(gentle music) - [Announcer] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.

- Just ahead on "Carolina Impact," a brand new medical school could change the way students learn, and how you get your care.

Plus, a local man turns his struggle with depression into music that inspires hope.

And meet a Charlotte author, bringing history to life, one page at a time.

It's all next, right here on "Carolina Impact."

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) Good evening, thanks so much for joining us.

I'm Amy Burkett.

Charlotte's facing a growing doctor shortage.

But two major players are taking it head on.

Wake Med's new Charlotte Medical School, and Novant Health's expanded residency programs are creating a pipeline to keep more physicians here.

"Carolina Impact's" Chris Clark gives us a look at how they're doing it, with some of the most innovative training tools in medicine.

(screen whooshing) - [Chris] Think of the healthcare system as a patient.

Right now, they're running a fever.

The cause?

It's a shortage of doctors, with the condition only getting worse.

In Charlotte, the outlook is especially concerning, as demand for care rises faster than the supply of physicians.

- Nationwide, there's up to 100,000 physician shortage, by 2030.

In North Carolina, about 7,000 physicians short, about 1,800 primary care physicians short, by 2030.

This is a gap that we need to meet absolutely.

- [Chris] Charlotte's healthcare system faced a troubling diagnosis.

Rising demand for doctors, but no medical school to train them.

As the largest US city without a four-year program, the outlook seemed bleak.

Yet beneath the surface, the groundwork for medical education was already in place.

- The infrastructure was set up to do phenomenal medical education here.

Residency programs have been here for over three decades.

Medical student training in the clinical spaces has been here for over a decade.

- [Chris] It just wasn't all together.

So Wake Forest brought everything under one roof, by building The Pearl.

The name honors Charlotte's historic Brooklyn neighborhood, and like the gym, it symbolizes resilience, healing, and the city's commitment to innovation and renewal.

- And I remember my dad, he always travels down 77, and he was just in there from the beginning like, "Oh, they're constructing it.

I can see you being there."

- And that first conversation was a dream big type of conversation is, what is medical training?

What does medical care look like in 20 years?

Let's build a space and a school and a program that is really forward thinking in that.

- [Chris] They started by instituting problem-based learning.

Instead of sitting through hours of lectures, students dive into real world cases, and it pushes them to think like physicians from the start.

- I had a taste of that during my grad school program.

We had patient cases, and I realized that's just a better way of learning because it's very interactive.

- [Chris] They're not just putting up new walls.

They're weaving in cutting-edge technology to reimagine how future doctors are trained, and how they'll respond to, and care for patients in a changing world.

- In the donor laboratory, we have really detailed dissections that have been completed by professional dissectors that show the intricacies of the cardiovascular system.

And then that's coupled with, and beautifully complemented by this virtual anatomy laboratory.

- [Chris] These giant iPads bring the human body to life in 3D.

Just like NASCAR drivers run virtual laps before hitting the track, medical students can test, practice, and problem solve here, working out the challenges before treating real patients face-to-face.

- I can build a person, I can dissect away a person, I can rotate it around.

And then I really love the cross-sectional exposure for students, which is something that medical students really need to learn, but sometimes struggle with.

- That allows the type of repetition and standardization that just ingrains this knowledge and these skills into the students.

So last day of med school, students are ready for that first day of residency.

- [Chris] And speaking of residency, (sledgehammer banging) Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center is making room to train more physicians by expanding its residency programs with new opportunities and key specialties.

- General surgery, internal medicine, OB/GYN.

And we had the opportunity to add in a neurology residency, which we desperately need in the city.

- [Chris] Nationally, about half of doctors stay where they complete their residency.

In Charlotte, the number jumps up to 75%.

It's a powerful sign of how training here connects physicians to the community, the hospitals, and the patients they'll serve from day one.

- You've got a resident that trains in your hospital, they know all your consultants, they know your medical record, they know your patients.

And then that resident transitions to a clinic, or a hospital in the region that they trained in.

There's no startup time.

- [Chris] And it isn't left to chance.

Wake weaves community service into the curriculum itself, shaping students from day one to see medicine not just as treating patients, but as investing back into the people and neighborhoods around them.

- We select our students to have that community focus.

So if you speak to each and every one of our students, you'll find down to a person, they are passionately committed to serving our community, and ensuring that the resources that are invested in them get reinvested into our community.

- [Chris] For the very first class of students, that mission is personal.

They see Charlotte not just as the place to train, but the community they hope to heal.

And for one student, those roots run especially deep.

- I'm super excited.

For starters, I'm from Charlotte, North Carolina.

I was born and raised here.

And my first, I guess, you can say my medical journey started at CMC Main.

What I'm looking forward to is staying here, and kind of starting to build the community now.

- Now Wake Med currently has 48 students this year.

And over the next five years, what they wanna do is increase that to about 98 per class.

Now you combine that with their Winston campus, and they're ultimately looking to graduating 250 per year.

- If I can just get to 150 residents, I think they can do about a million visits a year.

And to me, that's the goal.

- The school's activity, the training and the education, the research and the innovation within an ecosystem where also the healthcare delivery is here.

So Atrium Health, as well as other companies coming to be in this area, it's really exciting what's happening in the Pearl District.

- [Chris] By growing their own doctors, Charlotte's not just fighting the shortage, it's securing a healthier future for the city, and the region.

(bright music) For "Carolina Impact," I'm Chris Clark.

- Thank you, Chris.

By training doctors right here with the tools they need.

Wake Med and Novant are working to ensure the care you need is close to home.

While doctors and clinics play a crucial role in treating people, sometimes, healing also comes from unexpected places.

When life knocked him down, music helped one local man back up.

And now he's using that to inspire others.

"Carolina Impact's" Dara Khaalid, and videographer John Branscum tell us more.

(screen whooshing) (TV static) ♪ You're enough ♪ ♪ Many days I was feeling stressed ♪ ♪ Long nights I was so depressed ♪ ♪ You're enough ♪ ♪ All the pain that was just a test ♪ ♪ To be alive, you already blessed.

♪ - [Dara] These lyrics are the echoes of his real life journey.

- I just remember feeling like I had completely failed.

There were days where I would just lay in the room all day.

I really didn't want to come around people, which, that's the greatest sign to know when something's wrong with somebody like me, because I'm a people person.

(gentle music) Yep, yep, yep.

- [Dara] In his breakout song, "You're Enough," local hip-hop artist, Dequan Starnes, better known as Q-Starnes, opens up about his five-year battle with depression.

It started when he was just 17, and got cut from his high school basketball team for having bad grades.

- My mom had no idea that I felt like I had failed.

I'm sorry.

It was days where I felt like, what are you gonna like, who are you?

I just felt like nobody.

- [Announcer 1] Starting at the line shooting too.

- [Dara] The Monroe native tells me he was a standout player his junior and senior years at Porter Ridge High, lighting up the court, drawing headlines and catching the eyes of college scouts.

He thought the NBA was next, but when that dream came crashing down, so did he.

- I don't know what I'm gonna do.

I don't know if I'm gonna go to college.

I go from this loud, successful name, to nothing going at all.

And I went through a very depressed time, and just trying to figure out who I was.

- [Dara] That's when he picked up his pen, and began turning pain into purpose.

- I was writing and writing and writing and writing and what I was writing was really my thoughts, but I was writing them in the form of music.

- [Dara] With every line he wrote, he found his way back to the little boy who first fell in love with music, a love passed down by his late great-grandmother, Carrie Bell Brewer.

- She played a lot of music around the house.

And then when she would do that, of course I'd come in, and just kind of reenact all the lyrics of the songs.

The Michael Jacksons, the Whitney Houstons, and the list goes on and on.

- [Dara] But what resonated with him most, ♪ Too may things for you to deal with ♪ ♪ Dyin' inside but outside you looking big ♪ - [Dara] Were the raw, poetic, and thought-provoking lyrics that came from his favorite rappers.

- It's those records that spoke to me from a very young age that I understood like, these guys are a little bit different.

They speak in a way where it gets you through a time where you need to hear those lyrics.

♪ For sure I feel your pain and I know the feeling ♪ ♪ I used to stay up late night staring at the ceiling ♪ - [Dara] Which is exactly what he aimed to do in 2021, when he released his song, "You're Enough," raising awareness on mental health, and uplifting those dealing with issues like depression, letting them know they're not alone.

- [Yanalyn] Especially with like going into my first year.

- [Dara] And Dequan has gone beyond the mic.

In 2022, he turned his message into a movement, launching the nonprofit Destined 4 Greatness Foundation, where he mentors young people, and connects them with critical mental health resources, giving them the support he once needed himself.

- He always let me know that he's there for me, and someone I can talk to.

Especially with him being someone who played high school sports too, he understands how I felt.

(gentle music) - [Dara] Mental health isn't the only focus of the nonprofit.

It also raises awareness on sickle cell anemia, a cause close to Dequan's heart, after watching his younger cousin Niyah Lindsey endure its painful grip since she was a little girl.

- It would be nights where we would literally hear her scream and cry all the way till we got to the hospital.

It was tough, when you look at somebody you love that's going through that.

- [Dara] Sickle cell is when red blood cells are misshaped, and look like crescents, instead of the normal disc shape due to a gene mutation.

The cells die early, causing a shortage of healthy blood cells, and can stop blood flow, which is excruciating.

- It's a ache, a nonstop ache.

Painful.

I don't remember a day without pain.

- According to the American Red Cross, it affects one out of every 365 Black or African American births.

And those like Niyah may need as many as 100 units of blood each year.

- With Niyah, her blood has to be specifically matched.

It's not just blood types, it's not A, B and Os, it's more into the antigens.

So we have to make sure that we attract African-American and Black donors.

- Hey everybody, my name is Niyah.

I hosted today's blood drive, the Breaking the Silence blood drive, and I do one thing.

- [Dara] This is where Destined 4 Greatness Foundation plays a hands-on role, hosting lifesaving blood drives that bring real hope to those who need it most.

- It means the world to me, because I know some people may look at it as a, just a generosity, but to me, it's my life.

So it's really a lifeline, and it gives me a better chance at life.

- [Dara] Similar to her cousin Dequan, she's found comfort and clarity in music.

- For me it's an escape from the real world, and from pain.

It's just an escape where you get lost in the music.

- [Dara] Growing up, Niyah dreamed of playing basketball, but sickle cell kept her off the court.

So she turned to the other passion that ran in her family.

Music.

She became a producer, and now she's creating powerful tracks with Dequan, including their song, "You're Enough."

- [Dequan] I think I'm most proud that how she has chosen to still overcome all the challenges and people telling her the things that she couldn't do.

- [Dara] With all that life has thrown at him, Dequan has created a rhythm that allows him to poetically share his mental health struggles through music, lifting up others.

That same melody flows into the life of his loved one, as he continues to raise awareness on a life-altering disease through his non-profit.

♪ True enough, many days I was feeling straight ♪ - [Dara] For "Carolina Impact," I'm Dara Khaalid.

- Thank you, Dara.

When it comes to music, Dequan plans to get more involved on the business side of things.

With his nonprofit, this fall, he's planned blood drives and other events that raise awareness on mental health.

Well, like Dequan, many local creatives are using their talents to spark positivity and conversation in the area.

Charlotte's neighborhoods are full of walls that speak and murals that tell stories of history, resilience and culture.

Videographer Marcellus Jones introduces us to one artist whose work doesn't just transform blank spaces, but also gives voice to the community's past, present, and future.

(screen whooshing) (spray can hissing) - I got into art, I started by coloring.

Crayons and coloring books when I was a baby.

So like that's one of the first things I can remember doing as a child.

For a long time, J.J.

from "Good Times" was my favorite artist until I figured out that was Ernie Barnes' work, or most of the work, or that style originated from Ernie Barnes.

But I think the seed planted in my mind was seeing somebody that I could relate to.

Some of my works, you can definitely see his style kind of expressed in my work.

There's a couple of pieces that I have, personal pieces, that I think you can kind of see.

I didn't transition into more of a concentration into mural painting until 2017.

Even though I had done murals prior to that, it was at that time, around 2016, 2017, where I started to see a demand develop for mural painting where the opportunity was there.

(bright music) - The Urban Design Center are really lucky to have three practice areas.

Most importantly, it's our place making work, and that's where we work with local artists to allow them to use their talent to improve Charlotte's built environment, and to enhance sense of place and neighborhoods across Charlotte.

(gentle music) We're now able, here at the UDC, we've known of him for a long time and how talented he is.

His work exists throughout the city.

I think that Historic West End in particular, really loves Abel, and the way that he's able to express his talent.

The people that he's able to put on walls in the form of murals are incredibly beautiful and well done.

I think that the example off of Beatties Ford Road that he recently completed is an incredible example of his craft and ability as an artist.

- One of those ideas was a reflection of musical excellence and wanting to highlight individuals that represented that from the community.

John P. Kee, Fantasia, and Anthony Hamilton.

And then I composed it and painted it from there.

(aerial lift whirring) This piece is being done for the Lakeview Community Center.

And this is a whole revamp of an idea that started a few years ago.

They commissioned Marcus and I to kind of design something that was going to fit within the drive and overall goal of the organization, which was to uplift people, and particularly, working with the kids.

- We talked to the residents about what we're doing here in this youth space, and they came up with the term of "Reimagine us."

Reimagine what it means to live in a neighborhood like Lakeview.

Reimagine what it is to be on the west side of town at 28208 zip code.

Abel and Marcus, those are the people that we admire a lot as artists on the west side of town.

I know you see their work throughout the West Side, throughout city of Charlotte, we've worked with Abel before on a mural that's on the Stewart Creek Greenway.

And he put together a mural of a old woman hand stitching together this quilt.

And then the quilt, it has all the names of the different neighborhoods on the West Side.

This side represents the history, this side represents the future of what can happen.

- There's a certain level of responsibility when you do public work.

It's just a feeling of me playing my role, giving back, and contributing to the future, contributing to what's going on all around me in a positive way.

And so it just, for me as a person, it just feels like the thing to do that's important to do.

(gentle music) - Thanks, Marcellus.

Abel will continue to collaborate with city and community leaders, with plans to work more closely with youth, not just to create art, but to create opportunities.

As we wrap things up tonight, breaking into any career presents its fair share of challenges.

And for aspiring authors, those challenges are especially daunting.

Of all books submitted to agents and publishers, the odds of getting one published are estimated to be just one to 2%.

"Carolina Impact's" Jason Terzis joins us with the story of a local author whose perseverance and fighting against those odds have paid off.

- Well, getting published is a lifelong dream for many aspiring writers, but the reality is, very few actually get to experience it.

In fact, there are books out there that focus on just that.

How to become a published author.

In most cases, it takes years of heartbreak, rejection, and unrelenting perseverance.

All things that Charlotte native Joy Callaway went through firsthand.

(screen whooshing) Hand in hand, they arrived.

Crowds filling up one porch, a band playing on the other.

(upbeat music) People gathering at Whitehead Manor in Charlotte, enjoying hor d'oeuvres, drinks, and conversation.

There, not for a concert or a party, but for a book launch.

- Thank you for being here.

- [Jason] A meet-and-greet with local author Joy Callaway, and the release of her latest novel, "Sing Me Home to Carolina."

It's the story of a small town girl turned big city businesswoman with a little romantic twist.

- It is inspired by a barn party my mom and I went to.

- [Jason] The summer release, coming right on the heels of "The Star of Camp Greene," which is set in Charlotte during World War I.

- I had been fascinated about it ever since I had read Sarah Crosland's book called "Secret Charlotte."

- [Jason] Drawing from real life places and people to inspire fictional worlds, Joy has blossomed into an international bestselling author.

- Like a lot of authors, the spark of creativity, it happened from a young age.

I mean, I was always interested in writing.

- [Jason] Exploring history has always been a big part of Joy's life.

She served as historian of her sorority while at Marshall University, earning her degree in Journalism and Public Relations.

It's also where she met future husband, John.

- Even when we were in college in undergrad, she would write for the school newspaper.

- Then I went to work here in Charlotte for a wealth management company.

I was their marketing director for about five years.

And throughout that time, that's kind of when my creative writing started kicking back in.

Like I said, it was a really random, I was just looking at my bookshelf one day, and thought, "Hey, I used to love to do this.

Why don't I do this anymore?"

- And I can still remember clearly Joy saying, "Hey, I've started writing a book."

- [Jason] But Joy's first book was rejected by agents.

- I went into it blind.

I wrote the story 'cause I loved it.

I didn't really think about the parameters of publishing.

- [Jason] Books two and three, also rejected.

- So those two other books were me trying to write something I thought somebody else would like, instead of me writing something that I knew came from my heart.

- I would say early on, there's tons of frustration, because there's so much time spent on it, and it's like, "Hey, I don't know if this is ever gonna work out."

- [Jason] So she kept writing, kept persevering.

- I don't know at the time when I was getting all those rejections, I'm not sure that I could have predicted that I would've kept going.

- In my best effort I would say, "Hey, look at this author.

He was rejected millions of times."

- But I tell people all the time, this all the time in book talks that, if you look on the shelf at authors, and who's published, it is simply the people that didn't stop and didn't give up.

Because there are many authors that I think are probably out there that have given up.

- [Jason] That determination finally paying off with her fourth attempt, with the publishing of "The Fifth Avenue Artists Society" in 2016.

- My fourth novel was the one that got me an agent and book deal, and interestingly enough, it was a story based on my family history.

They always say, "Write what you know."

Well, that couldn't be more true.

It takes a lot of perseverance.

And it takes a lot of being able to endure the no's and the rejections, and the not now's.

- [Jason] And since her first release, there's been six others.

"Secret Sisters" in 2017.

- It's about sororities during the Gilded Age.

- [Jason] "The Grand Design" came in '22, about the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia.

- I kind of branched out, and used a setting as my inspiration first.

- [Jason] The family history inspired "All the Pretty Places" in 2023.

- It's about my grandma's paternal side of the family.

- [Jason] "What the Mountains Remember" in 2024, about the skilled labor workforce that built the Grove Park Inn in Asheville.

- I was always fascinated by the workers who built Grove Park with their hands.

It's a magnificent structure and it's a beautiful place.

- Every book that Joy writes, she gets immersed into the history.

- [Jason] And then her two releases this year, "The Star of Camp Greene."

- So it's set in 1918.

And it follows a Broadway star named Calla Connolly.

She is inspired by Elsie Janis, who is a real person.

So there are definitely similarities between the two characters.

- [Jason] And her latest release, "Sing Me Home to Carolina."

- My first foray into contemporary rom-com.

- [Jason] It's all made for a jam-packed summer, complete with online chats, book tours, signings, even an appearance at the PBS Charlotte Studios.

- Joy Callaway.

(audience applauding) - Thank you guys, so much.

- [Jason] Joy says it takes her about a year to put a book together, with a majority of the time spent on research and character development.

The actual writing takes about four months or so.

- I think the satisfaction for me was seeing her accomplish what she set out to accomplish.

- So I tell that to aspiring authors.

I say, if you are passionate about the written word and you're passionate about books, keep going, keep writing.

Someday there's gonna be a story that is so much a part of you, and that resonates so much with readers because of it that an agent's gonna say yes, and an editor's gonna say yes, and you'll see your book on the shelf someday too, if you just keep going.

- [Jason] As her professional career has taken off over the last decade, so too has Joy's personal life as a wife and mother, with 10-year-old John, and soon to be 12-year-old Alevia.

The kids may not know a lot about what mom's books are all about, but they do think she's pretty cool.

- I was like, "Wow, my mom must be a big deal.

She's an author."

- I know they're about history and like our family, but I don't know exactly what they're about.

- And then at these book events, I see her as like a cool mom, like she's famous.

- I realized how people actually wait in line for her to sign it, and how they're actually interested in what she does.

But before, I didn't really think about it, like it's just Mom.

- Jason, I just loved meeting Joy when she was here for our event.

An amazing woman, and so incredibly talented.

When does the next book come out?

- Next book coming out maybe the year after next?

So she's under a book a year contract with Harper Muse Publishing, but since she had two books come out this year, she's planning on taking next year off.

But she tells me her next one will be about an esteemed Hollywood star who's about to go out on tour to promote a new film, but she passes away.

So the studio gets a lookalike to go out and play her for all these promotional appearances.

So it should be interesting to see how that little story plays out.

- So much historical fiction and her story is fantastic.

Appreciate you sharing the story, Jason.

- Absolutely.

- Well, I wonder what your favorite story was this evening?

You may have a great story idea for us that we should know about.

Please just email us the details to stories@wtvi.org.

Before we run out of time, I wanna say a special thank you to the students at The Talent school in Lake Norman.

They were fantastic in the audience today.

They had so many great questions, and we just loved spending time with them.

And I love spending time with you.

Thanks so much for joining us.

We always appreciate your time, and look forward to seeing you back here again next time.

Good night, my friends.

(gentle music) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) - [Announcer] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.