Training and serving in some of the east's finest institutions never gave Dr. James A. Hallock what he found in eastern North Carolina: A mission that really counted.

That mission - to serve the region, teach minority physicians and develop family doctors - drew him to Greenville in 1988 as dean of the medical school.

"We are one of the most rural, most poor regions of the country," he says. "We have a medical school whose mission, in part, is to serve the healthcare needs of the region. Our hospital partner bought into that mission, county commissioners bought into that mission and they all said that Yes, they would serve the region."

That commitment still defines the relationship between the hospital and medical school, an accomplishment Hallock believes is rare. "We have made some very wise decisions along the way," he says.

During Hallock's tenure the medical school has developed in research, telemedicine and robotics, but it has never lost its dedication to the people it serves. He credits that success to a strong relationship with the hospital.

Hallock, a New Jersey native and graduate of Georgetown University's medical school, worked as a pediatrician in Philadelphia and at the Air Force in Biloxie, Miss., before accepting a post as faculty member and associate dean at the University of South Florida. He stepped down as dean in February, 2001.

He first met the hospital's administrative staff as part of his interview for the dean's post at ECU. "All of those were very, very pleasant interactions," he remembers.

His overall impression is still a potent memory. "Every single person I bumpted into, whether at the hospital or the medical school, knew the mission. We have been able to use that service mission as the binding force between the medical school, the university, the hospital, the practicing community and the region."

Another vital force in the medical center's success is what he calls the "synergy," or dynamic cooperation, between its many sections. He noticed its positive effects early on. "The relationship between the hospital and the medical school is crafted in a way very different from what I was used to at other community-based medical schools," he says. "It seemed the folks had put the relationship together here and solved problems in the correct ways."

He praises the hospital's stability as a key factor in the medical school's ability to flourish. "The healthcare evolution that took place in this country - the change in reimbursements, the buying and selling of hospitals and medical practices - caused a lot of distress around the country," he says. "We seem to have been able to avoid these, by virtue of our demographics, our geographics and wisdom on our part in not making some of those decisions."

James A. Hallock, MD