation and standardized patient centre, huddle rooms, collaboration pods, student study areas and a rooftop terrace. A specialized gross anatomy laboratory with 28 beds and an instructional laboratory supporting neurology, pathology and immunology programs will accommodate up to 144 students.
The building will also introduce four student “house” spaces designed to bring together learners from all four years of medical education. These areas will include lockers, changing facilities and dedicated study carrels to encourage mentorship and collaboration among students.
Dr. Michael Waldrum, dean of the Brody School of Medicine and CEO of ECU Health, said the project represents a transformative investment in healthcare education and regional health outcomes.
“The impact this new facility will have on education, research and regional health is immeasurable,” Waldrum said. “The new state-of-the-art classrooms, study space, anatomy labs and simulation technology will allow our faculty to build on the tradition of excellence at the Brody School of Medicine as we educate the next generation of North Carolina’s physicians.”
The project also includes outdoor gathering areas, ceremonial lawn space and landscaped green areas intended to support campus events and student activities.
In conjunction with the medical education building, ECU is also planning construction of a new 500-space parking garage on the Health Sciences Campus to support future growth.
Once complete, the Brody Center for Medical Education is expected to strengthen ECU’s ability to train physicians who will serve communities across eastern North Carolina and throughout the state, helping address persistent healthcare workforce shortages while advancing medical education and research.