Dr. Jessica Young, Assistant Professor in General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, has been named a UNC School of Medicine Simmons Scholar. Since its launch in 1994, the program has offered support to faculty members from groups traditionally underrepresented in medicine, while also placing an emphasis on building a community of scholars that spans multiple disciplines. The program provides three to five years of salary support, structured mentorship, and career and leadership development opportunities.
Dr. Young is a proud alum of North Carolina A&T State University, earning a degree in chemistry before entering Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, where she graduated as a Doctor of Medicine. She completed her pediatric residency at Atrium Health/Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, NC. She is also an alum of the UNC Preventive Medicine program and the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, where she obtained her MPH in Population Health for Clinicians. Dr. Young has been involved in projects focused on childhood obesity prevention and treatment, early childhood development, child health disparities, and childhood immunizations, specifically influenza, COVID-19, and HPV. In addition to her primary appointment in pediatrics, Dr. Young is the Associate Program Director for the Preventive Medicine Residency program.
As a Simmons Scholar, Dr. Young will continue her work in population health, health equity, and immunization access. Congratulations!