Dr. Nicholas Pennings has always been part of Campbell University’s Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine.
From that first day in 2013.
“My goal was to go into teaching, to teach about nutrition and maybe have a small impact in student education,” Pennings said. “And it (has) just far exceeded my expectations.”
That sentiment travels in both directions. Pennings serves in myriad roles at the medical school and is among its most respected leaders, instructors and mentors.
The N.C. Academy of Family Physicians (NCAFP) has taken note.
On Dec. 6 in Asheville, the group honored Pennings with the 2024 Distinguished Family Physician Award, its most prestigious honor.
The NCAFP, a nonprofit professional association with headquarters in Raleigh, represents more than 4,300 family physicians, family medicine residents and medical students across the state. It’s the largest medical specialty association in North Carolina.
“I was especially honored,” Pennings said, “because there’s a lot of people who are deserving of that award. And so, to receive it, I found that to be really special.”
Robert N. Agnello, a Family Medicine assistant professor at Campbell, also came to the medical school in 2013. Agnello, who was among those nominating Pennings for the award, said Pennings garners some of the highest ratings from patients and is much respected by staff.
“They all love working with him,” said Agnello, a pain medicine physician at the University’s Health Center. “He makes great connections with people.”
Pennings serves as chair of Family Medicine at the medical school, as well as an associate professor of Family Medicine and director of the Health Center. He is also executive director of Clinical Education for the Obesity Medicine Association.
Pennings called his research into the chronic and dangerous disease of obesity “a passion.”
In 2021-23, 40.3% of U.S. adults — more than 100 million — were obese, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
Obesity, the CDC says, is associated with numerous other serious chronic diseases, including diabetes and heart disease. It also accounts for nearly $173 billion in medical expenditures.
“Over 40 percent of the population has obesity, and if we go back, say 35 years, it was about 15%,” Pennings says. “It’s projected in some areas to be as high as 60% by 2030.”
Pennings’ research into obesity focuses, in part, on the relationship between endogenous insulin production and weight gain, in addition to the effect of intensive lifestyle changes on health improvement. His specialized training in obesity medicine led him in 2008 to found and lead “Think Healthy,” a program that trains health care professionals to coach their patients on losing weight and creating healthier mindsets, not just outcomes, the NCAFP says.
Dr. John M. Kauffman Jr., founding dean of the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine, was instrumental in bringing Pennings to Campbell. Kauffman, Pennings said, agreed to put obesity medicine, as well as nutrition, for example, in the curriculum.
Obesity education is just one part of osteopathic medicine, treating patients holistically.
Pennings, who also has a passion for preventative medicine, became interested in smoking cessation after his father was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died of the disease.
“But, then I saw my patients getting heavier and heavier, and I decided to introduce a weight-loss program in my office, which was very successful,” he said. “Then I got board certified in obesity medicine.”
Obesity, Pennings says, is a complex disease, with many causes wrapped around a variety of factors, among them diet, lifestyle and genetics. It’s an ongoing, and growing, health issue in the U.S.
One of many.
But Campbell physicians and student doctors, supporting the school’s mission, are committed to caring for the community, serving the underserved and working to diagnose health concerns before they become major, or even catastrophic, problems. Campbell students and physicians deliver health care in hospitals and health facilities, through free community clinics and mobile clinics. Through mission trips and community health events.
More than a quarter of last year’s graduating class at the medical school chose to specialize in family medicine, Pennings said.
“Even more remarkable is that it was more (family practitioners) than ECU, UNC, Wake Forest and Duke combined,” he says. “We need a lot more primary care, and I think that is an important part of osteopathic education. I always wanted to do family medicine, and I think osteopathic education really prepares you very well for family medicine, because you get a very broad educational experience. And I think Campbell fulfills that mission very well.”
Pennings also serves as the faculty adviser for the medical school’s Family Medicine Interest Group, where he leads medical students and provides opportunities to experience the specialty through educational events and in-clinic shadowing, an NCAFP news release states. That leadership includes providing students and residents with hands-on mentorship and training.
In presenting the award, NCAFP Immediate Past President Dr. Garett Franklin highlighted Pennings’ tireless and committed service to his local community.
“While his clinical acumen alone could warrant this award, Dr. Pennings’ greatest achievements come from molding the next generation of physicians, particularly family physicians,” Franklin said in the release.
The NCAFP received multiple letters nominating Pennings — from patients, colleagues and medical students.
“One can tell he genuinely cares about our well-being and wants to see us all succeed,” a nomination letter from a group of medical students said. “He has all the qualities of a great educator, sets a great example and, above all else, deeply cares for his students and patients.”