{"id":6325,"date":"2026-03-10T14:37:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T18:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/?p=6325"},"modified":"2026-03-23T15:56:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T19:56:24","slug":"a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Wherever we go, we take Carolina with us’: A family legacy rooted in Carolina medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Jack
Jack Leland wearing his white coat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Growing up in Tarboro, North Carolina, Jack Leland\u00a0saw firsthand\u00a0the impact of medicine.\u00a0His\u00a0parents,\u00a0Bill\u00a0Leland (MD \u201887) and Lisa Sykes Leland (MD \u201889), were pillars in the small town,\u00a0known not only for their medical\u00a0expertise\u00a0but for their deep commitment to service.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople would come up to my parents in Walmart and ask about a rash even though neither of them\u00a0are\u00a0dermatologists,\u201d Jack said. \u201c<\/span>People knew\u00a0who\u00a0they\u00a0were and trusted\u00a0them\u00a0to ask for help.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, Jack is preparing for his own career in medicine. On March 20, he and\u00a0his classmates in the\u00a0UNC School of Medicine\u00a0Class of 2026\u00a0will gather for Match Day, learning where they will continue their training as resident physicians.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Finding his\u00a0own\u00a0path to medicine<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Despite\u00a0growing up\u00a0around\u00a0medicine,\u00a0Jack did not always plan to follow his parents\u2019 footsteps.\u00a0As an\u00a0undergraduate at UNC,\u00a0he\u00a0was torn\u00a0between pre-med and journalism.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was\u00a0not\u00a0until he spent two gap years at a farmworker clinic in Benson, North Carolina,\u00a0that\u00a0his\u00a0path\u00a0became clear.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoing gap years after college was important for me to figure out whether medicine was something I wanted to do for myself and not just because my parents did it,\u201d Jack said. \u201cThat was\u00a0a good way\u00a0for me to decide that it was something I wanted for myself.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the clinic,\u00a0Jack\u00a0worked\u00a0closely\u00a0with Dr. Eugene Maynard\u00a0and saw\u00a0the trust he built through long-term relationships\u00a0with patients from\u00a0different backgrounds.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a powerful introduction to primary care for me,\u201d Jack said. \u201cI saw how we could be part of\u00a0patients\u2019\u00a0lives in a meaningful way. And\u00a0not just for the patient, but\u00a0for their\u00a0families and communities as well.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The same philosophy\u00a0has long guided\u00a0Jack\u2019s father.\u00a0As a medical student,\u00a0Bill\u00a0made intentional choices to prepare for a career rooted in service. Ahead of his own Match Day,\u00a0he sought residency programs\u00a0where he could\u00a0strengthen\u00a0his medical Spanish,\u00a0ultimately\u00a0training\u00a0at the University of Texas in San Antonio. That\u00a0decision later led to\u00a0participation in multiple\u00a0medical mission trips over the years.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout\u00a0my career, that has been the most rewarding part of medicine,\u201d said\u00a0Bill, now a gastroenterologist at ECU Health. \u201cThe moments when you\u2019re not serving the\u00a0job but\u00a0serving the patient.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Bill
Bill and Jack Leland outside of Tenwek Hospital in Kenya.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once at\u00a0the\u00a0UNC School of Medicine, Jack began\u00a0putting that\u00a0same\u00a0approach into practice.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Right away, he\u00a0became involved\u00a0in SHAC,\u00a0the student-led clinic that provides free health care and services to underserved populations.\u00a0He\u00a0also\u00a0joined CAMPOS, the medical Spanish curriculum designed to train physicians\u00a0to\u00a0care for the growing Latino\u00a0patient\u00a0population.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From 2024-2025, Jack\u00a0was\u00a0selected as\u00a0a Schweitzer Fellow\u00a0and completed\u00a0a year-long project focused on\u00a0improving\u00a0health literacy for farmworkers\u00a0living\u00a0with diabetes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As he prepares for residency, Jack remains drawn to hospital medicine and primary care to continue advocating for Spanish-speaking patients.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Honoring his mother\u2019s legacy<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Over\u00a0his eight\u00a0years\u00a0at UNC, Jack\u00a0has\u00a0lived out\u00a0many of the same experiences that his parents\u00a0once had\u00a0in\u00a0Chapel Hill. It\u00a0is\u00a0where\u00a0Bill\u00a0and Lisa met as undergraduates and attended medical school together\u00a0before\u00a0building a life with a shared purpose.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That legacy carries a profound loss. In 2004,\u00a0Lisa died in a car accident. Jack\u00a0continues to honor her memory\u00a0throughout his medical school journey.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lisa
Lisa Sykes Leland as a medical student.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When he\u00a0was first accepted to UNC School of Medicine, his sister sent him an old\u00a0photograph\u00a0of his mother with one of her medical textbooks,\u00a0noting how\u00a0poignant\u00a0it was that Jack would follow the same path.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is really meaningful to follow in her footsteps and to pursue something that she pursued,\u201d Jack said.\u00a0\u201cIt makes me feel closer to her in a lot of ways.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As Match Day approaches,\u00a0uncertainty looms\u00a0about\u00a0where Jack will\u00a0spend\u00a0the next chapter of his life.\u00a0When asked what Lisa might say at this moment,\u00a0Bill\u00a0did not hesitate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think Lisa would encourage him to make decisions that are important to him, important to his family and important to those that he serves,\u201d\u00a0Bill\u00a0said. \u201cShe always\u00a0lived for\u00a0something greater\u00a0than herself. So, I think she would encourage Jack to do the same thing.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jack and his father have\u00a0remained\u00a0close\u00a0throughout medical school.\u00a0Bill\u00a0has been\u00a0a steady source of support and encouragement during all the highs and lows.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter\u00a0my first test, I talked to him about how I didn\u2019t feel that I did well,\u201d Jack said. \u201cI remember that phone call four years ago and now I\u2019m\u00a0about\u00a0to know where I\u2019m going for residency.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Carolina education<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

For the Leland family,\u00a0UNC has been\u00a0a second home.\u00a0And in many ways,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0been a dream come true.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bill\u00a0remembers the opportunities he had even back in the\u00a01980s\u00a0to grow in whatever direction he hoped. He described\u00a0the medical school\u00a0as a \u201cginormous buffet\u201d where students\u00a0could complete an international\u00a0rotation\u00a0or\u00a0take part in clinical experiences from the mountains to the sea.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Those same opportunities\u00a0remain\u00a0a cornerstone of the school today. The School of Medicine offers\u00a0dozens\u00a0of global health experiences.\u00a0During the Application Phase of the curriculum,\u00a0students spend their\u00a0entire\u00a0third year\u00a0at one of six campuses or\u00a0clinical\u00a0sites\u00a0across the state.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe\u00a0school\u2019s\u00a0footprint in\u00a0North Carolina\u00a0is unmistakable,\u201d Jack said. \u201c<\/span>We\u2019re\u00a0not just learning to do well on the tests.\u00a0We\u2019re\u00a0learning to care for the patients that are here. UNC has met\u00a0all\u00a0my expectations and more, and\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0saying something because I had really\u00a0high expectations.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When Jack opens\u00a0his Match Day\u00a0envelope on March 20,\u00a0his time in Chapel Hill may\u00a0come to a close.\u00a0But wherever he\u00a0goes next,\u00a0he\u2019ll\u00a0carry forth\u00a0the values shaped by family,\u00a0service\u00a0and a Carolina education.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWherever we go,\u201d\u00a0Bill\u00a0said,\u00a0\u201cwe take Carolina with us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: Jack Leland matched into Internal Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian | Weill Cornell Medical Center during Match Day.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jack Leland (Class of 2026) prepares for UNC School of Medicine’s 2026 Match Day after seeing the importance of service in primary care. Leland’s parents are both UNC School of Medicine alumni.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117964,"featured_media":6326,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","odd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n'Wherever we go, we take Carolina with us': A family legacy rooted in Carolina medicine | Medical Doctorate Program<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jack Leland (Class of 2026) prepares for UNC School of Medicine's 2026 Match Day. Leland's parents are both UNC School of Medicine alumni.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'Wherever we go, we take Carolina with us': A family legacy rooted in Carolina medicine | Medical Doctorate Program\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jack Leland (Class of 2026) prepares for UNC School of Medicine's 2026 Match Day. Leland's parents are both UNC School of Medicine alumni.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Medical Doctorate Program\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-10T18:37:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-23T19:56:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2026\/03\/Jack-Leland-with-Poster-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cory Van Dyke\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cory Van Dyke\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Cory Van Dyke\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#\/schema\/person\/0b96a7151b9a8937cccdd5d8998645d7\"},\"headline\":\"‘Wherever we go, we take Carolina with us’: A family legacy rooted in Carolina medicine\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-10T18:37:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-23T19:56:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/\"},\"wordCount\":1061,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2026\/03\/Jack-Leland-with-Poster-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/\",\"name\":\"'Wherever we go, we take Carolina with us': A family legacy rooted in Carolina medicine | Medical Doctorate Program\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2026\/03\/Jack-Leland-with-Poster-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-10T18:37:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-23T19:56:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"Jack Leland (Class of 2026) prepares for UNC School of Medicine's 2026 Match Day. Leland's parents are both UNC School of Medicine alumni.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2026\/03\/Jack-Leland-with-Poster-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2026\/03\/Jack-Leland-with-Poster-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1920,\"caption\":\"Jack Leland standing next to a poster titled \\\"Enhancing health literacy and self-empowerment amongst agricultural workers with type 2 diabetes in Southeastern North Carolina.\\\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"‘Wherever we go, we take Carolina with us’: A family legacy rooted in Carolina medicine\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/\",\"name\":\"Medical Doctorate Program\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UNC School of Medicine Medical Doctorate Program\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2017\/06\/UNC-School-of-Medicine-Logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2017\/06\/UNC-School-of-Medicine-Logo.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":286,\"caption\":\"UNC School of Medicine Medical Doctorate Program\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#\/schema\/person\/0b96a7151b9a8937cccdd5d8998645d7\",\"name\":\"Cory Van Dyke\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8de7199c1e71a3e4753e1b983802e8e34ee8a1372e5d3dc4f00a7d12694ee018?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8de7199c1e71a3e4753e1b983802e8e34ee8a1372e5d3dc4f00a7d12694ee018?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Cory Van Dyke\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/author\/vdyke\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"'Wherever we go, we take Carolina with us': A family legacy rooted in Carolina medicine | Medical Doctorate Program","description":"Jack Leland (Class of 2026) prepares for UNC School of Medicine's 2026 Match Day. Leland's parents are both UNC School of Medicine alumni.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"'Wherever we go, we take Carolina with us': A family legacy rooted in Carolina medicine | Medical Doctorate Program","og_description":"Jack Leland (Class of 2026) prepares for UNC School of Medicine's 2026 Match Day. Leland's parents are both UNC School of Medicine alumni.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/","og_site_name":"Medical Doctorate Program","article_published_time":"2026-03-10T18:37:19+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-23T19:56:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1920,"url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2026\/03\/Jack-Leland-with-Poster-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Cory Van Dyke","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Cory Van Dyke","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/"},"author":{"name":"Cory Van Dyke","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#\/schema\/person\/0b96a7151b9a8937cccdd5d8998645d7"},"headline":"‘Wherever we go, we take Carolina with us’: A family legacy rooted in Carolina medicine","datePublished":"2026-03-10T18:37:19+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-23T19:56:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/"},"wordCount":1061,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2026\/03\/Jack-Leland-with-Poster-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/","url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/","name":"'Wherever we go, we take Carolina with us': A family legacy rooted in Carolina medicine | Medical Doctorate Program","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2026\/03\/Jack-Leland-with-Poster-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-10T18:37:19+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-23T19:56:24+00:00","description":"Jack Leland (Class of 2026) prepares for UNC School of Medicine's 2026 Match Day. Leland's parents are both UNC School of Medicine alumni.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2026\/03\/Jack-Leland-with-Poster-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2026\/03\/Jack-Leland-with-Poster-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1920,"caption":"Jack Leland standing next to a poster titled \"Enhancing health literacy and self-empowerment amongst agricultural workers with type 2 diabetes in Southeastern North Carolina.\""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/a-family-legacy-rooted-in-carolina-medicine\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"‘Wherever we go, we take Carolina with us’: A family legacy rooted in Carolina medicine"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/","name":"Medical Doctorate Program","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#organization","name":"UNC School of Medicine Medical Doctorate Program","url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2017\/06\/UNC-School-of-Medicine-Logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2017\/06\/UNC-School-of-Medicine-Logo.jpg","width":1200,"height":286,"caption":"UNC School of Medicine Medical Doctorate Program"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#\/schema\/person\/0b96a7151b9a8937cccdd5d8998645d7","name":"Cory Van Dyke","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8de7199c1e71a3e4753e1b983802e8e34ee8a1372e5d3dc4f00a7d12694ee018?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8de7199c1e71a3e4753e1b983802e8e34ee8a1372e5d3dc4f00a7d12694ee018?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Cory Van Dyke"},"url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/author\/vdyke\/"}]}},"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2026\/03\/Jack-Leland-with-Poster-scaled.jpg","featured_image_medium":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2026\/03\/Jack-Leland-with-Poster-300x225.jpg","featured_image_medium_large":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2026\/03\/Jack-Leland-with-Poster-768x576.jpg","featured_image_large":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2026\/03\/Jack-Leland-with-Poster-1024x768.jpg","featured_image_thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/838\/2026\/03\/Jack-Leland-with-Poster-150x150.jpg","featured_image_alt":"Jack Leland standing next to a poster titled \"Enhancing health literacy and self-empowerment amongst agricultural workers with type 2 diabetes in Southeastern North Carolina.\"","category_details":[{"name":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/category\/news\/"}],"tag_details":[],"_links_to":[],"_links_to_target":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117964"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6325"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6360,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6325\/revisions\/6360"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}