From her student years to decades of alumni service, Dr. Parker reflects on the experiences and relationships that have kept her connected to Carolina.
Dr. Gwenevere “Gwen” Parker, a general anesthesiologist at Atrium Union Hospital in Monroe, North Carolina, earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from Carolina in 1983 and a Doctor of Medicine in 1995. Originally from Fayetteville, she was actively involved in the Carolina community as a student, including as a member of the Theta Pi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and as a resident assistant.
Since graduating, Dr. Parker has continued to give back to Carolina through her involvement with the New York Carolina Club, the UNC Board of Visitors and the Medical Reunion Steering Committee. She is also currently active with ACRED and has co-hosted an ACRED reception in New York, New York.
What was your student experience at Carolina like? What memories have stayed with you?
I was truly overwhelmed when I got to Carolina. I think it’s one thing to be able to have the academic ability to be able to get into a school like this, but there’s another level of emotional maturity necessary to be successful. It took me a while to get there.
I think what a lot of people may remember about me is that I was the girl who got sick. I got sick the spring semester of my junior year. I had encephalitis, and then I ended up with Guillain-Barré syndrome, and that’s basically muscle paralysis. I had to withdraw from school because I had to learn to walk and talk all over again. I came back in the fall. I’ve always been persistent.
I remember my senior year walking across the campus, and I ran into Chancellor Christopher Fordham. He spoke to me like I was an important person, and I thought, ‘This is an amazing place.’ I hope the chancellor still does that because it means a lot to students.
“Once I made the decision of what I wanted to be, the universe just kind of pushed me in that direction.”
I graduated and went home and became a high school teacher. I taught chemistry for seven years. Then some friends of mine convinced me it was time to get into medicine. So I started the Medical Education Development (MED) Program.
That’s where I met Larry Keith and Evelyn McCarthy (two of the people credited with establishing, shaping and sustaining the UNC MED Program to prepare students for careers in medicine and dentistry). I stayed in contact with them. In fact, I ended up taking care of Evelyn McCarthy as a patient at UNC Hospitals. I remember doing a pre-op on her the night before her surgery.
Larry told us we needed a letter of recommendation from someone at Carolina. I couldn’t think of anyone I knew. But later as I was walking with friends to a campus parking lot, I saw a familiar face — my former biology professor Elizabeth McMahan. After introducing myself as a past student and explaining my dilemma of needing a letter, Dr. McMahan said she would look through her grade book and instructed me to stop by her house at Carol Woods later.
Luckily, that was one of the classes I got an A in at Carolina. Things kept working out for me in unexpected ways. That was one of my best Carolina stories. Once I made the decision of what I wanted to be, the universe just kind of pushed me in that direction.
I earned a Board of Governors Scholarship, which fully paid for my medical school at Carolina. Larry Keith continued to be a mentor to me while I was in school.
What inspired you to stay engaged with the University after graduation?
When I was teaching, I started going to the Black Alumni Reunions (BAR). This is when it was very small, and the itinerary was on one sheet of paper. Harvey Beech (the first Black graduate of the University) came back and some of the other alumni from the past came back. When I left Carolina, I was tired and didn’t want to be involved. But when I went to that reunion, I listened to Harvey and what they went through. Harvey Beech, in particular, made me really appreciate Carolina.
It inspired me to give back, and that’s when I started giving to the Larry Keith Scholarship and the Dean Hayden Renwick Fund. He was so influential. I started giving to the chancellor’s fund (The Carol L. Folt Chancellor’s Science Scholarship Fund) because Chancellor Folt was supportive of the students, and I started giving to the School of Medicine and the UNC Health Foundation.
Unfortunately, they don’t offer the Board of Governors Scholarship anymore. I left the state for a while, but now I work in the little town of Monroe. It just pleases my heart when the patients look at me — the purpose of the scholarship was to increase my presence here in the state. I have given back more than I ever received in that scholarship. It wasn’t expected of me, but I felt I should give back so another student could experience what I experienced.
In what ways do you feel ACRED reflects the values that UNC represents?
We are ambassadors of the University for sure. We reflect that the University is a school for all students at Carolina. I keep telling people, I’m not just a fan, I’m an alum.
The campus has to have a voice for everybody. We keep our voices active, and hopefully we’ll be able to connect with students we see and let them know that while there are not many of us, we make our voices heard.
What message would you share with current students or recent graduates about staying connected to Carolina after graduation?
You can’t appreciate what you’ve got until you leave. Right now, you’re trying to achieve and survive. But once you get out in the community, and you find out what Carolina means to the average person, and you see the beauty of that, then you say, ‘I’ve got to give something.’ It doesn’t have to be a lot, but it keeps you connected.
You pick a school because it has great professors and a great campus. But you also pick a school because of the connections you’re going to make. When I was in New York and people would want to question me, they would say, ‘What medical school did you attend?’ And I would look at them straight on and say the University of North Carolina, medical school and residency.’ Carolina gives you street cred.
When you think about your impact, what kind of legacy would you like to leave at Carolina?
I don’t really think about that. I think being a representative of the University when I’m out in public is probably the best legacy I can leave. I don’t need my name on a seat or a building, but when I meet people one-on-one, I can make an impact.