Gaddamanugu Uma
Hometown: Winston-Salem, NC
Career interests: I am still exploring areas of medicine that allow me to translate my passion for maternal and child health into clinical practice. I am currently interested in Pediatrics and OB/GYN.
Hobbies: Dancing (Indian classical dance), any Peloton workout, jigsaw puzzles, reading novels (anything from a good murder mystery to social medicine), learning to cook Indian food, spending time with family and friends
Undergraduate Education: UNC-Chapel Hill (2018) B.S Public Health | Health Policy & Management
Enrichment Experiences
Brody Scholars Summer Enrichment + NC Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Experience
This year, my classmate, Shantell McLaggan, and I were awarded the NC Albert Schweitzer Fellowship to establish a volunteer doula program at ECU Health. A growing body of literature suggests that increased access to doula care, particularly in underserved communities, can reduce rates of C-sections, preterm births, and low birth weights and improve overall maternal satisfaction. Despite the tremendous potential for doulas to help combat maternal health disparities, doula services are not covered by Medicaid insurance in NC, and financial barriers often preclude families from hiring private doulas. Thus, our project will provide continuous birth support doula care to uninsured, Medicaid-insured, and adolescent birthing patients at ECU Health, free of charge. With the support of the Brody Scholars Summer Enrichment Experience, we were able to provide birth doula training to 20 volunteer health professional students and begin implementing the ECU Health Birth Companions Program.
LINC Scholar: Health System Transformation and Leadership Distinction Track
As a LINC (Leaders in INnovative Care) Scholar, I spent this past summer learning about health systems science, health policy, and interprofessional team-based care through a variety of experiential activities. My favorite activities included traveling to the NC General Assembly to discuss the health needs of eastern NC with our legislators, and meeting with physician leaders at ECU Health to learn about their perspectives on clinical medicine and healthcare leadership.
Reflections
Being a Brody Scholar has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. As a North Carolina native, I arrived at ECU with a commitment to service but without a clear sense of what that would look like in practice. The Brody Scholars program helped me find that answer. Through mentorship, shared experiences, and discussions with fellow scholars and faculty, I developed the confidence and sense of responsibility to act on the gaps I encountered in eastern NC — including founding ECU Birth Companions, our hospital’s first volunteer doula program.
The Brody family’s generosity made my medical education possible, and the scholarship gave me far more than financial support — it was an invitation to be part of something larger than myself and a reminder of the obligation we carry to the communities that have invested in us. As I head into OB/GYN residency, I leave ECU proud of what this community has built together and humbled by everything it has taught me. I am immensely grateful to the Brody family and to my fellow scholars for their generosity, their example, and for making this place feel like home.
Upcoming Plans
A member of our Class of 2026 graduates, Dr. Uma will be joining the OBGYN residency at Montefiori Medical Center in New York this summer.
Winston-Salem native receives ECU’s most prestigious scholarship (PDF)