A model clinician and educator, a deft administrator, and an inspiring leader, William E. Easterling, Jr. has had a profound influence on the teaching and practice of medicine in North Carolina and beyond.
As chief of staff of North Carolina Memorial Hospital (now UNC Hospitals) from 1974-1989 and in his roles as assistant dean, associate dean, and vice dean of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine over a period of twenty-five years, he provided strong and wise leadership that helped guide these two great institutions to even higher levels of excellence in patient care, education, research, and service.
A native of Raleigh, Dr. Easterling received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his medical degree from UNC. Following an internship in medicine and pediatrics at UNC, he served as assistant senior resident and then as chief resident in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
As a captain in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps, he served for two years as chief of OB-GYN at Sewart AFB in Tennessee. This was followed by a U.S. Public Health traineeship in reproductive physiology at UCLA.
Dr. Easterling returned to Chapel Hill in 1960 to join the faculty of the UNC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He rose to the rank of professor in 1972 and remained a leading member of the department until his retirement in 1999. He is a past president of the Robert A. Ross Obstetrical and Gynecological Society.
“Bill made important basic and clinical contributions to the field of gynecologic endocrinology, and he was for many years among the most respected clinical gynecologists in the state,” says Stuart Bondurant, MD, professor of medicine and dean emeritus of the UNC School of Medicine. “He made major contributions to the design of resident education programs, to gynecologic cancer programs in North Carolina and to the setting of professional standards.”
On the national level, Dr. Easterling chaired the Health Care Commission of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
He was appointed assistant dean of the School of Medicine in 1974, associate dean in 1976, vice dean in 1977, and associate dean for Clinical Affairs in 1981. In these positions, concurrent with his service as hospital chief of staff, Dr. Easterling had responsibility for the clinical administration of the rapidly growing and increasingly complex medical center in Chapel Hill.
“In the many challenges in this area, he demonstrated compassionate and prudent leadership with sensitivity to the commitment to care for the patient and an equal concern for the welfare of faculty, staff, and students,” says William W. McLendon, MD, professor emeritus of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and former director of Clinical Laboratories at UNC Hospitals. “He always worked to promote collegiality and to seek win-win situations for frequently very involved problems. Many of the challenges he dealt with have provided the base for the UNC medical center’s successful adaptation to today’s ever-changing health care arena in the state and nation.”
Dr. Bondurant says that, for many people, Dr. Easterling personified the medical school and hospital.
“His evident devotion, integrity, unflappability, pragmatism, patience, and humor have both represented and shaped the school. His modesty, lack of self promotion, and focus on outcomes rather than credit contributed to his effectiveness and led to underestimation of his accomplishments.”
From 1988 to 1999, Dr. Easterling served the School of Medicine as associate dean for Continuing Medical Education and Alumni Affairs. In this role, as in all others, he distinguished himself and earned the trust and respect of his peers, who elected him president of the Society of Medical College Directors of Continuing Medical Education.
Dr. Easterling served as founding chair of the Group on Faculty Practice of the Association of American Medical Colleges, which is an important source of guidance and support for faculty practice plans across the country. He also provided leadership for numerous other professional organizations. He was president of the North Carolina Division of the American Cancer Society, president of the Durham-Orange County Medical Society, and a twenty-year member of the House of Delegates of the North Carolina Medical Society.
Dr. Easterling’s long and distinguished career in obstetrics and gynecology and his leadership in academic medicine encompass what Dr. McLendon calls “a unique body of contributions.”
In recognition of his remarkable legacy of service to the practice of medicine, excellence in teaching and leadership in the UNC School of Medicine and UNC Hospitals, and outstanding service to the Alumni and to the people of North Carolina, we are proud to present the Distinguished Medical Alumni Faculty Award to Dr. William E. Easterling, Jr.
