Carolina Public Health, Fall 2008, Accelerate by UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

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Public Health Foundation, Incorporated Susanne Glen Moulton, JD, MPH, President Director Patient Assistance and Reimbursement Programs GlaxoSmithKline

Leah Devlin, DDS, MPH State Health Director and Director, Division of Public Health N.C. Department of Health and Human Services

Jack E. Wilson, MSENV, Vice President Retired Board of Directors TEC, Incorporated

Cynthia J. Girman, DrPH Senior Director, Department of Epidemiology Merck Research Laboratories

Delton Atkinson, MPH, MPH, PMP Deputy Director Division of Vital Statistics National Center for Health Statistics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ronald E. Aubert, PhD, MSPH Vice President, Clinical Analytics, Outcomes and Reporting Medco Health Solutions, Incorporated David J. Ballard, MD, MSPH, PhD, FACP Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer Baylor Health Care System Executive Director and BHCS Endowed Chair Institute for Health Care Research and Improvement Fred T. Brown, Jr., MPH, FACHE Managing Director, Business Development Carolinas HealthCare System Kelly B. Browning, MA Executive Vice President American Institute for Cancer Research Deniese M. Chaney, MPH Senior Manager, Healthcare Practice Accenture Health and Life Sciences Stacy-Ann Christian, JD, MPH Assistant Director Clinical and Health Services Research Michael (Trey) A. Crabb, III, MHA, MBA Managing Director, Investment Banking Avondale Partners, LLC

Shelley D. Golden, MPH Lecturer Department of Health Behavior and Health Education UNC School of Public Health

B OA R D O F D I R E C T O R S Jacky Ann Rosati, PhD Environmental Scientist and Containment Area Lead U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Homeland Security Research Center Ilene C. Siegler, PhD, MPH Professor of Medical Psychology Duke University Paula Brown Stafford, MPH Executive Vice President Global Data Management and Biostatistics Quintiles Transnational Corporation

Sandra W. Green, MBA, MHA, BSPH President East Coast Customer Management Group MedAssets, Incorporated

Russell B. Toal, MPH Visiting Associate Professor of Public Health Institute of Public Health Georgia State University

C. David Hardison, PhD Corporate Vice President, Life Sciences Science Applications International Corporation

John C. Triplett, MD, MPH Regional Medical Officer Bethesda, MD

Deborah Parham Hopson, PhD, RN Assistant Surgeon General Associate Administrator, HIV/AIDS Bureau Health Resources and Services Administration

Robert D. Verhalen, DrPH Chief Executive Officer Verhalen and Associates, LLC

Joan C. Huntley, PhD, MPH Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Mark H. Merrill, MSPH President Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas Douglas M. Owen, PE, BCEE Vice President Malcolm Pirnie, Incorporated Jonathan J. Pullin, MS President and Chief Executive Officer The Environmental Group of the Carolinas, Incorporated

G. Robert Weedon, DVM, MPH Adjunct Faculty in Honors and Biology University of North Carolina Wilmington Vice-Chairman New Hanover County Board of Health Senior Partner College Road Animal Hospital, PLLC Alice D. White, PhD Vice President Worldwide Epidemiology Department GlaxoSmithKline Thomas K. Wong, PhD Vice Presiden Meganium Corporation

Roy J. Ramthun, MSPH President HSA Consulting Services, LLC

2008 School of Public Health

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Dennis Gillings, CBE, Chair Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Quintiles Transnational Corporation

Ken Eudy Chief Executive Officer Capstrat

Guy Miller, MD, PhD Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Edison Pharmaceuticals, Incorporated

William K. Atkinson, PhD, MPH President and Chief Executive Officer WakeMed

Robert J. Greczyn, Jr., MPH

Carmen Hooker Odom, MS President Milbank Memorial Fund

Joseph Carsanaro, MBA, MSEE General Manager Personal Communications Sector Motorola, Incorporated

James R. Hendricks, Jr., MS Vice President of Environment, Health and Safety (Retired) Duke Energy

Willard Cates, Jr., MD, MPH President, Research Family Health International

J. Douglas Holladay, MDiv General Partner Park Avenue Equity Partners, LP

Andrew Conrad, PhD Chief Scientific Officer National Genetics Institute

Donald A. Holzworth, MS Chairman Expression Analysis, Inc.

Keith Crisco, MBA President Asheboro Elastics Corporation

David P. King President and Chief Executive Officer Laboratory Corporation of America

Nancy A. Dreyer, PhD, MPH Chief of Scientific Affairs OUTCOME

John McConnell Raleigh, NC

President and Chief Executive Officer BlueCross and BlueShield of North Carolina

Jane Smith Patterson Executive Director The e-NC Authority Joan Siefert Rose, MPH President Council for Entrepreneurial Development Alexandria Technology Center Charles A. Sanders, MD Chapel Hill, NC Michael C. Tarwater, MHA, FACHE President and Chief Executive Officer Carolinas HealthCare System Paul M. Wiles, MHA President and Chief Executive Officer Novant Health, Incorporated

contents fall 2008

n Sept. 26, 2008, Chancellor Holden Thorp

officially recognizes our School as the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Holden Thorp

features & news

4 THE PUBLIC HEALTH LANDSCAPE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES 9 GILLINGS GIFT POSITIONS UNC TO BETTER MEET 21ST CENTURY PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGES

10 DENNIS GILLINGS: DRAWING STRENGTH, EXPERIENCING SUCCESS, NOW RETURNING TO HIS ROOTS

14 JOAN GILLINGS: INSPIRING OTHERS WITH A CAN-DO ATTITUDE

16 A PLACE FOR RIGOR: SINCE 1949, UNC’S RESEARCHERS SET THE PACE FOR BIOSTATISTICS

21 UNDERSTANDING THE PUBLIC: UNC’S SURVEY RESEARCH UNIT HELPS RESEARCHERS COLLECT HIGH-QUALITY DATA

22 UNC’S COLLABORATIVE STUDIES COORDINATING CENTER: CONTROLLING QUALITY, MANAGING DATA, CHANGING THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE

24 GARY KOCH: A MENTOR FOR LIFE 26 ANTICIPATING PUBLIC HEALTH NEEDS; ACCELERATING PUBLIC HEALTH SOLUTIONS 29 GILLINGS INNOVATION LABS FOCUS INTERDISCIPLINARY EFFORTS ON TOUGH PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMS

31 NORTH CAROLINA MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT 32 VACCINES FOR GLOBAL HEALTH

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C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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DEAN

fall 2008

Barbara K. Rimer, DrPH DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Ramona DuBose EDITOR

Emily J. Smith

contents continued

ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

Peggy Dean Glenn DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

33 UNC BIOSTATISTICIANS MAKE THE NUMBERS ADD UP IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH

Sheila Johnston Sherer Sherer Graphic Design

40 SIX DEGREES OF BIOSTATISTICS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

42 SCHOOL NEWS 48 AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

opportunities to invest 51 HONOR ROLL OF DONORS 53 ROSENAU SOCIETY GIFTS 54 DAUERS HONOR DAUGHTER’S SUCCESS BY PROVIDING SCHOLARSHIP

Margarita De Pano, Kim Gazella, Linda Kastleman, Kathleen Kearns, Angela Spivey and Torrey Wasserman

Articles appearing in Carolina Public Health may be reprinted with permission from the editor. Send correspondence to Editor, Carolina Public Health, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Campus Box 7400, 135 Dauer Dr., Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7400.

FOR OTHER STUDENTS SUBSCRIBE TO CAROLINA PUBLIC HEALTH

57 SCHOLARSHIP BEQUEST REFLECTS DUNN’S APPRECIATION OF OPPORTUNITIES

www.sph.unc.edu

UNC PROVIDED HER

59 MORSE NAMES OFFICE IN SCHOOL’S RENOVATED ROSENAU HALL 60 DAD TAUGHT HER TEAMWORK, MOM TAUGHT HER SCIENCE, NOW DEVLIN HONORS THEM WITH HER GIFT

63 BALCHEM SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORTS NUTRITION STUDENT’S CHOLINE RESEARCH 64 GIFTS FROM CORPORATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS 67 FRIENDS MAKING A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE

Front cover photo credits: Young girl in rice field by Pathathai Chungyam. Left to right at bottom: Family photo by iStock International, Inc.; Indigenous Mexican woman by Kim Steele; Two 2008 graduates of our School, Kirkland Lynch (left) and John DeMasi, by Linda Kastleman; Man and camel in Agra, India, by Peter Adams. Back cover photo credits: Left to right at top: School children in Beijing, China, by Dr. Peggy Bentley; Elizabeth Simmons, Master’s in Public Health nutrition student at our School, by Linda Kastleman; Ugandan children by © Lisa Marie Albert. Left to right, second row: Spring 2008 Bachelor of Science in Public Health graduates of our School by Will Owens; Mother and child in Mozambique by Isabelle Michaud-Letourneau, MPH; Jeff Nguyen, Master of Health Care Administration at our School, by Linda Kastleman. Bottom right: Granddaughter hugs grandpa by iStock International, Inc.

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25,000 copies of this document were printed at a cost of $23,815 or $0.95 per copy. Carolina Public Health (ISSN 19382790) is published twice yearly by the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Campus Box 7400, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Dr., Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7400. Vol. 1, No. 5, Fall 2008.

from the Dean’s desk

DR. BARBARA K. RIMER

wrote this flying over the Cascade Mountains, going home from the annual Association of Schools of Public Health Deans’ Retreat

in Vancouver, B.C. The mountains are grand, majestic, awe-inspiring in scope and size — a natural metaphor for the challenges facing public health. Our 40 (and growing) accredited schools of public health share a grand mission to improve the public’s health across the U.S. and around the world through our teaching, research and service. Our task’s scope is huge and complex— to understand infectious and chronic diseases and halt the spread of these diseases, reverse the obesity epidemic, develop and apply effective prevention strategies, assure access to health care, eliminate health disparities, deliver safe water to all the world’s people, improve our global environment and more. These are huge mountains, but so is our determination! We in public health are optimists. Armed with knowledge, effective interventions and powerful partnerships, we can—we will—make the world better, safer and healthier. Several public health deans were interviewed for this issue. I thank them for their wisdom, insight and collegiality, and encourage you to read their perspectives about the future. As deans, we are committed to improving the public’s health. Changing the world requires huge resources. National Institutes of Health funding has fallen precipitously, and it is becoming more and more difficult to be funded. North Carolina’s state budget supports about 18 percent of our School’s costs — primarily faculty salaries. These sources are insufficient to meet all our needs. I am so grateful to Dennis and Joan Gillings for their unprecedented and generous gift, one that permits us to soar in search of scalable solutions to public health problems. Their generosity is grounded in their personal connections to our School — he, a former biostatistics professor, and she, a former staff member in the department. They understand the size and scope of public health challenges. And as transnational citizens, they know that most health problems transcend national borders. They, as we, are immersed in and committed to North Carolina. Yet, as Dr. Leah Devlin, our N.C. State Health Director, has said: we all are global citizens. It is no contradiction to be both local and global citizens.

The most significant application of the Gillingses’ gift is funding Gillings Innovation Laboratories (GILs) to solve problems in North Carolina and around the world. I am so excited about the potential of these projects to accelerate solutions to public health problems. (Read more about these projects and their leaders on page 26 or visit www.sph.unc. edu/cph/weblinks.) Their work includes: I new vaccines for children, using models that could change vaccine production; I portable tools to monitor air pollution; I models and methods to address the rapidly rising number of mental health problems in North Carolina; I advanced statistical science in clinical research to quickly move it forward into clinical and statistical practice; I state-of-the-art laboratories, methodologies and biomarkers to detect adverse effects of chronic exposure to arsenic; and I public health impact of moving toward a local, sustainable food system. These projects don’t end with discovery. We will use our new knowledge to improve the public’s health while training our students to be the next generation of public health leaders and problemsolvers. Every project will have specific outcomes for which teams are accountable. It is not enough to dream; we also must deliver. While we aim to move mountains, our feet are planted firmly on the ground where so much work must be done—in North Carolina and around the world. As our School adds their name to ours, we celebrate the Gillingses’ generosity and the wonderful people they are. In this issue, we also celebrate and honor the many donors who have enabled the School to fund scholarships, professorships, rooms, research and so much more. The higher we climb, the farther we can see, and the more we can do.

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The Public Health Landscape:

K AT H L E E N

KEARNS

“The landscape of public health is complex and rapidly changing. The challenges are unprecedented. But this landscape also reveals a spirit of global solidarity, and a strong desire for fairness in health. And this gives us an occasion for unprecedented optimism as well.” —Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) From a speech given in Singapore on April 3, 2007: www.who.int/dg/speeches/2007/030407_whd2007/en/print.html

hirty years ago, most public health professionals had declared victory over infectious diseases and were waging war against the chronic conditions they believed were the biggest health threats of the future. The language of health often took on the semantics of war as the U.S. fought the “war on cancer” and communities organized themselves to tackle cardiovascular diseases.

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“My professors in the 1970s proclaimed that infectious diseases were behind us, and the future of public health would be wrapped up in chronic diseases,” says Dr. Barbara K. Rimer, dean of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. “We were wrong! The old problems have not gone away. In fact, they’re back with a vengeance, along with some calamitous new ones, like AIDS. So we face the challenges of the old, new and

ZANZIBAR, TANZANIA • PHOTO BY ELENA LEBETKIN

Challenges and Opportunities

emerging. We must bring safe water to over one billion people around the world and stop the obesity epidemic in its tracks, provide malaria-preventing nets to millions of people and increase access to cancer screening, break down disparities in health between people but find cost-effective ways to deliver services. It’s not a question of one or the other. The challenge of 21st century public health is to prevent where possible and treat when necessary, learn from the past but create new solutions based on the knowledge, tools and technologies available to us today, create new knowledge but apply evidencebased solutions, where possible, and to do this in our backyards and around the world. Perhaps never have the challenges been greater and the opportunity for impact more immense.” Resurgence of tuberculosis in multi-drugresistant form, along with outbreaks of measles and whooping cough, join newer infections, such as drug-resistant intestinal

THE

“superbugs,” HIV/AIDS and Avian flu as major threats to health worldwide. Disaster preparedness has been added to the list of resurgent public health challenges. Not only did the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and the subsequent anthrax attacks reveal the need for a new level of disaster preparedness and training; Hurricane Katrina exposed severe shortcomings in current preparedness planning for natural disasters. “The whole picture has shifted quite dramatically,” Rimer says. “As Marcel Proust reminded us, Dr. Barbara K. Rimer we must see the landscape with new eyes. The world is smaller, and many of the distinctions between chronic and infectious diseases are overly simplistic.” In North Carolina, public health professionals face the challenge of the state’s low standing on many health indicators. “Whether you pick childhood obesity or infant mortality or years of life lost—for any measure you pick—we rank very poorly in national standings,” says N.C. State Health Director Leah M. Devlin, DDS, MPH. “And the U.S. doesn’t rank very well against other

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“Perhaps never have the challenges been greater and the opportunity for impact more immense.” Dr. Barbara K. Rimer • Dean, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

developed countries. These poor health outcomes are very big challenges for us all.”

Unprecedented challenges Public health leaders point to a wide range of pressing problems. They include, in no particular order: OBESITY: “Today, over 1.6 billion individuals are overweight or obese, diabetes and heart disease rates are skyrocketing and quality of life is being diminished for many globally,” notes Dr. Barry Popkin, professor of nutrition in the UNC schools of public health and medicine and director of UNC’s Interdisciplinary Obesity Center. “Mexico’s obesity rate equals ours, and its diabetes rate soon will be above ours,” he adds. “Economically, the costs are great. For example by 2025, nine percent of China’s GNP will go toward obesity-related economic costs.” TOBACCO USE: “The decline in tobacco

use in the United States is the greatest single public health success of the last half-century in terms of lives saved, yet it remains the single leading cause of avoidable premature death, not only in our society but increasingly in developing countries,” says Dr. Kenneth Warner, dean of University of Michigan’s School of Public Health. SANITATION: Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, has noted that sanitation has a vital role in promoting health, dignity and development, while lack of sanitation breeds disease and anchors huge numbers of people in poverty. About 1.1 billion people around the globe lack access to an improved water supply—approximately one in six people on earth. Additionally, 2.6 billion people worldwide—3 times the U.S. population— lack access to improved sanitation. The June 28, 2008, issue of The Lancet includes an editorial that calls for an immediate global action plan to expedite improvements in water, sanitation and hygiene and reflects on the new WHO report—Safer water, better health. The WHO report, published in June 2008, concludes that 9.1 percent of the global burden of disease could be prevented by improving water, sanitation and hygiene. In 32 worst-affected countries, this figure is 15 percent. (For more information, see www.thelancet.com/journals and www.sph. unc.edu/cph/weblinks.) MENTAL ILLNESS: “Some of our mental health problems (in the U.S.) are due to the fact that, until this year, even people with good health insurance coverage were denied adequate coverage for mental health conditions,” says Dr. Patricia Wahl, dean of University of Washington’s School of Public Health. “The return of the military serving in Iraq with post-traumatic shock will further raise awareness of mental health issues in need of public health solutions.” C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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GENETICS: A host of legal, medical and ethical questions has arisen around the burgeoning availability of information about individuals’ genetic makeup. “Rightly or wrongly, individuals accord their genomes a special status and consider it worthy of unique protections. Dr. James P. Evans As we move forward with attempts to use genetic information for the betterment of health, it will be a challenge to protect the individual’s privacy while affording necessary access to it,” says Dr. James

P. Evans, professor of genetics and medicine in UNC’s School of Medicine and director of UNC’s cancer and adult genetics clinics and the Bryson Program in Human Genetics. “The public health arena will be critically important as health care and genetics become further intertwined,” Evans adds. “In fact, many of the major advances in risk prediction and genetically-guided treatment will have their most salient influences in the context of public health. Indeed, the emergence of genetic medicine, with its illumination of a myriad of relatively subtle genetic risks for common diseases shared by the entire population, could trigger a dramatic shift in the way we deliver health care in the U.S. The recognition that we all

have various disease predispositions and that we have the capacity to engage in truly preventive medicine because of genomic advances, will serve as further inducements to pursue broadly-pooled risk and universal access to medical care.”

Double-edged sword of “progress” These and other public health concerns exist in the context of — and often are caused or influenced by — worldwide developments, such as globalization and urbanization, both of which have had tremendous impact on health and on the profession of public health. Other problematic trends include: POPUL ATION GROWTH: The

Dr. Michael Klag

fundamental problem underlying issues like safe water, environmental pollution, food availability and climate change is population growth, says Dr. Michael Klag, dean of Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health. “If we don’t slow population growth, these problems will all get worse.”

LHASA, TIBET • PHOTO BY JEANETTE LAGER

WIDENING HEALTH DISPARITIES:

On every health indicator, there are enormous racial, cultural and geographical disparities in North Carolina, says Devlin, of the N.C. Division of Public Health. The challenge of equal access to health care is mirrored globally, notes Dr. Barry Bloom, dean of Harvard University’s School of Dr. Barry Bloom Public Health. “The fundamental issue I’m most concerned about, looking forward, are the increasing disparities in health within and between countries,” he says. “I am concerned that at some point it may lead to a great deal of social disruption.” INADEQUATE EMPHASIS ON PREVENTION: Determining how to increase

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investment in and commitment to health promotion and disease prevention is a longstanding public health conundrum. “Prevention is a far less costly approach,” Devlin notes. “The cost of health care in this country is over two trillion dollars, and by 2016, that will double.” Just one percent of that figure is spent on prevention. “We just can’t afford to keep going down the road we’re going.” AGING POPULATIONS: Due to

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storms and tidal waves. “The impacts are going to occur not only, but primarily, in areas around the equator where temperatures are higher, and these tend to be developing countries,” he notes.

Reasons for optimism In the face of these multi-layered challenges, public health leaders have developed evidence-based strategies that have promise. Almost all agree that interdisciplinary partnerships are critical, as are alliances with sectors that traditionally have not been explicitly involved in public health.

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talk with police departments, fire departments, faithbased organizations and others. We also have to make our leaders aware that when public health Dr. Joxel Garcia is affected, the productivity of our nation is affected.” Local public health departments play a critical role in convening the community and fostering collaboration among multiple sectors, says North Carolina’s Devlin. “The

Dr. Leah Devlin

the success of past public health efforts, the population in the U.S. and around the world is rapidly aging, and that is creating unprecedented demands on health care systems. “We now have people working in their late 70s and early 80s, and very productively,” says U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health Joxel Garcia. “We have to help the people manage their diseases and have a good quality of life.” POVERTY: Overcoming poverty is “absolutely critical and something we haven’t figured out how to do,” says University of Michigan’s Warner. “We’ve got loads of data that indicate that, when you look at health status and control for other factors, poverty still stands out independently as a tremendously important influence on health. That’s going to be a huge challenge for the future.” CLIMATE CHANGE: Global warming has resulted in deadly heat waves, outbreaks of cholera and Rift Valley fever, and the spread of dengue fever in the southern United States, to cite just a few examples. Dr. James Merchant, former dean of the UniverDr. James Merchant sity of Iowa’s College of Public Health and now professor of occupational and environmental health at the college, predicts significant further impact— greater famine because of temperature rise, difficulties with crop production, challenges to water supplies, more frequent severe

“Effective public-private partnerships can bring communities and public health organizations into a better alignment of shared goals and shared efforts.” Dr. Julie Gerberding • Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

“We have to use the resources that we have in the most efficient and effective way that we can,” says Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Partnership becomes very important when resources are tight. Effective public-private partnerships can bring communities and public health organizations into a better alignment of shared goals and shared efforts. “Businesses are probably the most aligned with public health in some sense,” she continues. Many provide health insurance to employees, so they recognize the high cost of health care for chronic disease. “It makes business sense to invest in wellness and health protection up front. They’ll have a healthier, happier, more productive workforce, but also healthier, happier families and ultimately a more healthful community.” Public health leaders “have to realize we can’t do it by ourselves,” adds Garcia, the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health. “We have to move away from the silo mentality and work as a system. We need to bring in the business sector, transportation, education. We have to

reality is that these issues are very complex, very important and are everybody’s shared responsibility. But someone’s got to convene (the various partners) and provide the leadership and the infrastructure so that the entire community can contribute to the ‘stone soup’ strategic to improve health.” Policy changes Dr. Patricia Wahl are among the most powerful interventions to change behaviors and promote health, public health leaders point out. “We fought for years and years to encourage people to use their seatbelts, but we didn’t get a good usage rate until we passed a law,” Washington’s Wahl says. “In smoking, there was a lot of work in behavior change, but probably one of the most effective things is that there will be no smoking in public places and eating places (in her home state of Washington).” Similarly, encouraging children to drink milk and water instead of C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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sodas “apparently did little good until we got the schools to remove soft drink machines.” International agreement on policy change provides a promising model as well. Michigan’s Warner is encouraged by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a treaty put into effect in 2005 and ratified to date by more than 150 countries (alDr. Ken Warner though not the United States). It established ways to reduce cigarette smuggling, banned tobacco advertising and sales to children, and called for higher prices, among other measures. “Since its inception, WHO has had the authority to mount global health treaties and had never used that authority until now,” Warner says. He sees the treaty as an example that the global community could follow to solve other problems as well. Another strategy for improving public health—one pioneered in North Carolina and managed by our School’s North Carolina Institute for Public Health—is accrediting local health departments to ensure quality. “Some are talking about (more widespread) certifications and accreditation,” the U.S.’s Garcia says. “I think we have to use all of (these strategies) to empower our workforce. It doesn’t matter if it’s a state public health officer, a communicator in a federal agency, a policymaker or an epidemiologist, we need to empower all of them with processes that will allow them to be the best they can be.” Even as new tools and strategies are considered, public health’s long-term emphasis on prevention is gaining new traction. “Health is a very precious resource these days,” the CDC’s Gerberding says. “If we don’t do more to invest in protecting health, we will never be able to afford to restore it once we’ve lost it. Our system has got to change dramatically and put a much greater premium on investing in keeping people healthier and helping people who are at risk return to a state of lower risk and better health. “We need to really help our citizens and our decision makers understand that we need

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Public health leaders “have to realize we can’t do it by ourselves. We have to move away from the silo mentality and work as a system. We need to bring in the business sector, transportation, education.” Dr. Joxel Garcia • U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

a society where health is the default, where everyone has the opportunity to experience the wonderful things in life that good health can enable. And we need Dr. Julie Gerberding to regard that as a national priority just as we regard other strategic national investments like our Department of Homeland Security and our Department of Defense.”

Creating a more equitable world for health Though the challenges facing public health may appear daunting, leaders like Margaret Chan at WHO are optimistic. “We see signs of a shared desire for a more equitable world for health opportunities and outcomes, and of shared responsibility in making this happen,” Chan said in an April 3, 2007, speech in Singapore. “It’s a time of unprecedented interest in health. Our cause is supported by a growing number of health initiatives, implementing agencies, public-private partnerships, foundations, funding agencies and rock stars.” Other public health leaders point to the CDC’s tally of the great public health successes of the last century, which includes dramatic improvements in life expectancy and reduc-

tions in infant mortality. (See www.sph.unc. edu/cph/weblinks.) “If someone had said to me in 1994 that today we would have a dozen countries around the world that do not allow smoking in any workplace, including all bars and restaurants, I’d have said you were crazy,” Michigan’s Warner says. “The fact is we do make progress. If you look at what we’ve achieved over the last century, the problems that confront us are big, but they’re not necessarily more intimidating than those that confronted us 100 years ago.” Public health is an exciting, stimulating and rewarding caDr. Jim Curran reer, summarizes Dr. Jim Curran, dean of Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. “The mission itself is both challenging and noble— trying to improve the health of others—and it’s so interdisciplinary and diverse,” he says. “Its success depends on working with people from different intellectual backgrounds and cultural backgrounds from your own. There’s a lot of learning that must be done to succeed, and when you do succeed, not only do you achieve the noble mission, but the sum is always much, much greater than its parts.” I

GILLINGS

Gillings Gift positions UNC to better meet

21st century public health challenges

Dr. Joseph Ibrahim

Dr. Joseph Morrissey

hroughout its nearly 70-year history, the University of North Carolina’s School of Public Health has aggressively confronted public health challenges as close as Carrboro, N.C., and as far away as China. UNC public health faculty members, staff and students have built the School into one of the top research and teaching facilities in the world addressing areas such as water quality, nutrition, cancer screening, clinical trials and infectious disease control. One of the distinguishing features about our School is a strong emphasis on applying research to solve real-world problems. U.S. News and World Report consistently has rated UNC the top public school of public health since the magazine began its ratings in 1990. Overall, UNC ranks just behind the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is tied for second place with the Harvard School of Public Health. To remain a top school of public health, we must address the enormous public health challenges of the 21st century. As infectious diseases reemerge, as gaps caused by health disparities widen, as pollution threatens the quality of air and water, we must ask hard questions, work even harder to solve public health problems in North Carolina and around the world and educate the next generation of public health leaders. That’s what makes the gift from Dennis and Joan Gillings so important to UNC.

Dr. Ralph Baric

“The enormously generous gift from Dennis and Joan Gillings is giving us the resources and freedom to tackle some of the world’s biggest public health challenges quickly, our way, with colleagues from across the School, University, state and world,” says Dean Barbara K. Rimer. “Their gift will enable us to accelerate our impact in solving public health problems and educate students using these new paradigms—and that’s why most of us chose public health as our life’s work.” Researchers who already have received Gillings funding for projects explain the importance of these grants. “Funding for the Gillings Innovation Labs (GILs) serves as a novel platform for developing key early-stage technologies for improving human health outcomes across the globe,” says Dr. Ralph Baric, epidemiology professor and principal investigator of a project designed to find a single-dose vaccine for respiratory diseases that’s easy to store and administer. If successful, the vaccine could save millions of children’s lives in developing countries. (See page 32.) “The Gillings gift has, among other things, really enabled us to bridge the gap between academia and industry in clinical trials research,” says Dr. Joseph Ibrahim, Alumni Distinguished Professor of biostatistics and principal investigator for the UNC Center for Innovative Clinical Trials. “It has facilitated an unprecedented new form of dialogue and collaboration between academic researchers

GIFT

and practitioners in tackling important and practical research issues in clinical trials.” Another project already funded through the Gillings gift will look at ways to improve North Carolina’s mental health services. The critical problems of providing mental health care are not unique to North Carolina—and finding better ways to provide care here will be useful across the U.S. and throughout the world. (See page 31.) “Improving mental health services is one of the biggest public health challenges facing North Carolina today,” says Dr. Joseph Morrissey, UNC professor of health policy and administration. “Our GIL will link Carolina and Duke faculty with community partners to work on ways of improving the mental health system using computer simulation and other decision-support tools.” Our School’s new name—the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health— recognizes the transformational gift made possible by two people with strong ties to the School who feel passionate about its work. (See their stories on pages 10 and 14.) “The words global public health reflect the fact that all public health is global, and that global health is public health,” Rimer has said. “We are fully committed to North Carolina and its citizens, and we recognize the interconnectedness of all people in today’s world.” Rimer explains that about 18 percent of School expenses are covered by the state of North Carolina. “We are grateful for this funding,” Rimer says. Much of the money for research comes from competitive federal grants for specific projects, but the federal budget for health research is shrinking dramatically and many fewer grants are being awarded. “Dennis and Joan Gillings have made it possible for our world-class School to serve our friends and neighbors across North Carolina and around the world with stronger research, educational and outreach programs,” Rimer says. “Meeting the challenges of the 21st century is a daunting task, but this gift strengthens our ability to anticipate public health problems and accelerate their solutions.” I — BY RAMONA DUBOSE C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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Dr. Dennis Gillings joined the UNC Department of Biostatistics faculty in 1971 and began his early teaching career with fellow assistant professor, Dr. Gary Koch, in what was known as “Trailer 39.” The trailer was one of three makeshift offices set up in and around parking lots behind Rosenau Hall on the Carolina campus. Gillings served on the School’s faculty until 1988. He is now chairman and chief executive officer of Quintiles Transnational Corp.

Drawing strength, experiencing success, now returning to

his roots D

r. Dennis Gillings is clearly a man of intent. That is, he intends to excel at everything he

does, whether he’s running an international clinical research company, pushing protégés to greater heights of accomplishment, staging a “pig pickin’” or competing in ballroom dancing.

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Wait. Ballroom dancing? From the age of 15, when his mother said it “is good to be able to dance,” he attended the Morris J. School of Ballroom Dancing. When he went to university, he enrolled in a competitive ballroom dancing class and soon captured the championship. “Well,” he says with a shrug, “I worked hard at it.” The 64-year-old London native, a former professor of biostatistics and now chairman and chief executive officer of Quintiles Transnational Corp. (and also Commander of the British Empire, or CBE), works hard at everything he does, propelling himself and those around him to succeed.

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DRAWING

“He has a huge amount of intellectual energy, and especially for graduate students, he is the type of professor who pushes you and really helps you figure out your career,” notes Julie MacMillan, MPH, a former student who now heads Carolina Public Health Solutions at UNC’s School of Public Health. As a teacher, Gillings was known for being enthusiastic, thorough and generous. “He’s not just generous with his (financial) donations, he’s generous about sharing his knowledge,” says Dr. Chester W. (Chet) Douglass, a former colleague of Gillings’ at UNC. “Back when we were assistant professors and he’d be consulting, he would just give away his knowledge.”

That openness is not often found in the competitive atmosphere of academia, says Douglass, now chairman of the Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology at Harvard University’s School of Dental Medicine. He says that when he arrived at Harvard, a senior professor cautioned that when you teach students all you know, you risk competition from them in the future. “There are people who draw a line around how helpful they are willing to be with other people, but he (Dennis) doesn’t draw that line,” Douglass says. “It must have something to do with his own confidence in his ability to put information together and not be worried for his own goals. He seems to understand

that other people can be successful, and he can help them, and he can be successful, too.” That philosophical thread runs through his business practices, as well. UNC President Emeritus Bill Friday, who calls Gillings “the great American success story,” notes that the global business leader hires those with strengths he needs to round out his management team. “He gets good people and turns them loose,” Friday says. “If you are smart enough to pick people smarter than you in their areas of expertise, and give them wings to help them succeed, you will succeed, also.” While Gillings easily serves as mentor to many, he does not easily name anyone who C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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pushes him to succeed, in return. It soon becomes apparent that Dennis Gillings pushes himself. And he seems genuinely baffled that any human being would not want to reach his or her potential—it’s a given with him. “I guess it’s just a competitive or natural instinct to reach your potential, so when I see some great potential in someone and they are not realizing it, I challenge. That’s the way I am,” he says.

A Global Vision for Business Gillings’ early life is not rooted in the University of North Carolina, but his professional life is. Born at the end of World War II, Gillings was educated in the inner city of London before attending the University of Exeter for a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He then headed to the University of Cambridge for a diploma in mathematical statistics (equivalent to a master’s degree), and returned to Exeter to teach while working on his doctorate.

ters” skittering about when the lights were turned on at night. But from this humble space—which Koch and Gillings shared with research assistants—the seeds of Quintiles were sown. It began when Gillings was asked to write an expert report for Hoechst regarding a diabetes drug, and Koch reviewed his work. The two always have had a good rapport, says Douglass, who remembers having lunch with the two assistant biostatistics professors in Chapel Hill’s Zoom Zoom Room during his first week on campus as assistant professor of health policy and administration. “I came home that day and said (to my wife), ‘I am not sure, but I think I had lunch today with two geniuses,’” Douglass says. “They had a very high level of ability of communicating with each other conceptually and mathematically, and it clicked like crazy. And look what they went off and did!” What they did was catapult a consulting business into an organization with astonishing global reach. Koch continued to teach but

“He drew his strength here, he succeeded, and he has turned back to his roots. He is a man of exceedingly good will, and this university will be much in his debt for a long time.” Bill Friday • UNC President Emeritus

Upon graduating, Gillings and some friends decided to head to Africa via Land Rover for an adventure, but about this time, one of his statistics professors at Exeter, Dr. John Ashford, suggested he think about teaching in the United States. During a conference in Germany, Gillings met Dr. Bernard Greenberg, then chair of Carolina’s Department of Biostatistics, who offered him a job at UNC. Gillings came to UNC in 1971 and began his early teaching career with fellow assistant professor, Dr. Gary Koch, in what was known as “Trailer 39.” The stories about the trailer are legendary, including descriptions of “crit-

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served on Quintiles’ board of directors while the company soared, from operating with a small, part-time staff in 1974 to its current reach of 20,000 employees in 57 countries. That’s in part because Gillings used his classroom abilities to good effect in the board room. He always had a knack for helping students understand their work from a human perspective, says MacMillan, who calls him “far and away, the best professor I had at UNC.” “He had this terrific ability to pick up on your classroom subject and make it real,” she says. “For instance, when presenting something that can be dry, like biostatistics, he’d

Dennis Gillings, 1971

use it as a way to hit an approach to a problem in public health. So that way, it became something really practical.” He also took that approach in the business world, says Dr. Lisa LaVange, who was a vice president in the clinical development area at Quintiles before her current job as professor of biostatistics in the School of Public Health. LaVange earned her PhD in biostatistics from UNC. Although she never had a class with Gillings, she considers herself an “adopted Trailer 39 student.” “He absolutely was a visionary. I don’t remember anybody thinking about global meetings like he did,” she says. “Seeing what he did in other countries, I became more aware of how everybody interconnected. He is an unbelievable businessman, quite brilliant.”

A meaningful gift In a letter to School alumni describing why they gave this gift, Dennis and Joan Gillings outlined their vision by inviting alumni and others to “join us in the remarkable journey to transform the way public health solutions are developed and delivered—at home and around the world.” Clearly, the donation is intended to propel the School of Public Health, which already trains some of the best public health students in the country, toward making a difference on a global scale by engaging students,

STRENGTH,

faculty, government, business leaders and others in collaboration. Friday agrees that the gift will create widespread, meaningful results. “This is the greatest opportunity any school of public health has ever had,” he says. “First, it will do things to help prevent people from becoming sick in the first place, and it will stimulate all kinds of research projects.” The research projects will lead to solutions, a compelling purpose behind the gift. “We believe that public health holds the answers to many of the world’s greatest challenges—from shortages of safe, clean drinking water, to the growing epidemic of obesity in this country, to worldwide threats from diseases such as SARS and Avian flu, to methods for accelerating the speed of clinical

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trials,” the couple wrote. “We wanted to be a part of the solutions to these and other problems.” Gillings suggests focusing efforts on specific areas rather than taking broad swipes at public health problems. “In the United States, public health can’t be pushed without good business models, which is what the focus areas give us,” he says. “It’s a change from 50 years ago, when you identified the need and then spent money on it.” He said he quickly learned that simply spending money on a problem wasn’t enough. For instance, it’s relatively easy to buy and supply vaccines to various regions of the world, but if the distribution system breaks down, the vaccines don’t do any good. Instead, he suggests that his $50 million gift

PHOTO BY TOM FULDNER

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NOW

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be used in a focused and effective way. That is why the School is establishing competitively selected Gillings Innovation Laboratories (GILs), which will focus on major public health concerns. (See page 29.) LaVange sees the gift and the Gillings Innovation Labs as something that “can and will have reach, tremendous reach” because they will emphasize health outcomes and will seek solutions to a variety of public health issues, including environmental problems, water shortages and fetal health. “It’s an opportunity to do research to change the direction of public health,” she says. For Gillings, it’s all about linking the project to its impact, or the ultimate outcome. “That is the first step to success, to include a linkage from the project to the impact it’s going to make, to the ultimate outcome or health improvement,” he says. This approach to problem-solving and pushing for meaningful change is nothing new. Douglass recalls that early on, when Gillings was assigned the task of teaching biostatistics to medical students, he wrote a self-instructional text and gave it to them. “It was a way of helping them out that would continue beyond the course, and that’s precisely how he thinks,” Douglass says. “He thinks about ways to accomplish something that will continue on. So it’s not just giving a lecture and being done with it, but thinking about what can come of it afterward. And then what can come of the fact after that? What could I do that would be lasting and meaningful?” The $50 million given by Gillings and his wife, Joan, surely will be a lasting and meaningful gift, from someone who traces his professional roots to a trailer parked outside the School of Public Health in the early 1970s. Friday emphasized Gillings’ loyalty to UNC, calling him a living example of someone who realized the American dream and provided opportunity to others in return. “He drew his strength here, he succeeded, and he has turned back to his roots,” Friday says. “He is a man of exceedingly good will, and this university will be much in his debt for a long time.” I — BY KIM GAZELLA C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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JOAN GILLINGS:

Inspiring others with a “can do,

hands-on” attitude

ife has been a wild ride for Joan Gillings, and frankly, she has loved every minute of it. Born in Philadelphia, the daughter of a clothing model and the president of Whitman Chocolate Co., Joan Heckler was reared in Grosse Pointe, Mich. After her first marriage ended, she moved to Chapel Hill in the early 1970s, believing it would be an ideal place to rear her two young sons. From 1974 to 1976, she worked on the staff of the UNC Department of Biostatistics. “Even at that time, the UNC School of Public Health was seen as one of the best in the nation,” she says. “There was a lot going on, a lot of excitement.”

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It was during those years that she met Dennis Gillings, an up-and-coming faculty member in the department, and their amazing partnership began. “I think what attracts people to each other is shared values,” she says, “and that’s true for Dennis and me. It’s what has helped us even through rough times. We both have strong principles, we’re ambitious, we want to ‘grab the ring’ and be the best people we can be.

“Maybe the most important trait we have in common is that we’re family-oriented. Even when he was a full professor at UNC and starting Quintiles, we had regular evening meals together,” she recalls. It was also at the family dining table, Gillings says, that Quintiles began. As her husband received increasing numbers of requests to consult with pharmaceutical companies, Gillings worked at a typewriter in the kitchen helping administer projects and organize reports. “Our family and the people he worked with believed in Dennis,” Gillings says. “He is a man with a vision who believes passionately in whatever he sets out to do. Along the way, he enjoys what he’s doing.” Gillings’ direct involvement with Quintiles dwindled when their daughter Susan was born in 1981. To allow herself more flexibili-

INSPIRING

ty as a working mother, she obtained a real estate license. She brokered residential and commercial properties in Chapel Hill (including one of the office complexes used by Quintiles) and around the world, including London, England, and Sydney, Australia. Through the years, the Gillingses have shared a philosophy about “giving back” some of their good fortune. In fact, Dennis Gillings says his wife took the lead in family philanthropy, calling her his “human side.” “People call us all the time to be on one board or another,” she says. “But I won’t serve unless I can be a contributing member. And given that I stay busy, I can only commit to being active for causes that I value.” Still, the beneficiaries of Gillings’ philanthropic efforts are many. She values education and, as chair of the Board of Visitors of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNC-W), has worked to create scholarships for deserving students there, particularly minority students, who could not otherwise afford to attend. “Joan Gillings has made such a difference on our campus,” says UNC-W Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo. “She doesn’t see obstacles; she sees challenges. Joan values innovation and collaboration, and she’s determined to get things done. Her can-do, hands-on attitude is very inspiring.” And she knows how to make connections. For example, as a member of the Advisory Board for the Center for Marine Science at UNC-W, Gillings and her husband arranged a partnership with the National Oceanography Centre at University of Southampton in England to create and support a program for student and faculty exchanges and research collaborations. (Joan is chair of the Southampton University Development Trust and Dennis is prochancellor of Southampton University.) Dr. Dan Baden, William R. Kenan Distinguished Professor of marine science, and director of the Center for Marine Science at UNC-W, says that Gillings’ “business savvy has been a cornerstone of her work with us. The Southampton endowment is an example

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of how Joan’s and Dennis’ insights create new opportunities, new colleagues and innovative training for the next generation of marine scientists.” An avid reader, Gillings is interested in history and the arts, and has contributed knowledgeably as a board member for the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History, Wilmington’s Opera House Theatre Company and the UNC-Chapel Hill Morehead Planetarium.

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They always had planned a gift to the School, Gillings says, in proportion to the gratitude they felt toward biostatistics chair (and later dean) Bernard Greenberg. “Bernie found Dennis and believed in him. The School gave Dennis the tools to achieve what he wanted, and he succeeded by taking the opportunity that was given. “We also believe in the mission of the School. In our own lives, we value health— we don’t smoke; we’re active and watch how we eat; we believe in preventive care. We

“Joan values innovation and collaboration, and she’s determined to get things done. Her can-do, hands-on attitude is very inspiring.” Rosemary DePaolo • UNC -Wilmington Chancellor She created a fund to support UNC-W’s creative writing program, one of five recognized by The Atlantic (July 2007, www. theatlantic.com/doc/200707u/writingprograms) as among the most innovative in the country. “Like great writers, Joan has a wealth of vision, energy and creativity,” DePaolo says. “She wants to help talented people succeed.” The Joan H. Gillings Fellowship in Creative Writing is awarded annually to an incoming master of fine arts student at UNCW. “The gift makes a huge difference in the quality of our program,” says Philip Gerard, chair of the creative writing department. “We don’t have deep pockets of money to award incoming students, so Mrs. Gillings’ gift has a much stronger positive impact here than it might in a program that needed it less. She has always understood and valued what we do here.” The transformative gift Gillings and her husband pledged to the UNC School of Public Health in February 2007 is one more example—on a larger scale—of supporting a cause in which they passionately believe.

think this awareness about health and ability to be healthy should be available to people in North Carolina and around the world. “Perhaps most importantly, we’ve been proud of the leadership of Bill Roper and Barbara Rimer. Barbara has done outstanding work; she’s a real go-getter, and we want to do all we can to help her reach the goals she has set for the School.” Dennis and Joan Gillings’ strong bond, based on shared values and mutual love and respect, has reaped rewards for them as individuals and as a couple. Even with all the busyness—most recently related to the renovation of a historic Chapel Hill house and the wedding of their daughter Susan, now an architect—there is still time to honor each other. Gillings smiles when she describes a recent anniversary, on which she received 30 roses, one for every year of their marriage. That has happened every year without fail, she says, since she received a single rose on their first anniversary. “I told you he’s a passionate man,” she winks. I — BY LINDA KASTLEMAN C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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A PLACE I

FOR RIGOR

Since 1949, UNC’s researchers set the pace for the field of biostatistics.

oday it’s a given that biostatisticians work hand in hand with geneticists, oncologists and drug manufacturers to design studies and crunch the numbers. But in 1949, when the UNC Department of Biostatistics was first established, as far as medical research was concerned, biostatisticians didn’t really exist. “In the first days we were looked on as interlopers,” says Dr. Jim Grizzle, professor emeritus of biostatistics at Carolina. In 1957, when Grizzle started working as a graduate research assistant to Dr. Bernard Greenberg, the first chair of UNC’s Department of Biostatistics, many investigators were skeptical of biostatisticians and their ideas about study design. “We had to earn the research-

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ers’ respect. We were speaking a different language: things like ‘randomization’ and ‘uniform ascertainment of outcomes,’” Grizzle says. “Suppose you’re studying a treatment that’s supposed to prevent heart attacks? Well, what’s a heart attack? For your outcomes to be uniform, all the centers conducting the trial have to use the same diagnostic criteria.”

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At that time, such principles of statistics had been used in agricultural studies, particularly in the United Kingdom, but not so much in medicine. Biostatisticians gradually began to carve out the basic tenets for collecting and analyzing data in biomedical research, and Greenberg was right in the middle of it. He and others in the UNC department laid out many of the ideas that today still govern the conduct of medical research, especially clinical trials. The state of North Carolina’s first department of statistics was established at what would become North Carolina State University, and its founder, Gertrude Cox, recruited Greenberg to teach biostatistics at UNC’s schools of medicine and public health while he was still a graduate student at N.C. State. Soon, in 1949, he was the first faculty member appointed to a new department of biostatistics at UNC-Chapel Hill. “The two departments

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were sort of viewed as one by Miss Cox, who founded them,” Grizzle says. Students would often take classes at both institutions. Soon after Greenberg was appointed chair, he began to grow the UNC department and the field by obtaining funding for training students and faculty. In 1953 the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart Institute awarded one of NIH’s first training grants to UNC to train students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty and to bring in visiting faculty. “These training grants came about in part because Greenberg was asked by the NIH to help them evaluate research proposals from scientists,” Grizzle says. “NIH became aware that the proposals needed statistical help in the worst way.” As Greenberg’s research assistant, Grizzle worked on one of Greenberg’s early consulting projects—a contract that the National Cancer Institute awarded UNC in 1955 to serve as the statistical coordinating center for the Southeastern Cooperative Cancer Chemotherapy Study Group. This group of 10 medical schools worked together to conduct clinical trials and test chemotherapy agents for treating leukemia and lymphoma. “Greenberg and I were among the first cancer chemotherapy statisticians,” Grizzle says. The department also began to work on other projects, including a contract to provide statistical services to Veterans Administration hospitals evaluating four operations in the treatment of duodenal ulcers.

Laying the framework for clinical trials As Greenberg did this early consulting work, he began to publish his ideas for putting rigor into designing studies and analyzing data in biomedical research. In 1959, he published in The American Statistician the first article describing the design and conduct of cooperative field and clinical trials. At the same time he was nurturing the people in the fledgling UNC department. “Greenberg was like a second father. He had an enormous impact on my life,” Grizzle says. “I was essentially a country boy trying to get ahead. He kept throwing opportunity in my path, and he did the same for others on the fledgling faculty.”

A bit later, in 1967, Greenberg chaired a committee appointed by NIH’s National Advisory Heart Council, to come up with a process for conducting large, multi-center clinical studies. The paper that committee wrote came to be known as the “Greenberg Report.” (See page 22 and www.sph.unc.edu/ cph/weblinks.) The report was commissioned by the NIH’s National Heart Institute (now called the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute). “It was a landmark paper that basically outlined the way clinical trials should be run by the NIH,” says Dr. Clarence “Ed” Davis,

Dr. Bernard Greenberg, the first chair of UNC’s Department of Biostatistics, chaired an NIH committee in 1967 directed to develop a process for conducting large, multi-center clinical studies. The landmark paper developed by the committee came to be known as the “Greenberg Report.” The paper, commissioned by the NIH’s National Heart Institute (now called the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) outlined the way clinical trials should be run.

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Dr. Clarence E. (Ed) Davis, circa 1970s

Dr. Clarence E. (Ed) Davis, UNC research professor of biostatistics, was the primary biostatistician for the 1984 Lipid Research Clinics clinical trial — one of the first trials to show that lowering blood cholesterol reduces the risk of heart disease. Davis served as interim chair and chair of the Biostatistics Department from 1997 through 2005.

professor of biostatistics at the School who served as interim chair and chair of the department from 1997 to 2005. Davis explains that up until the ’50s and ’60s, many studies were small enough that a student recording data in a lab notebook was enough. But things got a lot more complicated when researchers began studying the best way to treat cancer or prevent a heart attack. “Those questions require studying hundreds or up into the thousands of people to compare therapies and see which ones are better,” Davis says. “When you have more than one school or university collecting data for a study, you have to have some centralized

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way of doing that. That’s the concept that Greenberg set out. It has allowed the NIH and other research institutes around the world to ask questions that can only be answered by very large studies.” The Greenberg report is also cited as introducing the idea that a formal independent committee should monitor data in clinical trials as it accumulates and should review interim analyses of the data. In 1972, NIH began setting up coordinating centers to administrate large, multicenter trials. One of the first few centers was awarded to UNC, with Grizzle as principal investigator. Since then UNC’s Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center (see page 22) has evolved to take on other issues such as design and data management for these large studies. Among other landmarks, the center coordinated one of the earliest studies to show that lowering cholesterol reduces the

risk for heart disease, the Lipid Research Clinics study.

A personal interest In 1972, the Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center (CSCC) was established, Greenberg become dean of the School of Public Health, and Grizzle took over as chair of the Department of Biostatistics. Davis joined the faculty that year as well, though he had first met Greenberg almost a decade earlier during a summer research program. “Bernie (Greenberg) was one of the few people in the school who seemed to value every other part of the school,” Davis says. “We all get involved in our particular areas, but Bernie was always very interested in all aspects of public health, not just the quantitative and biostatistics parts. We were all in awe of him because he seemed to be able to do everything well. I call him Bernie now, but

PHOTO BY ANGELA SPIVEY

believe me when I met him walking in the hall, it was always ‘Hello Dr. Greenberg’ or ‘Hello Dean Greenberg.’” Greenberg took a personal interest in each faculty member. If someone had something happen, such as the death of a parent, Greenberg would send a handwritten note. “You wouldn’t even know how he would know, but you would get a note,” Davis says. Greenberg nurtured the research life of faculty as well, encouraging them not only to consult with biomedical investigators, but to also advance the field through methodological research. Dr. Dana Quade, UNC professor emeritus of biostatistics, remembers this mentoring. He was an associate professor when, in 1968, he received a Research Career Development Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Quade says he was focused on teaching and never would have thought of applying for the grant if it weren’t for Greenberg.

Dr. Jim Grizzle, professor emeritus of biostatistics at Carolina, served as chair of the Biostatistics Department from 1973 through 1987. In the early years of the department, biostatisticians were looked on as “interlopers,” Grizzle says. “We had to earn the researchers’ respect. We were speaking a different language: things like ‘randomization’ and ‘uniform ascertainment of outcomes.’”

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“Prior to that time I had almost no publications,” Quade says. He had been a coauthor on a couple of publications with some investigators in epidemiology —studies in which Quade had helped analyze the data. But his only methodological publication was his PhD dissertation. “I had some ideas but no time to develop them. But by the time I was done with that award, I had several good papers in major journals of the field,” Quade says. Those included a publication in the Journal of the American Statistical Association.

Today: data overload More than 40 years after the Greenberg report, UNC biostatisticians still push the field forward, developing new tools to help investigators explore research questions that Greenberg probably couldn’t have imagined. These questions in genomics and other areas require huge and complex sets of data—and the need for new statistical methodology to

Dr. Barry Margolin served as chair of the Department of Biostatistics from 1987 through 1999 and director of the biostatistics facility at UNC’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center from 1989 through 1999. His research specialty was the statistical design and analysis of experiments, particularly studies in genetic toxicology.

go with them, says Dr. Michael Kosorok, professor and chair of the department. Geneticists, for instance, use speciallymade chips called microarrays to look for patterns in genes that could be related to disease. But one microarray can contain as many as 100,000 genes. Biostatisticians at UNC such as Kosorok and Dr. Fred Wright are working to develop statistically valid methods for analyzing this “high dimensional” data. UNC faculty also work to quantify images used in cancer studies or neurological studies. Somehow those pictures have to be translated into a meaningful set of numbers. “There are very few biostatistics departments around the country that are investing a lot into brain imaging, but many of our faculty are working on questions such as how to use images to look at the relationship between risk factors for Alzheimer’s and changes in brain structure,” Kosorok says. Biostatistics faculty collaborate with scientists in computer science and operations research to develop methodologies to analyze such questions. Designing and analyzing clinical trials still poses many challenges, and UNC is addressing many of them through the School’s Center for Innovative Clinical trials (see page 29). For example, the field needs better methods for handling missing data, for conducting C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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post-marketing safety assessment of drugs, as well as methods for determining when to stop a trial early, either because of toxicity, futility or exceptional efficacy. “The main goal of the center is to form collaborations with industry, the FDA, and other academic institutions to work together to develop new methods to solve some of these big research problems,” says Dr. Joseph Ibrahim, Alumni Distinguished Professor of biostatistics and director of the center. Ibrahim studies Bayesian methods, which are gaining popularity in clinical trials because they provide sound mathematical tools for analyzing data about a problem while taking into account information from previous studies. In most Phase III clinical trials (the final step before drug approval), data is analyzed almost in a vacuum, as if previous studies don’t exist. Ibrahim explains it this way: “Suppose you’re driving a car and you come to the same stop sign nine days in a row, and each time the same car doesn’t stop and crosses the line. The tenth time you come to that intersection, you’re thinking ‘I’ve seen this guy the last nine days fly

冢

is, will not be used in practice unless there is software for it,” Lin says. “So in recent years I have devoted more of my time and effort to develop software implementing my new methods.” Lin’s methods and computer programs can be applied to genetic association studies, which try to relate diseases or conditions to genetic markers. For example, his SPREG program can be used to do secondary analyses in case-control association studies, in which researchers genotype large numbers of people for maybe 500,000 different genetic markers, then compare genetic markers in people with a disease such as diabetes to those without. But researchers often want to use the same data to analyze how these genetic markers affect other traits such as obesity or height. “If you do that with standard statistical methods, your analysis can be very biased,” Lin says. Lin developed a method and the SPREG program to do those secondary analyses in a

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The work of UNC's biostatistics faculty is the right mix of theory, methodology, and applied

research to push the field forward in these areas.

through the stop sign, I better slow down. That’s the essence of the Bayesian paradigm; it says I’m going to use this previous information to make my current decisions. But the classical paradigm essentially ignores that previous information and treats today’s visit to the stop sign as if it’s your first.” Most of the faculty such as Dr. Danyu Lin, Dennis Gillings Distinguished Professor of Biostatistics, develop new methodology — and computer programs that apply that methodology —to take on the ever more complex problems of genomics. “A new statistical method, no matter how wonderful it

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valid and efficient way. Ibrahim says UNC’s department is strong because the faculty’s consulting work feeds into their work developing new statistical methodology. For instance, a biostatistician will collaborate with oncologists on a melanoma trial and coauthor their paper in an oncology journal, then author a paper in a biostatistics journal about the methodology developed for that study. Methodology and practice are intertwined. Kosorok says that UNC’s faculty work is the right mix of theory, methodology, and applied research to push the field forward in

PHOTO BY ANGELA SPIVEY

features & news

Dr. Michael R. Kosorok, professor and chair of the Department of Biostatistics at UNC’s School of Public Health since 2006, has developed methods for using surrogate and multiple outcomes to increase cost-effectiveness of clinical trials. His work in cystic fibrosis has included being senior statistician on a large randomized trial which led to a change in national policy favoring nationwide newborn screening for cystic fibrosis.

these areas. Just as physicists have quantum theory, statisticians have their own theory — a body of tools and principles they use to construct new methods to be used in applications. While some biostatistics departments have no faculty at all working on theory, Kosorok says that proving current methods with theory is crucially important as research questions become more complex. “Things are changing so rapidly that you really can’t think about the theory all the time, you just have to do something that seems to work,” Kosorok says. “But if we don’t pay enough attention to the theory, we may end up coming up with numbers that don’t mean as much as we think they do, that don’t answer the scientific questions that we want to answer. So we need to also be thinking theoretically to find the proper way to handle these new, complicated situations. This is going to help us in the coming years to set the pace for the field of biostatistics.” I

U N D E R S TA N D I N G

Understanding the Public:

UNC’s Survey Research Unit helps researchers collect high-quality data

uring his first 10 years as a biostatistics professor at the UNC School of Public Health, Dr. William Kalsbeek collaborated with dozens of faculty members who relied on his expertise in survey research methods to conduct population-based research. Over time, Kalsbeek realized that those doing population-directed research needed an on-campus facility to offer a full range of specialized sampling and data collection services. other things, people’s attitudes, opinions, habits, activities and states of health. By conducting these types of assessments, the SRU enables researchers to measure and predict health outcomes, as well as evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of health-related interventions. “There are all these experts who want answers to their research questions but have found no easy way to get them,” says Dr. Robert Agans, SRU study director and questionnaire design expert. “They know the literature, they know the instruments, but they need data. That’s when they come to us… when they want to do a survey.” The SRU and UNC’s Odum Institute for Research in Social Science provide similar services to the university and community. Both have adopted the university’s three-part mission of teaching, service and research. However, staff at the

PUBLIC

SRU do more actual data collection, while Odum has concentrated on training and facilitating the activities of researchers who need population data, Kalsbeek says. The Odum’s focus also rests more heavily in the social sciences while the SRU mostly deals with health-related research. In the last 18 years, the SRU has gathered information that has contributed to approximately 300 research projects, including studies to: I understand adolescent dating behaviors I find out how many adolescents have been given the HPV vaccine I evaluate emergency room triage methodologies I measure the prevalence of lower back pain I increase the number of people in parts of North Carolina who eat at least five fruits and vegetables each day, and I evaluate ways researchers can help reduce smoking among N.C. teens. “We’re always trying to find out what’s going on with the population at large,” Kalsbeek says. The SRU uses telephone interviews as a primary mechanism to collect data. It maintains a regular staff of 10 but hires up to 60 temporary interviewers to collect information for various projects. It also conducts surveys online and via regular mail. I — B Y M A R G A R I TA D E PA N O

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“Many of them doing telephone surveys during my first years at UNC would kind of set up their own seat-of-the-pants operations, get a few phones in an office, hire a few students, then start calling,” says Kalsbeek. It was obvious they could use some form of assistance in collecting data, he says. So in 1990, with seed money from the UNC vice-chancellor for health affairs, the dean of the UNC School of Public Health, and the chair of the Department of Biostatistics, Kalsbeek established the Survey Research Unit (SRU) at UNC-Chapel Hill. Organizationally tied to the Department of Biostatistics, the SRU serves the whole university. “We’ve worked with departments across the entire campus, but especially those in health affairs,” says Kalsbeek, SRU director. “We’ve also collaborated with researchers at Duke, Johns Hopkins and other universities in the state and across the country.” Collaborative research service is the SRU’s primary mission. It helps researchers better understand the public by collecting data from random samples of the population, says Kalsbeek, who specializes in sample design. It gathers information to determine, among

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Dr. William Kalsbeek C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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UNC’S COLLABORATIVE STUDIES COORDINATING CENTER

Controlling quality, managing data, changing the practice of medicine BY

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n 1967, a committee chaired by Dr. Bernard Greenberg, then chair of the UNC Department of Biostatistics (and

later dean of the School of Public Health), wrote a report for the National Heart Institute (now the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) that outlined the way clinical trials should be run. A major component of the document, which came to be known as the “Greenberg Report,” was the recommendation that data produced by multi-site clinical trials be managed by a “data coordinating center.” (See www.sph.unc.edu/cph/weblinks.) Four years after the release of Greenberg’s report, the UNC Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center (CSCC) opened its doors as one of the first such data coordinating centers in the United States. It operates today under the three-pronged mission of “improving public health by coordinating important health research, developing innovative research methodology, and providing training in the application of research methods.” Since 1971, the CSCC has coordinated the activities of more than 30 multi-site clinical trials and epidemiology studies in the United States and other countries, says Dr. Lisa LaVange, director of the CSCC and professor

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of biostatistics at the UNC School of Public Health. Trials take place in hundreds of clinical and field centers and involve thousands of patients, LaVange says. “The CSCC oversees the accuracy, quality and consistency of clinical trial and observational study data by ensuring that all clinical or field sites follow identical procedures, use correct statistics and publish unbiased results,” LaVange says. “We focus on quality control, providing state-of-the-art data management and statistical analysis services. At the same time, we handle the smallest details of what’s involved in organizing a study, such as managing meetings, training clinical staff, and developing protocols and manuals of operation. We

coordinate the whole process, from study design to final delivery of public use datasets.” The CSCC, part of the UNC Department of Biostatistics, also conducts research to continuously improve the way multi-site studies are designed and analyzed. “One of our investigators, for instance, has done a lot of research on how thousands of data fields involving physical activity— collected via monitors people wear on their belts— can be reduced to meaningful statistics,” LaVange says. In compliance with CSCC’s mission, all the learning that comes from organizing the various components of clinical trials gets passed on to students and various scholars. Dr. Ed Davis, director of the CSCC from 1991 to 1997, says one of the advantages of being housed within a topnotch biostatistics department and a topnotch public health school is that staff at the CSCC are able to train some of the world’s future public health leaders. At any given time, the CSCC has six to 12 graduate students from the School working on CSCC projects and using CSCC data for their dissertations. Postdoctoral fellows and visiting faculty from other countries collaborate with the CSCC to write manuscripts. Meanwhile, CSCC faculty teach in the classroom what they learn on the job. “I have taught a course for many years on how to design and conduct a clinical trial,” says Davis. The training component of the CSCC’s mission distinguishes it from non-academic data-coordinating centers that provide simi-

UNC’S

lar services, LaVange says. While universitybased data coordinating centers are now fairly common, CSCC is the oldest such university-based center in existence today. “We’d like to think we have the advantage in years— that we have developed cutting-edge processes, and that, in our 37-year history, we have worked on studies that have advanced the practice of modern medicine,” LaVange says. CSCC’s work impacts numerous therapeutic areas but can be felt most keenly in the field of cardiology. In March 1984, the center published the results of the first major clinical trial to show that people can reduce their risk of heart disease by lowering their cholesterol levels. Shortly afterwards, TIME magazine published a cover story titled, “Cholesterol… and now the bad news,” effectively disseminating CSCC’s research to millions of people worldwide. “We’d like to think we’ve prevented a lot of heart attacks through that,” Davis says. CSCC also coordinated: I The first clinical trial to show that giving an Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitor to people suffering from congestive heart failure can reduce their mortality risk; I The first clinical trial to establish the superiority of carotid endarterectomy (a surgical procedure that removes plaque from inside

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Dr. Lisa LaVange

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arteries) over drug therapy in the treatment of a narrowing in the lumen of the carotid artery; and I Several pioneering trials that monitored the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health of people in China, Pakistan, Poland and Russia. “Today, every person in the world who has heart failure gets an ACE-inhibitor, and carotid endarterectomy is used as a common treatment to prevent strokes,” Davis says. “The results of these trials have crossed over into standard practice.” Overall, the CSCC has produced more than 1,000 research publications on cardio-

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2001 to 2005. Some of its ongoing studies include: I Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC), I Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), I Folic Acid for Vascular Outcome Reduction in Transplantation (FAVORIT), and I Randomized Intervention for Children with Vesicoureteral Reflux (RIVUR). One of CSCC’s challenges is the competitive nature of its work. “The CSCC is fully dependent on research dollars,” LaVange

Since 1971, the CSCC has coordinated the activities of more than 30 multi-site clinical trials and epidemiology studies in the United States and other countries. vascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, periodontal disease, kidney disease, respiratory disease, mental health, child health, and nutrition and obesity, says Dr. Lloyd Chambless, research professor of biostatistics at the School, who directed the center from

says. “We have to write a lot of proposals and win a lot of projects. We cannot afford to have a bad year.” Meanwhile, securing funding from the NIH is an extremely competitive process. “A typical NIH multi-site study involves funding as many as 20 field sites but only one coordinating center. It can be tough. Fortunately, we are doing very well. Our receipts have grown steadily since 2005.” One sign of this is the CSCC’s recent NIH award to coordinate the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a prospective epidemiological study of 16,000 Hispanics living in the United States. The project examines the impact of acculturation— adapting to life in a new environment and culture—on the health of this minority population. “The study will be the most comprehensive assessment of health ever done in this rapidly growing segment of the U.S. population,” LaVange says. Study results will be shared with communities involved in the research to help improve public health at the local level. For more information on the Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center, visit http://www.cscc.unc.edu/cscc/index.php. I C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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A mentor for

Koch, professor of biostatistics, is a renowned researcher who has published some of the most cited publications in biostatistics. But it’s possible he exerts his influence nearly as much through his former students, who tackle research analysis and design problems at organizations worldwide. “People all over the pharmaceutical industry call him up and ask him for advice,” says Sonia Davis, senior director of biostatistics at Quintiles Transnational Corp. “Once you’re a student of his, you’re always a student of his.” Koch (pronounced like cook) supports current students in many ways, including through an endowed fund set up by graduates of the department in 2001 to help students travel to research conferences. When donations are made, Koch matches them up to a certain amount. He matches travel funds for other departments, as well. He does the same for a similar fund at Ohio State. (He also divides his sports loyalties between his V O L . 1 • N O. 5

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ne of Dr. Gary Koch’s former students remembers tracking him down long after her graduation to ask him a statistical question. In South America at the time, he called her back that same night—around 1 a.m. Another recalls how his deep voice and practical outlook calmed many a graduate student overwhelmed by endless problem sets. Others say they associate Koch not only with solid advice, but with food—potluck parties after long hours of work, his habit of meeting with students at a favorite breakfast or lunch spot, his insistence that a meal wasn’t complete without dessert.

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alma maters. For him, it’s Carolina basketball but Ohio State football.) Maybe Koch devotes himself to mentoring because he so values the people who have influenced him, from the high school teachers who showed him that writing was an analytical task not so different from the math at which he excelled, to the Princeton professor, Dr. Sam Wilks, who took an hour to talk to Koch about his research interests and advised him to head to UNC for his doctorate. After arriving at UNC, Koch took a job as a graduate research associate for biostatistics professor Dr. Jim Grizzle, who asked him to work on several problems, including one in multivariate categorical data. Categorical data are used to track yes or no outcomes, such as whether an infection heals or a headache is alleviated. Koch’s work with Grizzle helped widen the scope of statistical methodology for analyzing such data. “That method became something I have worked

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on—in one form or another—for the last 40 years,” Koch says. “I got my initial stimulus basically while being in a work-study situation with Dr. Grizzle.” But Koch’s statistics talent is all his. “He was sort of a phenomenon as a graduate student because he was writing papers that were appearing in Biometrics, which is one of the field’s main journals,” Grizzle says. Koch became a faculty member at Carolina even before he’d officially finished his PhD. Koch’s father was a physician, and because of that, he says, he had leanings toward preventive health, though he knew science, not medicine, would be his professional path. As a master’s student at Ohio State, he had focused on operations research and conducted statistical applications in agriculture and education. But in his first semester of biostatistics with Grizzle, he knew this was the field for him. “I’ve always been problem-driven,” Koch says. “I like to see specific situations, have an understanding of what’s involved in them, and have those drive the methodology work that I do.” Koch is tall enough to tower over most people. He comes across as reserved but is affable and has a surprisingly raucous laugh. He focuses intently on the task in front of him, whether that’s talking to a student, reading printouts of his email or giving detailed directions about how to get to his office. And he is modest. He points out a textbook he cowrote with former student Dr. Maura Stokes, now a researcher at SAS, but he doesn’t men-

tion it’s the best-selling book SAS ever published. “And SAS publishes a lot of books,” says Dr. Lisa LaVange, professor of biostatistics and a former student of Koch’s. Despite his prominence, Koch tries his best to accommodate biostatistics students wanting to work in the UNC Biometric Consulting Laboratory, which he directs. The lab, part of the UNC Department of Biostatistics, allows students to acquire career training by working with Koch to design studies and analyze data for UNC researchers in public health and medicine. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, collaborations between Koch and Dr. Dennis Gillings, then director of the laboratory, led to the development of Quintiles. Koch and Gillings were thrown together in 1974 when Koch and his student research assistants moved from the fourth floor of Rosenau Hall to “Trailer 39”— one of three makeshift offices set up in and around parking lots behind Rosenau on the Carolina campus. Gillings and his students already were using one end of the trailer, and when Koch and his students moved in, a natural collaboration started.

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Dr. Gary Koch on campus, and in the 1980s (top photo) in front of “Trailer 39.”

“the trailer,” as everyone called it, wasn’t just a place to work—it felt like a family. In addition to consulting for UNC researchers, Gillings and his student assistants began taking on projects for pharmaceutical companies such as Hoechst-Roussel. Koch and students would provide computer programs they developed or lend expertise on

“He always takes the students’ interests to heart. Students know they can go to him and get fair and honest help heading in the direction they want to go.” Dr. Rebekkah S. Dann • principal biostatistician, GlaxoSmithKline

It wasn’t the decidedly unposh digs in Trailer 39 that drew students there, but the chance to work with Gillings and Koch on real-world problems. “We were in a group of two professors and probably 10 or 12 students, back under the trees behind the School. It really felt like our own important world,” says Julie Macmillan, MPH, who worked in the lab while pursuing her master of public health degree in the late 1970s. She is now managing director of Carolina Public Health Solutions at the School. Davis says

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methods. “We both tended to peer review what the other did,” Koch says. Koch and students also worked on projects for McNeill Consumer Products Co. and American Home Products, the parent company of Wyeth. When Gillings decided to set up an external company to handle the growing workload from pharmaceutical companies, he asked Koch to co-found it. “We had such substantial collaboration on things, so together we did the paperwork to found Quintiles as a two-person company,” Koch says. Gillings

was president and treasurer, and Koch was vice president and secretary. “He made most of the decisions as to how the company was going forward, but I was the sounding board as to whether something he was thinking about was a good idea or a bad idea,” Koch says. Gillings later became so busy he needed either to reduce his Quintiles activities or pursue them full time. He decided at that point to leave the university, and asked Koch to consider whether he wanted to do the same. Koch says his decision was easy. Conducting research and working with students are what make him tick. After Gillings’ departure, Koch went on to become director of the Biometric Consulting Laboratory, which was founded by Gillings in 1980. He has led the lab ever since. Since then, Koch’s student family has grown so large it can be hard to keep track. Just after Gillings left, Koch was supervising both his own student assistants and those who had worked under Gillings, so he was responsible for 17 or 18 students, he says. Davis remembers that even in the 1990s, when she worked in the lab, he supervised about 20 or 25 students. Today, Koch says, it’s about 10. Or maybe it’s 12. “Sometimes,” he laughs, “I feel like the old woman who lived in a shoe.” I C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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Anticipating Public Health Needs;

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A N T I C I PAT I N G

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Accelerating Public Health Solutions

he UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is working with partners across North Carolina and around the world to develop new initiatives that will accelerate solutions to the daunting public health challenges of the 21st century. “The health challenges we face today are ones that require interdisciplinary teams working together to solve,” says Julie MacMillan, MPH, managing director of Carolina Public Health Solutions (CPHS), an organization within the School’s Dean’s Office established to lead programs supported primarily by the gift from Dennis and Joan Gillings and other resources their gift may generate. “Part of the mission of our initiative is to bring together leading public health experts from around the globe in academia, nonprofits and the private sector to develop new capabilities that can make an impact on today’s critical public health problems,”

explains MacMillan. CPHS is working with School faculty, students and staff as well as external researchers and leaders to collaboratively develop solutions to both emerging and intractable public health problems. “The Dean’s Council and other School leadership are important advisers in the

selection of projects for funding,” MacMillan says. The CPHS Acceleration Advisory Committee — comprising experts in the fields of public health, government, policymaking, foundations, science, business and technology—brings additional perspectives, skills and expertise to help guide development of programs supported by the gift. Some funds are being invested in endowment so the gift will keep funding public health research and education for generations to come. Other funds are being put to work right away. The majority of the money is earmarked for Gillings Innovation Labs, or “GILs”— competitively-selected projects focused on solving big public health problems. (See page 29.)

PHOTO BY LINDA KASTLEMAN

Dr. William Vizuete, assistant professor of environmental sciences and engineering, is leading a Gillings Innovation Lab that is using human lung tissue to examine the effects of toxic city air pollutants on human health.

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“Our project focuses both on health and on chemistry,” says Dr. William Vizuete, assistant professor of environmental sciences and engineering, who recently received GIL funding to study harmful pollutants created in city air. “Unless you have a review panel with the vision to understand the significance of both areas, then the project can be undervalued. The review panel for the Gillings Innovation Labs recognized not only the value on the chemistry side, but also on the health side, and had the vision to see how the two of these things can come together and produce something that’s better than the sum of its parts.” Other initiatives funded through CPHS include: I Gillings Visiting Professorships I The Gillings Prize for Public Health Impact Award (still under development) I And enhanced curricular innovations Gillings Visiting Professorships (GVPs) enhance the School’s intellectual climate by exposing faculty, staff and students to alternative ways of thinking, new methodologies and different perspectives about public health problems. UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health faculty may apply for these professorships, as may leading public health experts external to the School. Sheila Leatherman The first GVP was awarded to Sheila Leatherman, research professor of health policy and management at the School. Leatherman evaluates and analyzes health care systems around the globe. The GVP will support her and UNC’s efforts in microfinance and public health. Dr. Thomas Ricketts, professor of Dr. Thomas Ricketts health policy and management at the School, also was awarded a GVP. He is working with French researchers at the École des Hautes Études de

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Kim de Bruijne, a doctoral student in environmental sciences and engineering, examines human lung cells through a microscope.

Santé Publique (EHESP) in France, to develop a new school of public health with campuses in Paris and Rennes. Ricketts will spend between 30 and 50 percent of his time on this project through September 2010.

in public health. In the coming months, our School will be inviting nominations for this new award. Some curriculum enhancements also will be funded by the gift. “These will be relatively

Gillings Visiting Professorships enhance the School’s intellectual climate by exposing faculty, staff and students to alternative ways of thinking, new methodologies and different perspectives about public health problems. During his two-year assignment, he will develop public health courses that can be adapted to the UNC context, create research and teaching opportunities for UNC faculty and develop a joint research conference involving EHESP and UNC faculty and students to share mutually useful research and analyses. Ricketts is director of the Policy Analysis Program at the UNC Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. Additional GVPs will be announced in the coming months. Funding from the Gillings gift also will create the Gillings Prize for Public Health Impact—an international honor to recognize people who have made a substantial impact

small in practice,” says Senior Associate Dean Dave Potenziani, who leads the faculty committee developing changes, “but we hope they will have substantial benefits to students.” The first change is to “globalize” the curriculum. Another change will be to ensure all UNC public health graduates emerge with critical, core financial skills they will need in their careers. For more information on these and other initiatives, visit Carolina Public Health Solutions’ Web site at www.sph.unc.edu/ acelerate. I —BY TORREY WASSERMAN, RAMONA DUBOSE A N D E M I LY J . S M I T H

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Gillings Innovation Labs focus interdisciplinary

efforts on tough public health problems

NC’s Gillings Innovation Labs (GILs) bring together interdisciplinary research groups to focus concentrated efforts on solving big public health problems. They vary in topic, scope, focus and purpose — but share certain characteristics. All strive to be innovative, have impact, and accelerate solutions to public health problems across North Carolina and around the world.

Principal investigators must be UNC public health faculty members. GIL leaders are encouraged to include students in their projects. Other collaborators and supporting team members may be UNC faculty as well as other experts, including people from government agencies, other non-profit organizations and businesses. (See www.sph.unc.edu/ accelerate for detailed guidelines.) Project proposals are submitted to Carolina Public Health Solutions, the organization that, along with the School’s Dean’s Office, administers programs supported by Gillings gift money. The proposals are then reviewed by subject-matter experts throughout the United States and abroad. Their recommendations are reviewed by UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Dean Barbara K. Rimer and her team of associate deans, department chairs and internal experts for final funding decisions. “We were delighted by the strong, innovative proposals we received for the first competitively awarded GILs,” Rimer says. “We’re grateful to the excellent reviewers and to department chairs and other School leaders, all of whom were deeply engaged in the review process. What excites me especially is that each funded project has the potential to solve real public health problems. While some are focused at home and others abroad, they all have potential for broad dissemination.” Some of the currently-funded GILs aim to: I Advance statistical science to provide safer, faster treatments for patients: The Center for Innovative Clinical Trials is developing new statistical methodologies to improve clinical trials of medicines and other treatments in development. The current methods are lengthy and expensive, and still, the trials don’t always identify potentially harmful side effects. The Center, led by Dr. Joseph C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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Ibrahim, Alumni Distinguished Professor of biostatistics, has an interdisciplinary focus that brings together faculty from several UNC departments and additional collaborators from industry, who are engaging jointly in both methodological and applied research in clinical Dr. Joseph Ibrahim trial design, analysis and dissemination. The goal is to bring better treatments to patients faster and less expensively. I Evaluate portable field tests to detect fecal contamination in water: This GIL, headed by Dr. Mark Sobsey, Kenan Distinguished University Professor of environmental sciences and engineering, will develop and evaluate a simple, inexpensive, portable field test to detect fecal contamination in water. Infectious diseases from fecal contamination of water include diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, enteric fevers, and infectious hepatitis. Together, they kill more than 1.6 million people a year and make billions more people sick. “We’re really excited to get this research under way and work with our international public health partners,” Dr. Mark Sobsey Sobsey says. “The ultimate goal is to make simple, reliable tests that will be commercially available to people around the world within two years.” I Find ways to link, analyze, and manage large electronic data repositories: Dr. David Richardson, assistant professor of epidemiology at the School, is leading this GIL, which is focused on the development of innovative computer systems that can link and analyze data collected in electronic hospital and ambulance records. The idea is to get a clearer picture of what diseases are most prevalent in this setting and how they are being treated. More complete information could result in a better understanding of the causes of disease and more effective efforts at prevention

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and/or treatment. Patient data confidentiality will be protected and honored in the project. The UNC Schools of Medicine and of Information and Library Science are project partners. “Finding an innovative system to link these data repositories so they can be better analyzed and managed could significantly improve the state’s ability to monitor

tissue to examine the effect of toxic pollutants in that air. I Develop a local, sustainable food system: Dr. Alice Ammerman, nutrition professor and director of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, leads this GIL — a two-year study to improve understanding about health, environmental, and economic

“What excites me especially is that each funded project has the potential to solve real public health problems.”

Dr. Barbara K. Rimer • Dean, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

and investigate health problems in the population, and speed up timely solutions,” Richardson says. “By better mining available data and managing information, local and state medical officials will have more complete information on which to make decisions on new policies and allocation of resources.” I Identify harmful city air pollutants: This GIL, led by Dr. William Vizuete, assistant professor of environmental sciences and engineering at the School, will focus on the measurement of harmful pollutants created in city air. Epidemiological studies have linked certain air pollution to tens of thousands of deaths worldwide each year. Yet, laboratory toxicology studies of these same pollutants show few health effects at levels seen in the ambient air. What is missing in these studies, says Vizuete, are the harmful pollutants that are created in the air. These typically are unknown and not measured. Vizuete’s team, which includes scientists from the UNC School of Medicine, will look for easier, more effective ways of finding and measuring toxic pollutants breathed by people in cities. The team will develop and construct portable smog instruments to test air at various locations around the world, and use human lung

issues associated with this growing national trend. “Among the most pressing public health problems in the U.S. today are obesity, environmental degradation, and health disparities,” Ammerman says. “Contributing in a big way to each of these problems is our current food system, with its heavy dependence on fossil fuels (fertilizers, pesticides, and gasoline) for large- Dr. Alice Ammerman scale production and long-distance transport of often high-calorie, nutrient-poor food.” Among other things, this project will help determine whether current consumer interest in locally-grown food can create an economic environment supporting small to mid-sized farms as viable enterprises, Ammerman says. The research will be conducted in North Carolina but will have national and international relevance. For more information on the Gillings Innovation Labs, see www.sph.unc.edu/ accelerate. I — BY TORREY WASSERMAN AND RAMONA DUBOSE

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North Carolina

Mental Health System Improvement

aring for people with serious mental illness, substance abuse and/or developmental disabilities has become one of North Carolina’s greatest public health challenges. One in three North Carolina adults (nearly 2 million people) have had a mental health or substance abuse disorder in the past year, and nearly 400,000 have a serious mental illness.

Despite spending $2.7 billion in fiscal year 2006–07, problems still abound for the North Carolina mental health system— including short supply of communitybased crisis services, over-crowded state psychiatric hospitals, growing numbers of people with mental illness who are detained in jails across the state, and people with serious needs who do not receive the most effective services. Dr. Joseph Morrissey, UNC professor of health policy and management, was awarded a Gillings Innovation Lab (GIL) to help the state find a better way to approach mental health problems. Using a variety of system modeling tools, he will assess the financial and human impacts of alternative policies for using state psychiatric hospitals. He will also examine ways to improve the accessibility, quality and effectiveness of community services as alternatives or complements to these hospitals. “At this point, North Carolina policymakers trying to fix the system of care for people with serious mental illness, developmental disabilities and/or addictions do not have all the tools needed to understand the complexities of the mental health sys-

tem and all the factors that influence policy outcomes,” says Morrissey, who also is a professor of psychiatry at the UNC School of Medicine and deputy director for research at the UNC Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. “If policymakers cannot depict the network of relationships and feedback loops surrounding state psychiatric hospitals in a systematic and holistic manner, the result is likely to be more of the same, that is, quick administrative fixes that fail to resolve problems for the longer term.” In the first year, Morrissey and his team will map the clinical, organizational and financial factors driving use of mental health services in North Carolina’s Orange, Person, Chatham and Durham Counties. These sites offer both a predominantly rural laboratory and an urban counterpart to apply research methods, community and health care provider participation and computer simulations to identify ways to make the system work better for everyone. By modeling mental health service use in these counties, the team can see how changes in structure and policies affect the entire system, and find innovative

Dr. Joseph Morrissey

methods to improve services. In the second year, the team will scale up to statewide implementation. Morrissey’s team includes Drs. Kristen Hassmiller-Lich, Shoou-Yih Daniel Lee, and Rebecca Wells, all faculty in UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health; Dr. Marvin Swartz from Duke University’s School of Medicine; and a number of community partners. “This innovation lab represents an unprecedented opportunity for the School to assist government officials and concerned citizens in improving mental health services for all North Carolinians who need them,” Morrissey says. “Our objective is to influence state policy by assessing and vetting optional approaches to managing the use of state psychiatric hospitals, community-based crisis services and county jails.” “Ultimately, he adds, “our goal is to increase the extent to which persons with mental illness, developmental disabilities and/or addictions spend their lives functioning successfully in the community.” I — BY TORREY WASSERMAN AND RAMONA DUBOSE

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Vaccines

for Global Health Single-dose vaccine for multiple respiratory viruses could save lives of infants and children in developing countries

orldwide, more than five million children under age five die each year from respiratory infections like influenza and pneumonia. Nearly all of them live in the developing world. Vaccines could save many of these young lives. But today’s vaccines cost too much to be given routinely in many developing countries. It’s not only the cost of the vaccine itself, but also the expense of getting the vaccines to people who need them most. On top of that, most vaccines need to be refrigerated and handled carefully to stay active —impossible in many areas of the world. So why doesn’t someone come up with a more stable vaccine that’s easier to transport and deliver? For one thing, vaccine development is expensive and risky. Sales of vaccines in developing countries are unlikely to recoup even the costs of manufacturing for most companies. But UNC epidemiology professor Dr. Ralph Baric and his team believe there’s a way to produce a single-dose synthetic vaccine that is both affordable and easy to store and transport. To help Baric and his team explore their ideas, the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health recently funded their proposal for a Gillings Innovation Lab (GIL). “Our goal is to build a whole new class of vaccines accessible to the population who needs them most,” says Baric, leader of the project. “We’ll partner with existing UNC

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global health initiatives to promote new interdisciplinary programs that address fundamental questions, like how to create and administer these new, stable vaccines.” Project partners include the Carolina Vaccine Institute and its director, Dr. Robert E. Johnston; the UNC School of Medicine; and Global Vaccines Inc.— a non-profit company in Research Triangle Park, N.C., founded and directed by Johnston. The team wants to create a vaccine that will have a shorter production cycle than current vaccines which can take up a year to culture, Baric says. This is critical to respond effectively to emerging diseases. The team aims to develop a low-cost, single-dose vaccine that is stable at room temperature and inhaled, rather than given with a needle. They also plan to use synthetic genomics and computer-based genome design. If they are successful, their work could lead to a whole new approach for designing and administering other global health vaccines. “Of course it’s risky and our group faces enormous challenges, especially in vaccine manufacture and delivery. However, the beauty of the Gillings Gift is that it empowers scientists to tackle formidable global prob-

Dr. Ralph Baric

lems in new and creative ways. At a minimum, this vision will allow us to establish an approach that could revolutionize rapid response vaccine genome design and provide monumental protection against newly emerged pathogens of the future,” Baric says. “This is a highly innovative, interdisciplinary project that addresses a significant global health issue,” adds Dr. Andrew F. Olshan, professor and chair of epidemiology at the School who is part of Baric’s team. “The project incorporates a complete program to design, build and manufacture a much needed vaccine.” For more information on this GIL, visit www.sph.unc.edu/accelerate. I — BY TORREY WASSERMAN AND RAMONA DUBOSE

冢

UNC

B I O S TAT I S T I C I A N S

UNC BIOSTATISTICIANS

MAKE THE NUMBERS ADD UP IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH

ince the department was established in 1949, UNC biostatisticians have been on the cutting edge of applying statistical analysis to

health care issues. They laid the groundwork for collecting and analyzing biomedical data and revolutionizing the structure of modern clinical trials. (See page 16.) ⌽ The momentum of that early work has only increased, as new faculty members have teamed up with veterans, expanding and enhancing the science. ⌽ In these subsequent pages and throughout this entire issue of Carolina Public Health, we illustrate the department’s accomplishments by highlighting select examples of work done by both legendary and up-and-coming faculty members. Read on to learn more!

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DR. BERNARD G. GREENBERG:

A Visionary Leader I

t would be difficult to exaggerate the powerful impact of DR. BERNARD GREENBERG’S vision and creativity upon the UNC School of Public Health and beyond. A New York native who served as an infantry captain in World War II, Greenberg completed a doctoral program in experimental statistics at N.C. State University in 1949. That year, at the age of 29, he was appointed chair of the newly formed Department of Biostatistics at UNC-Chapel Hill. Greenberg’s leadership skills brought immediate prestige and recognition to the department. He insisted that his faculty be focused equally on research, teaching and practice. He was accomplished at obtaining research and training grants, and those efforts brought fresh talent to UNC. By 1965, the department had sufficient foundation to offer a doctorate in biostatistics; soon after, master’s and doctoral programs emphasizing mental health, environmental health, genetics, demography and health services research were offered. The national impact and global reach of Greenberg’s work were profound. I He received the first of many training grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) which allowed him to travel abroad to train students, postdoctoctoral fellows and faculty (1953). I He published the first available article (in The American Statistician) on the design and conduct of clinical trials (1959). I He testified before Congress that statistics had been used inappropriately to determine the effectiveness of the polio vaccine—and that the vaccine actually increased the incidence of polio (1962). I He chaired a committee appointed by NIH’s National Advisory Heart Council

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and directed to formulate a process for large, multi-center clinical studies. The resultant “Greenberg Report,” commissioned by the National Heart Institute (now the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute), was considered landmark. (See page 16 and w w w. s p h . u n c . e d u / c p h / weblinks.) Greenberg’s academic career was marked by many honors, including the American Public Health Association’s Bronfman Award for contributions to research and education (1966) and elected membership in the International Statistical Institute, the American Epidemiological Society and the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine. His University of North Carolina honors included a Kenan Distinguished Professorship (1969) and receipt of the O. Max Gardner Award for contributions to human welfare (1983). While devoted to his research, teaching and administrative obligations, Greenberg was, by all accounts, a person involved in the lives of his colleagues and students and highly esteemed by them. He was a good judge of character and talent, able to develop the department quickly by peopling it wisely. He had a fierce sense of social justice, continually exhibited in the agenda he set as department chair and later, in 1972, as dean of the School of Public Health. Whether inviting minority students to have a voice in School government, or focusing on national and international health challenges that included

Dr. Bernard G. Greenberg

access to health care, population growth, the environment, mental illness, substance abuse and injury prevention, Greenberg was a visionary in the area of human rights. His son, Dr. Raymond Greenberg, followed in his father’s footsteps, serving as founding dean of the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and now president of the Medical University of South Carolina. (Read more about Ray Greenberg at www.sph.unc.edu/cph/ weblinks.) His other two children are also UNC graduates. His son, Stanley, lives in Western Galilee, Israel, and daughter, Frances Greenberg Klein, resides in Wilmington, Del. His wife, Ruth, who received a graduate degree in chemistry from Yale, is still a powerful and beloved advocate for the UNC School of Public Health and attends School events regularly. A lifelong nonsmoker, Greenberg died of lung cancer in 1985. I — BY LINDA KASTLEMAN

UNC

hen DR. JAMES E. GRIZZLE succeeded Bernard Greenberg as chair in 1973, he was set to lead the largest biostatistics department in the world, as measured by the size of the faculty and number of students taught. In the late 1960s and early ’70s, more students had received master's and doctoral degrees in the UNC department than at any other institution. Grizzle had earned a master’s degree in animal science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, where he became curious about genetics and animal breeding. Those interests led him in 1956 to N.C. State University and the doctor of philosophy program in experimental studies. In 1957, he took a job as research assistant in the Department of Biostatistics, then a joint endeavor of N.C. State and UNC-Chapel Hill, with classes being taught on both campuses. His talents caught the eye of then-chair Greenberg, who invited Grizzle to join the UNC faculty in 1960. Grizzle’s research focused on collaborative clinical studies of leukemia and duodenal ulcer and on the development of multivariate statistical methods. In 1971, he was named statistical coordinator for a nine-year study, funded by the National Heart and Lung Institute, to examine abnormalities of blood fats. In March 1984, the results of this first major clinical trial were published, showing that people can reduce their risk of heart disease by lowering their cholesterol levels. (See page 22.) Grizzle served in an editorial capacity for four journals, including Journal of the American Statistical Association (associate

Dr. James E. Grizzle

editor) and Journal of Chronic Diseases (advisory board). His tenure as president of the Eastern North American Region of the International Biometric Society makes him one of four UNC faculty who have attained that honor. (Others include Drs. Bernard Greenberg, Gary Koch and Lisa LaVange.) Now retired, Grizzle lives in Chapel Hill, N.C. The department established the James E. Grizzle Distinguished Alumnus Award in his honor, to recognize UNC biostatistics graduates with outstanding records in the development of new statistical methodologies and the application of statistical methods to important public health challenges.

⌽

native of New York City, DR. BARRY MARGOLIN graduated summa cum laude from City College of New York in 1963 and quickly acquired graduate degrees from Harvard University— a master’s in 1964 and doctor of philosophy in 1967. His stellar academic performance was rewarded with a position on the Yale University faculty, where he served from 1967 to 1977 as assistant and associate professor and, for two years, as director of graduate studies in statistics. From 1977 to 1987, he worked as a mathematical statistician at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C., and was head of the Institute’s statistical methodology section. During this time, he also was an adjunct professor of statistics at UNC. In 1987, Margolin joined the UNC biostatistics faculty as professor and chair. His research specialty was the statistical design and analysis of experiments, particularly studies in genetic toxicology. He is a fellow of the American Statistical Association and a member of the Environmental Mutagen Society, the Gentoxicity and Environmental Mutagen Society, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and the International Statistical Institute. Margolin served as associate editor of the Journal of the American Statistical Association and the Annals of Mathematical Statistics and as statistical editor for Environmental Mutagenesis. Among his many honors were

B I O S TAT I S T I C I A N S

Dr. Barry Margolin

the American Statistical Association’s Snedecor Award and the National Institutes of Health Director’s Award. In 1989, Margolin became director of the biostatistics facility at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. He retired from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1999 as professor and chair of the Department of Biostatistics and continues to live in Chapel Hill, N.C.

⌽

R. CLARENCE E. (ED) DAVIS,

research professor of biostatistics at UNC, is well known for his research and teaching in the areas of clinical trials and cardiovascular disease epidemiology. He has directed studies of heart disease in Russia, Poland, China and Pakistan and was the primary biostatistician for the Lipid Research Clinics clinical trial— one of the first trials to show that lowering blood cholesterol reduces the risk of heart disease. (See page 22.) He teaches a clinical trials course at UNC and has taught similar courses in more than 15 countries. As part of a ten-year collaboration between the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and the University of Chile at Santiago, Davis teaches an annual two-week course in Chile about public health research. (Read more at www.sph.unc.edu/ school_news/chile2008.) Davis has been on the UNC Department of Biostatistics faculty since 1972, including his service as director of the Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center (1991–1997) and as interim chair and chair of the department (1997–2005). In addition to his faculty C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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Dr. Clarence (Ed) Davis

responsibilities, Davis makes himself available for biostatistical consultation with grant writers at the School. Since accurate sampling and analysis are critical to successful proposal development, Davis offers advice about study design, sample size and data analysis. In 1970, Davis received his doctorate in statistics from North Carolina State University, with a minor in public health from the University of North Carolina. He was on the faculty of the University of Florida for three years prior to coming to UNC. He has published more than 100 peerreviewed papers concerning both theoretical and applied methods of conducting clinical trials and epidemiologic studies. A fellow of the American Heart Association and the American Statistical Association, he also has served on the editorial board of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

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R. MICHAEL R. KOSOROK, professor and chair of the UNC Department of Biostatistics since 2006, has published more than 80 peer-reviewed papers related to clinical trials, cystic fibrosis epidemiology, and applications of empirical processes and semiparametric methods in biostatistics. Kosorok also holds a joint appointment as professor of statistics and operations research in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences. His research has included being senior statistician on a large randomized trial which led to a change in national policy favoring nationwide newborn screening for cystic fibrosis.

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Kosorok has developed methods for using surrogate and multiple outcomes to increase cost-effectiveness of clinical trials. His work in empirical processes and semiparametric inference has led to foundational theory for improved data analysis in genetics, clinical trials, and epidemiological studies, as well as a book on the subject, published by Springer. He has directed or co-directed 20 doctoral students. Kosorok has chaired the Data Safety Monitoring Committee for the intramural program of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He is also an associate editor of the prestigious Annals of Statistics and an elected fellow of both the American Statistical Association and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. Kosorok received his doctorate in biostatistics from the University of Washington in 1991 and was a member of the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1992 through 2006. He holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music composition, as well as master’s degrees in both statistics and biostatistics. He recently composed a new work for full orchestra, “A Singular Continuity,” which premiered with the Chapel Hill High School Orchestra on Dec. 4, 2007, in Chapel Hill, N.C. His daughter, Jessica, who graduated from Chapel Hill High School this spring, played violin in the orchestra. “The piece was composed entirely during weekends and took several months to complete,” Kosorok says.

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Dr. Michael R. Kosorok

⌽ R. DANYU LIN, Dennis Gillings

Distinguished Professor of Biostatistics at UNC, is an internationally recognized leader in survival analysis and statistical genetics. His work has transformed the ways that clinical and epidemiological data are analyzed. Lin’s research is focused on developing statistical methods for the design and analysis of medical and public health studies. Several of his methods have been incorporated into commercial software packages (including SAS, S-Plus and STATA) and are widely used in practice.

Dr. Danyu Lin

Lin is on Thomson ISI’s list of Highly Cited Researchers in Mathematics —a distinct honor. Thompson ISI (founded as the Institute for Scientific Information) determines inclusion on the list by indexing the world’s scholarly literature from a wide range of subjects and collecting citation references from millions of articles over the past 40 years. Lin’s research has been funded continuously for more than 15 years by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In fact, one of Lin’s NIH grants was converted to the prestigious MERIT (Method to Extend Research in Time) Award in 2005. MERIT Awards provide longterm support to investigators with outstanding records of scientific achievement in research areas of special importance or promise. Lin has been an author on more than 120 peer-reviewed publications, most in premier statistical and genetic journals. Since 1999, he has served as an associate editor of Biometrika.

UNC

In 1999, Lin received the prestigious Mortimer Spiegelman Gold Medal from the American Public Health Association for outstanding contributions to biostatistics. He was elected a fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics in 1999 and of the American Statistical Association in 2000. After earning a doctorate from the University of Michigan in 1989, Lin attended a year-long postdoctoral training program at Harvard University before joining the faculty of the University of Washington’s Department of Biostatistics. There, he was promoted to tenured associate professor (1994) and professor (1998). He joined the UNC biostatistics faculty in 2001.

⌽

R. JOSEPH IBRAHIM is Alumni Distinguished Professor of biostatistics at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health and director of the Biostatistics and Data Management Core at UNC’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Ibrahim is principal investigator for two National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to develop statistical methodology related to cancer and genomics research. He is biostatistical core leader for an NIH Specialized Program of Research Excellence —or SPORE—grant in gastrointestinal cancers. With funding from NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, he also directs the Biostatistics and Data Management Core for a program project to study the systems biology of melanoma. Both projects are housed at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Ibrahim’s areas of research focus are Bayesian inference, missing data problems and genomics. Bayesian methods are gaining popularity in clinical trials because they provide sound mathematical tools for analyzing data about a problem while taking into account information from previous studies. (See page 16.) With more than 15 years’ experience working in cancer clinical trials, Ibrahim directs the UNC Center for Innovative Clinical Trials — one of eight Gillings Innovation Labs funded by a gift to the School from Dr. Dennis and Joan Gillings (see page 29). He is also director of graduate

studies in UNC’s Department of Biostatistics and program director of the department’s cancer genomics training grant. Ibrahim has directed or co-directed 15 doctoral students and five postdoctoral fellows. He has served on several national committees and study sections, including as current chair of the American Statistical Association’s section on Bayesian statistical science. He is a regular member of NIH’s biostatistical methods and research design study section. Ibrahim received his doctorate in statistics from the University of Minnesota in 1988. He has published more than 160 research papers, most in top statistical journals. He also has published two advanced graduate-level books on Bayesian survival analysis and Monte Carlo methods in Bayesian computation and has served as associate editor for several statistical journals.

Dr. Joseph Ibrahim

Ibrahim is an elected fellow of the American Statistical Association and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute.

⌽

R. JIANWEN CAI, professor and

associate chair of the UNC Department of Biostatistics, joined the School’s faculty in 1992 after earning a doctorate in biostatistics from the University of Washington. She served as interim chair of the department in 2006. Cai’s research interests include cardiovas-

B I O S TAT I S T I C I A N S

Dr. Jianwen Cai

cular disease, obesity, dental research and statistical methodologies in clinical trials. She has developed ways to design and analyze biomedical studies to make them more costeffective. Her collaborative work with Dr. June Stevens, professor and chair of the School’s Department of Nutrition, examined the impact of age on optimal body weight and was published in the Jan. 1, 1998, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Cai has also developed statistical methods for analyzing multivariate failure time and recurrent event data. These methods are important to identify risk factors and interventions for diseases which occur repeatedly, including asthma attacks, diarrheal episodes and recurrent hospitalizations related to certain medical conditions. Cai has been principal investigator for four National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, has served as a member of NIH review panels and study sessions and is a member of the NIH Heart Failure Network. Author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in statistical and biomedical journals, Cai currently serves as associate editor for Biometrics and Lifetime Data Analysis. She is an elected member of the Eastern North American Regional Committee of the International Biometric Society (2007–2009), an elected fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA), and treasurer/secretary of the ASA biometrics section (2007–2008). In addition to her research and administrative acumen, Cai is a respected educator. She was the 2004 recipient of the School’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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⌽

R. PRANAB K. SEN, a native of

India, first came to UNC in 1965 as a visiting assistant professor of biostatistics at UNC-Chapel Hill. Since 1982, he has served as Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor of biostatistics at the School. He is also professor of statistics and operations research in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences. Sen has contributed significantly to methodological studies related to diabetes, environmental health and bioinformatics as well as clinical trials. His theoretical research includes a broad spectrum of multivariate, sequential and time-sequential nonparametrics and asymptotic methods. His application-oriented research interests cover nonparametrics in bioassay, multivariate and longitudinal data models and time-sequential analysis.

Sen’s work. Currently, Sen is editor-in-chief of Sankhya, the Indian journal of statistics. Sen has been recognized with numerous awards throughout his career. He won the Senior Noether Award from the American Statistical Association in 2002, the Commemoration Medal in Mathematics and Physics in 1998, and the UNC School of Public Health’s McGavran Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1996, among others. Sen was Platinum Jubilee lecturer at the Indian Statistical Institute in 2007 and a 1983 lecturer in statistics sponsored by the National Science Foundation’s Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences at the University of Iowa. He is an elected fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and the American Statistical Association. Sen earned a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and doctorate —all in statistics — from Calcutta University. In his leisure, he enjoys reading and writing poetry, in English as well as in his native Bengali.

⌽

Dr. Pranab K. Sen

He is one of the most published authors worldwide in the field of (bio-) statistics methodology. Sen has been an author on more than 600 publications in premier journals, co-authored 11 advanced monographs and texts in statistical science, co-edited 11 other volumes, and served on editorial boards of leading journals. He was a founding editor of the statistics journals Sequential Analysis and Statistics and Decisions. In 2008, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics published a monograph titled Beyond Parametrics in Interdisciplinary Research: Festschrift in Honor of Professor Pranab K. Sen to honor

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LAWRENCE

KUPPER,

Alumni Distinguished Professor of biostatistics at UNC, received his PhD in statistics from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1970 and joined the faculty of UNC’s Department of Biostatistics that same year. Kupper’s research interests concern the development and application of innovative statistical methods for design and data analysis of public health studies, with specific emphasis on environmental, occupational and women’s health. Kupper’s work has led to improved statistical methods for quantifying human health risks due to exposure to harmful substances present in the workplace and in the ambient environment. He has been an author on more than 150 peer-reviewed publications in premier journals and has co-authored three textbooks: Applied Regression Analysis and Other Multivariable Methods (four editions), Epidemiologic Research: Principles and Quantitative Methods and Quantitative Exposure Assessment. His applied regression textbook has been adopted for use by nearly 100 universities nationally and internationally. In 1971, Kupper was instrumental in

Dr. Lawrence L. Kupper

beginning a training grant in environmental biostatistics funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). He served as the grant’s program director from 1972 through 2006. The grant currently is funded through June 2011. It annually supports 20 predoctoral and eight postdoctoral students — the largest number of pre- and postdoctoral trainees supported by any NIEHS training grant. Kupper has won numerous teaching and mentoring awards, including two universitywide awards at UNC-Chapel Hill— the 2007 UNC Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement in Teaching and Mentoring, and the 1996 UNC Distinguished Teaching Award for Post-Baccalaureate Instruction. He also has been recognized with three UNC School of Public Health awards — the 2003 John E. Larsh Jr. Award for Mentorship; the 1990 Bernard G. Greenberg Alumni Endowment Award; and the 1985 McGavran Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 1986, Kupper was elected a fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA). He received the Distinguished Achievement Medal from the ASA’s Section on Statistics and the Environment in 1995. Kupper also was a member of the UNC Appointments, Promotions and Tenure (APT) Committee from 2003 through 2007 and chaired the committee during the 20062007 academic year. The committee reports to the UNC-Chapel Hill provost concerning all tenure-related appointment and promotion decisions on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. I

UNC

DR. FRED A. WRIGHT has a doctorate in

statistics from the University of Chicago. He held faculty positions at the University of California-San Diego and Ohio State University before taking the position of associate professor with UNC’s Department of Biostatistics in 2002. He also directs the Carolina Environmental Bioinformatics Center. Wright is currently researching methods to handle gene expression and activity data, map disease genes in highdensity genome scans and control errors in multiple testing.

⌽ DR. HAIBO ZHOU has a doctorate in

statistics from the University of Washington. He worked as a statistician at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences before taking the position of professor with UNC’s Department of Biostatistics in 1997. He is also the director of the Biostatistics Core at UNC’s Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology. Zhou’s areas of expertise include statistical methods in outcome-dependent sampling, measurement error problems, survival analysis, toxicology risk assessment and translational research.

⌽

DR. JASON FINE has a Doctor of Science

degree in biostatistics from Harvard University. He worked as a statistician at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the University of Massachusetts Medical Center before taking the position of professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s (UW-M) Department of Statistics and Department of

Biostatistics and Medical Informatics as well as becoming a member of UW-M’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. He joined UNC’s Department of Biostatistics in 2007. Fine’s areas of expertise include time-to-event data analysis, statistical genetics, diagnostic imaging methodology, and semi-parametric modeling.

⌽ DR. DONGLIN ZENG has a doctorate in

statistics from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He joined UNC’s Department of Biostatistics in 2001 and was promoted to associate professor in 2007. Zeng’s research interests include medical diagnostics, statistical methods for medical imaging, and applications of empirical processes and semi-parametric methods in biostatistics.

⌽ DR. AMY HERRING has a doctorate in

biostatistics from Harvard University. She is an associate professor with UNC’s Department of Biostatistics. Herring has served as principal investigator on four projects funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency. Her research in missing data, latent variables and longitudinal analysis has been motivated by her interest in reproductive and environmental epidemiology, maternal and child health and nutrition.

B I O S TAT I S T I C I A N S

HONGTU ZHU has a doctorate in statistics

from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He was a postdoctoral associate at Yale University from 2001 to 2003 and has been on the faculty at Columbia University. He also worked as a research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute before taking the position of associate professor with UNC’s Department of Biostatistics. His research interests include statistics as applicable to psychiatry, psychometrics, and the applications of statistical methods in the analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data.

Other accomplished current faculty members of the UNC Biostatistics Department are: Richard Bilsborrow Shrikant Bangdiwala Diane Catellier Haitao Chu David Couper Rosalie Dominik Lloyd Edwards Mayetri Gupta Robert Hamer Michael Hudgens Anastasia Ivanova Ethan Lange Steve Marron Jane Monaco Andrew Nobel John Preisser Bahjat Qaqish Katherine Roggenkamp Todd Schwartz Richard Smith Paul Stewart Chirayath Suchindran Wei Sun Young Truong Fei Zou

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do s

Six on

Degrees K

n evi

c Ba

LINDA

n the early 1990s, a trivia game called “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” was popular on college campuses. Based on the “small world” experiments by social psychologist Dr. Stanley Milgram in 1967, the game’s premise was that any actor could be correlated to Bacon within six steps, by way of successive film co-stars. The American Mathematical Society (AMS) developed its own version of the puzzle. By entering the name of any published researcher at the AMS Web site, http://www. ams.org/mathscinet/collaborationDistance. html, one can determine that person’s “collaborative distance” from another researcher through their co-authors. By entering also the name of Dr. Paul Erdos, the eccentric 20th century Hungarian mathematician who published more than 1,500 academic articles, one can find one’s “Erdos number ”— the number of co-authors that separates the mortal academic from the master. For fun, we plugged in the name of Dr. Jim Grizzle, the second chair of UNC’s Department of Biostatistics, to find his Erdos number was 4. Grizzle co-authored an article with our own Dr. Pranab K. Sen, Cary C.

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Boshamer Distinguished Professor of biostatistics, who co-authored another with Zakkula Govindarajulu (of University of Kentucky), who co-authored with Istvan Vincze (a founder of the Mathematical Institute of the Hungarian Academy), who penned something with Erdos. The AMS also supports the Mathematics Genealogy Project (http://genealogy.math. ndsu.nodak.edu), a database of more than 122,000 doctoral degree-holders in mathrelated fields, along with listings of their advisers and students. The result is a genealogy that preserves the legacy of those who train new generations of academicians in the mathematical sciences. Sen serves as an interesting example in this exercise, as well. His legacy as an educator extends to the fourth “generation.” For

E ul Pa Dr.

b na P ra Dr.

KASTLEMAN

example, his advisee Malay Ghosh (UNC, 1969) taught Gauri Datta (University of Florida, 1990), who taught Archan Bhattacharya (University of Georgia, 2007). (We invite you to e-mail your family trees and your six degrees of biostatistics to us at sphBIOS@bios.unc.edu.) Alas, it has taken us six paragraphs to come around to the Bacon, if you will — why we are preoccupied with spheres of influence and begettings — and how any of this impacts upon the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health or its Department of Biostatistics. Network theorists in this decade have elaborated upon Milgram’s work on six degrees of separation, noting that shared relationships tend not to be linear, but rather clustered, like hubs of a wheel, with groupings of dynamic people in the center and others extending outward from each hub. Such a mathematical model might have pleased Dr. Bernard Greenberg, the first chair of UNC’s Department of Biostatistics, who set in motion a unique series of partnerships in the state and around the world — partnerships that made his tenure and faculty cutting-edge in the field of biostatistics. Some of the interconnections may have been serendipitous, but they nonetheless created lasting professional bonds. For instance, as you’ll read elsewhere in this issue: I Greenberg knew Dr. John Ashford, professor of statistics at Exeter,

in I who had taught Dennis Gillings as a doctoral student, I who was hired by Greenberg and became a colleague of Gary Koch, a young faculty member at UNC, I who had met, in (West) Germany, a statistician from Hoescht AG, who needed a careful pharmaceutical analysis done, I whom Koch introduced to Gillings, I who, when he started Quintiles as a result of that West German project, hired Koch’s well-trained students as part of his research team. Because he reached out to the best and brightest around the world and drew them to UNC, Greenberg was a harbinger of the School’s global influence. Today, members of our biostatistics faculty are active in a dozen countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Russia and Sweden. Recent projects also have been set in China, Pakistan, Poland, and Uruguay, among other countries. Faculty members serve as visiting professors, establish research collaborations and student exchanges, provide consultation and training, and develop educational programs. Yet their work, like Greenberg’s, is anchored firmly in the state that he felt the School was obligated to serve. One example of a person simultaneously at home in North Carolina and the world is Dr. Shrikant Bangdiwala, UNC research professor of biostatistics. A fluent Spanish speak-

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er and avid traveler, Bangdiwala seems to be everywhere at once — from Stockholm to Santiago—but his efforts also have benefitted powerfully the people of North Carolina. He has authored 120 peer-reviewed publications on biostatistical methods, injury and violence epidemiology, cardiovascular disease and gastrointestinal disorders, all while serving as director of the biostatistical core support units of the Injury Prevention Research Center, the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, and the Center for Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders. UNC’s Dr. Lloyd Edwards’ efforts on behalf of North Carolina are far-reaching as well. Although aging is one of his areas of research expertise, his delight is to speak with young people about opportunities in the field of biostatistics. Edwards, associate professor of biostatistics at the School, has worked with UNC’s Summer Pre-Graduate Research Experience Program, which exposes qualified minority undergraduate students to the graduate research experience. Of six undergraduates he has mentored, five have earned doctoral degrees in statistical sciences. The six degrees of separation concept extends to our alumni as well. Over the years, numerous UNC biostatistics faculty, including Edwards and Drs. Gary Koch and Larry Kupper, have mentored countless biostatistics students who have gone on to distinguish

themselves in academics, practice and industry. These alumni include: I Faculty at Colorado State, Duke, Emory, George Mason, Georgia Southern, Johns Hopkins, Kansas State, Penn State, the University of Missouri, University of North Carolina, Vanderbilt University and the University of the Philippines; I Industry managers and executives around the world, including at ACS Healthcare Solutions, Amgen, GlaxoSmithKline, Hoffman-La Roche, Paraxel, Pfizer, Quintiles Transnational, Rho, Inc., and Schwarz Biosciences; I Government agencies including the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; and I Practicing biostatisticians in math classrooms, and in hospitals and universities including the University of North Carolina, University of Washington, Vanderbilt and Duke University. As we embrace our new name and ease into our 70th birthday, it is a good time to take stock of our connectedness —with North Carolina; with people around the world who, like us, seek health and safety for themselves and their children; with those whose intelligence anticipated the future and those whose passions propel us into the 21st century. Someone familiar is no more than six degrees away. I C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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SCHOOL NEWS School to help United Arab Emirates assess environmental health risks T HE U NITED A RAB E MIRATES (U.A.E.), one of the fastest developing nations in the world, has signed a two-year contract with researchers from the School to lead an assessment of health risks due to environmental factors in the country. The contract is for $12.1 million, about $9 million of which will be earmarked for the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. UNC researchers are partnering with U.A.E. University’s Department of Community Medicine and with the RAND Corp., a global public policy research institution. This group will work with the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi and its national partners, the Health Authority -Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Ministry of Health, U.A.E. Ministry of

A spray of fountains ornaments the outside of the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Environment and Water, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority and Health AuthorityDubai. The U.A.E. is a Middle Eastern federation of seven states, situated on the Arabian Gulf, bordering Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman. The country, with a population of about 4.3 million, has a highly industrialized economy and significant oil and natural gas reserves. “The U.A.E. is developing at an unprecedented pace and scale,” says principal investigator Dr. Jacqueline MacDonald, UNC assistant professor of environmental sciences and engineering. “In the past 40 years, it has gone from a small, mostly nomadic and seafaring economy to a major industrial nation. While all the developments have brought some vast

Dean Barbara K. Rimer is introduced to a falcon by her host, H.E. Majid Al Mansouri, Secretary General of the Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi.

improvements in public health, they’ve also brought some concerns about risks due to environmental hazards that come with an industrialized economy.” MacDonald leads a research team that will assess environmental health risks and use the results of these analyses to help United Arab Emirates set priorities and develop policies for mitigating health risks. The work will involve collecting data, working with local stakeholders to prioritize risks from environmental exposures; and developing computer-based models to estimate impact of environmental exposures and the burden of disease caused by the most important risk factors, including both indoor and outdoor air pollution (especially emissions stemming from oil and gas production), water pollution (both coastal and groundwater), and exposures to hazardous substances in the workplace. At the same time, the larger-scale epidemiologic study will be conducted to provide a nationwide assessment of possible links between the environment and the health of people living there. For more information on our work with the United Arab Emirates, visit www.sph.unc. edu/news/uae.html. I — BY RAMONA DUBOSE

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“Hero for the Planet” to keynote School’s Foard Lecture in April 2009 WILLIAM MCDONOUGH, AN INTERNATIONALLY renowned “green” architect and planner, will keynote the School’s 2009 Fred T. Foard Jr. Memorial Lecture on the evening of April 1, 2009. The lecture and accompanying reception will be held at the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education in Chapel Hill, N.C. McDonough, a global leader in ecologically, socially and economically intelligent architecture and planning, was twice cited by TIME magazine — in October 2007 as a “Hero of the Environment” and in February 1999, as a “Hero for the Planet.” Founding principal of McDonough + Partners, McDonough is one of the primary proponents and shapers of what he and his partners call “The Next Industrial Revolution.” He has lectured and written extensively on his design philosophy and practice, and in 2002, co-authored Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things with Michael Braungart. In October 2007, McDonough brought his philosophy to North Carolina when he broke ground on a green mixed-use residential project in the heart of downtown Chapel Hill. The Greenbridge development will offer 98 residences, a retail area, green roofs, solar panels, rainwater runoff systems and a community learning center to teach sustainable living practices. McDonough, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects, is an alumni research professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business Administration and a consulting professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University. He is the former dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia. McDonough received the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development in 1996 — the nation’s highest environmental honor. In 2003, he earned the U.S. EPA’s

William McDonough

Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award, and in 2004 he received the National Design Award for exemplary achievement in the field of environmental design. This year’s Foard lecture is co-sponsored by the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, the UNC Institute for the Environment, and Greenbridge Developments, LLC. The event is free, but registration is requested and can be completed at www.sph.unc.edu/ foard or by calling (919) 966-0198. I

NEWS

Sobsey accepts International Water Association award A TEAM OF RESEARCHERS LED BY D R . Mark Sobsey received the International Water Association’s 2008 Project Innovation Award for their research endeavor, “Ceramic Water Filters in Cambodia: A Sustainable Solution for Rural Drinking Water Treatment.” The project is one of the Gillings Innovation Laboratories at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Sobsey, Kenan Distinguished University Professor of environmental sciences and engineering in the UNC Gillings School Dr. Mark Sobsey of Global Public Health, accepted the honor at the Association’s East Asian and Pacific Awards Ceremony on June 26 in Singapore. Dr. Joe Brown, a recent graduate of the UNC doctoral program in environmental sciences and engineering and current faculty member at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, proposed the original water purification project and worked with Sobsey and others to initiate and field-test it in Cambodian homes.

RELIVE the EXCITEMENT We’re celebrating our School’s new name on Sept. 26, 2008, with Chancellor Holden Thorp, UNC President Erskine Bowles and many other friends of the School. See photos and videos after the event at www.sph.unc.edu.

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After successful testing, Sobsey, Brown and others established the Carolina Global Water Partnership, a research collaboration between UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health and its Kenan-Flagler Business School, which is exploring ways to commercialize household water treatment technologies in developing countries. For more information, visit www.sph.unc. edu/news/sobsey.html. I

The Nutrition Research Institute’s new research center houses state-of-the-art equipment that will allow School scientists to study how nutrition can enhance human health.

Water filter project wins KenanFlagler Carolina Challenge “C A R O L I NA L I Q U I D A S S E T S ,” PA RT O F Carolina Global Water Partnership, run by a team of students from both the public health and business schools, took first prize in the 2008 Carolina Challenge entrepreneurial business-plan competition sponsored by the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. The team won the $15,000 John Stedman Social Entrepreneurship Award for their business plan to manufacture and distribute ceramic water purifiers in Cambodia. They hope eventually to scale the operation throughout Southeast Asia and beyond. Public health students and faculty took second prize, too. Applied Microproducts, Inc., won $7,500 in the competition’s commercial category. The company, developed by Environmental Sciences and Engineering Professor Dr. Frederic Pfaender, in conjunction with others, makes environmentallyfriendly wood-treatment products for industry utility poles to replace the hazardous materials currently used. For more information, visit www.sph.unc. edu/news/entrepreneurs.html. I

Carolina Liquid Assets team members gather to celebrate their Carolina Challenge victory.

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School’s Nutrition Research Institute To celebrate opening of new research center T H E S C H O O L’ S N U T R I T I O N R E S E A R C H Institute (NRI) in Kannapolis, N.C., will celebrate the opening of a new 126,000-squarefoot research center in November 2008. NRI researchers and staff moved into the new building in August. The new center houses state-of-the-art equipment that will allow NRI scientists to study how nutrition can enhance human health. NRI, part of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, is devoted to discovering why people differ greatly in metabolism and nutrient requirements. The institute uses cutting-edge genomic and metabolomic biotechnology to develop innovative approaches to understanding the role of diet and activity in normal brain development, in the prevention of cancer and in the prevention and treatment of obesity and eating disorders. Metabolomics is the systematic study of metabolites — small molecules generated in the process of metabolism. “We have much of the methodology available that could allow us to understand why people’s metabolisms are so different,” says

Dr. Steven Zeisel, NRI’s director and Kenan Distinguished University Professor of nutrition and pediatrics in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and the UNC School of Medicine. NRI is located on the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis, about 25 miles northeast of Charlotte, N.C. The campus is a public-private partnership, spearheaded by David Murdock, owner and chairman of the board of Dole Food Company, Inc. The new center will house a metabolic kitchen, clinical facilities, a cognitive assessment suite, high-tech laboratories, office space and, tentatively, a body composition laboratory in which researchers can measure body density and fat. “This institute will result in breakthroughs in how we use nutrition to enhance human health,” Zeisel says. “We will be able to tailor recommendations on nutrition to the individual and not just give general guidelines. We can change how nutrition is practiced, and by so doing, change people’s lives.” For more information on the Nutrition Research Institute, visit www.nri.unc.edu. I

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School’s Active Living by Design program awarded grant to support healthy communities initiative transportation and healthier food options, and creating social norms to ensure that healthier choices become the easier choices. “Our short-term goal is to seed projects around the country that demonstrate which policy and environmental changes help communities become healthier. Our long-term goal is to reduce the incidence of childhood obesity in communities that are hardest hit,” Strunk says. Active Living by Design, part of the School’s North Carolina Institute for Public

Health, was launched by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and now is funded by a variety of organizations. The program has been successful in helping local communities across the nation increase active living and healthy eating by focusing on systems, policies and environmental change strategies. For more information on Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities, visit www.healthykids healthycommunities.org. I — B Y M A R G A R I TA D E PA N O

PHOTO BY ALBD

A CTIVE L IVING BY D ESIGN WAS TAPPED IN February 2008 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to lead Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities, a new five-year, $44-million program, to help underserved and vulnerable communities at greatest risk for childhood obesity plan for and implement changes in policies, systems and environments that increase opportunities for active living and healthy eating. By the end of the grant period, Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities will work with up to 100 local communities across the country, says Sarah Strunk, director of Active Living by Design, a national initiative to create community environments that support healthy children, youth and families. The program will focus on supporting multidisciplinary partnerships in their efforts to improve their communities, such as constructing or enhancing parks, trailways and greenways, changing or implementing policies to create more opportunities for active

Mental disorders in parents linked to autism in children PARENT S OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM were roughly twice as likely to have been hospitalized for a mental disorder, such as schizophrenia, than parents of other children, according to an analysis of Swedish birth and hospital records by a UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health researcher and colleagues in the U.S. and Europe. The study, “Parental psychiatric disorders associated with autism spectrum disorders in the offspring,” appeared in the May 5, 2008, issue of the journal Pediatrics. “We are trying to determine whether autism is more common among families with other psychiatric disorders,” says study author Dr. Julie Daniels, UNC assis-

tant professor of epidemiology and maternal and child health. “Establishing an association between autism and other psychiatric disorders might enable future investigators to better focus on genetic and environmental factors that might be shared among these disorders.” “Our research shows that mothers and fathers diagnosed with schizophrenia were about twice as likely to have a child diagnosed with autism,” Daniels adds. “We also saw higher rates of depression and personality disorders among mothers, but not fathers.” This information will help researchers look among related diseases, such as psychi-

atric disorders, for causes of autism, Daniels says. “It may eventually help identify opportunities to prevent or treat the disorder.” The study examined 1,237 children born between 1977 and 2003 who were diagnosed with autism before age 10, and compared them with 30,925 control subjects matched for gender, year of birth and hospital. The large sample size enabled researchers to distinguish between psychiatric histories of mothers versus fathers in relation to autism. The association was present regardless of the timing of the parent’s diagnosis relative to the child’s diagnosis. For more information, visit www.sph. unc.edu/news/autism.html. I

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Survey finds disordered eating behaviors among three out of four American women I 53 percent of dieters are already at a healthy weight and are still trying to lose weight. I 39 percent of women say concerns about what they eat or weigh interfere with their happiness. I 27 percent would be “extremely upset” if they gained just five pounds. I 13 percent smoke to lose weight. The online survey garnered responses

from 4,023 women who answered detailed questions about their eating habits. Results and analysis appeared in SELF’s May 2008 issue available online at www.self.com. Bulik and study co-author Lauren RebaHarrelson, a third-year UNC clinical psychology graduate student, presented the survey results at the 2008 International Conference on Eating Disorders on May 17, 2008, in Seattle, Wash. I

School to strengthen computational toxicology and bioinformatics expertise with major U. S. EPA award A S H O C K I N G S I X T Y- F I V E P E R C E N T O F American women between the ages of 25 and 45 have disordered eating behaviors, according to the results of a new survey sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and SELF Magazine. “Our survey found that these behaviors cut across racial and ethnic lines and are not limited to any one group,” says Dr. Cynthia R. Bulik, William and Jeanne Jordan Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders in the UNC School of Medicine’s department of psychiatry, director of the UNC Eating Disorders Program, and professor of nutrition in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Despite the stereotype that eating disorders affect mostly younger women, the survey found that women in their 30s and 40s reported disordered eating habits at the same rate as women in their 20s. According to the survey: I 75 percent of women reported disordered eating behaviors or symptoms consistent with eating disorders.

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T HE U.S. E NVIRONMENTAL P ROTECTION Agency has awarded our School a $3.4 million grant to help strengthen our research portfolio in computational toxicology and bioinformatics. Computational toxicology is a branch of environmental health sciences that applies mathematical and computer models to predict adverse effects of drugs and environmental chemicals and to better understand the ways they may cause harm to human health and the environment. This relatively young discipline offers the possibility that scientists might be able to develop a much better understanding of risks posed by chemicals released into the environment. The grant, which will be awarded over four years, aids the establishment of The Carolina Center for Computational Toxicology (http://comptox.unc.edu). The Center will advance the field of computational toxicology through development of new methods and computational tools, as

well as through interdisciplinary collaborative efforts within UNC and with other environmental health science researchers. “We are delighted to receive this highly competitive award,” says Dr. Ivan Rusyn, associate professor of environmental sciences and engineering at the School, associate director of the Curriculum in Toxicology at the UNC School of Medicine, and principal investigator for the project. “The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is a world leader in many areas of science that improve the health of people in North Carolina and around the world, and the new Center will strengthen our capacity for understanding and predicting the inter-individual differences in risk from environmental exposures.” For a list of other key UNC investigators in the center and more information related to our School’s work in computational toxicology and bioinformatics, visit www.sph.unc.edu/news/epa.html. I

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Grant to help North Carolina improve public health service quality nationwide N ORTH C AROLINA RECEIVED A $449,590 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to improve the quality of public health and prepare for national public health accreditation. The three-year grant, which became effective April 15, 2008, will be administered by the School’s service arm— the N.C. Institute for Public Health. The grant is part of a national program managed by the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) and the Public Health Leadership Society (PHLS). North Carolina is one of 16 states chosen to participate in the program. The grant will support projects aimed at specific health out-

comes such as decreasing the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases or reducing the burden of illness due to tobacco or alcohol use. “North Carolina is a leader in this national movement in public health known as accreditation,” says Dr. Edward L. Baker, NCIPH director and UNC professor of health policy and management, who will lead the project. “We are lucky in our state to have a strong partnership of the Institute, the state Division of Public Health and the North Carolina Association of Local Health Directors working together in what is now known as the North Carolina Accreditation Learning Collaborative.”

NEWS

To date, 34 counties and the state itself have passed strict performance standards to be accredited. “North Carolina has demonstrated a Dr. Edward L. Baker commitment to improving the quality of its public health services and programs. North Carolina’s work will lead the way as other local and state public health agencies across the nation prepare for accreditation and strive to create healthier communities,” says Dr. James S. Marks, senior vice president and director of the health group at RWJF. For more information, visit www.sph.unc. edu/nciphnews/servicequality.html. I

UNC health researchers explore how to take interactive video games to the next level I T ’ S NOT JUST CHILDREN ! M ANY YOUNG adults also spend hours every day playing interactive video games. Is there a way, UNC researchers wondered, to make those games healthier for people to play? Dr. Deborah Tate, assistant professor in the School’s Departments of Health Behavior and Health Education and Nutrition, will lead UNC’s efforts to explore how these games could be better designed to improve players’ health. The project, supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation involves research teams at UNC and 11 other institutions.

“Research shows that young adults play video games as much as—or in some cases more than—children do,” Tate says. “Since young adulthood is a time of decreasing physical activity and rapid weight gain, video games may provide a more active form of leisure than traditional TV for this age group.” Tate and doctoral student Elizabeth Lyons, an avid gamer, will investigate people’s motivations to expend energy while playing video

“Research shows that young adults play video games as much as—or in some cases more than—children do.”

games. They will compare traditional video games played on home consoles with more active games requiring physical movement beyond pushing buttons or flicking the wrist. These active games require that players use a controller such as a dance pad, balance board or even a guitar. The researchers will look at effects of types of controllers that players use, the influence of players’ perspectives in the game and their feelings of presence and intrinsic motivation. Fifty men and 50 women, ages 18 to 35, will participate in the study, which will examine 10 games. “The findings may help us understand how to make traditional games more active and active games more compelling,” Lyons says. For more information, visit www. sph.unc.edu/news/videogames.html. I

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UNC SCHOOL

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AWA R D S & R EC O G N I T ION S May 2008 – September 2008 For more information on these and many other faculty, student, alumni and staff awards, honors and recognitions, visit www.sph.unc.edu/school/recognitions.

FACULTY Dr. Myron S. Cohen, associate vice chancellor for global health and director of the Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases at UNC-Chapel Hill, received the O. Max Gardner Award on May 9, 2008, from the Board of Governors of the multicampus University of North Carolina. Cohen is the J. Herbert Bate Distinguished Professor of medicine, microbiology and public health (epidemiology) and has served as director of the UNC School of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases since 1989. Recognized as a Dr. Myron S. Cohen global authority on the transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, Cohen was honored for his international leadership in advancing HIV research, treatment and prevention in countries around the world. The Gardner award recognizes faculty who have “made the greatest contributions to the welfare of the human race.” Cohen was selected from among faculty at all 17 UNC campuses. The 2008 award carries a $20,000 cash prize.

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Dr. Peggye Dilworth-Anderson, professor of health policy and management at the School, has been elected president of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), a position she’ll assume in 2009. GSA promotes the scientific study of aging and fosters the use of gerontological Dr. Peggye research in forming Dilworth-Anderson public policy. Dilworth-Anderson is associate director for aging and diversity in the UNC Institute on Aging and director of the Institute’s Center for Aging and Diversity (www.aging. unc.edu). She also chairs the Appointments, Promotions and Tenure Committee at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Dr. Cheryll D. Lesneski, clinical assistant professor in the School’s Public Health Leadership Program, received the 2008 Prudential-Davis Productivity Award. The awards program is a public-private initiative chaired by Florida’s lieutenant governor and sponsored by Florida Taxwatch, The Florida Council of 100 (a nonprofit advisory group) and the State of Florida. The award recognizes state government employees whose work measurably increases

productivity and promotes innovation. Lesneski worked recently with the Florida Department of Health to fine-tune its performance improvement process. Dr. Barbara K. Rimer, dean of the School and Alumni Distinguished Professor of health behavior and health education, coedited the July 2008 supplement of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (Vol. 35, Issue 1). Devoted to cancer screening and the translation of cancer research into practice in the community, the issue is titled “Increasing Screening for Breast, Cervical and Colorectal Cancers.” Rimer and two other faculty members affiliated with the School—Dr. Cathy Melvin and Alexis Moore — w e r e c o n t r i b u t o r s . Melvin is research associate professor of maternal and child health and director of Child Health Services at the UNC Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. Moore, an alumna, is project director of the Dissemination Core at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Abstracts of the articles are available at www.ajpm-online.net. Registered readers may access the complete text. Dr. Pam Silberman, research associate professor of health policy and management at the School, was recognized with the sixth

AWARDS

annual Ned Brooks Award for Public Service by the Carolina Center for Public Service in April 2008. Her research led to legislation concerning the state’s child health insurance law, dental care access, and insurance coverage for low-income populations. Silberman is president and chief executive officer of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine. The Ned Brooks Award for Public Service, named for Dr. Edward F. (Ned) Brooks, associate professor of health policy and management at the School, recognizes faculty and staff who build sustained records of community service through individual efforts and promote involvement and guidance of others. Megan Ellenson, 2008 graduate of the School’s master’s program in health behavior and health education, received the Robert E. Bryan Public Service Award from the Carolina Center for Public Service in April 2008. The award recognizes individual students and faculty for exemplary public service efforts. While at Carolina, Ellenson worked with the Burmese immigrant community in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, N.C., to identify issues faced by these recent refugees. She later wrote a grant to support the children’s participation in a school-based art therapy program. The American College of Emergency Physicians has recognized Dr. Judith E. Tintinalli, professor and founding chair in the department of emergency Dr. Judith E. Tintinalli medicine at the UNC School of Medicine, as a “Hero of Emergency Medicine.” Tintinalli is adjunct professor of health policy and management in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. The honor recognizes emergency physicians who have made significant contributions to emergency medicine, their commu-

nities and their patients. The American College of Emergency Physicians is a 25,000-member national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine. UNC biostatistics professor Dr. Michael Kosorok has been appointed to the board of trustees of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences. Board Dr. Michael Kosorok members serve three years. Kosorok is chair of the Biostatistics Department at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and holds a joint appointment as professor of statistics and operations research in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences. The National Institute of Statistical Sciences was established in 1990 by the national statistics societies and the Research Triangle universities and organizations. The organization seeks to confront complex scientific problems of national importance and to identify and foster cross-disciplinary, high-impact research involving the statistical sciences.

STAFF Brent Wishart, facilities coordinator at the School, received the School’s 2008 Staff Excellence Award this summer. His friends and coworkers honored him at a reception on July 18. Wishart, who began working at the School in 2002, Brent Wishart has helped oversee many renovation and construction tasks in Rosenau Hall and Michael Hooker Research Center during the last several years, while also serving as the

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“go-to” person for events planning, parking services, and other daily facilities issues. His efficiency, helpfulness and calm good humor were praised by School faculty and staff. The Staff Excellence Award was first presented in 1991. A committee of staff members from throughout the School vote on nominees, using the criteria of leadership, initiative and attitude.

Marc Jeuland finishes 15th in the Boston Marathon

STUDENTS School runners shine at Boston Marathon Several members of the School community — including one fast-moving graduate student—modeled healthy behaviors recently when they participated in the 26-mile Boston Marathon on April 21, 2008. Environmental sciences and engineering doctoral candidate Marc Jeuland finished 15th overall and third among American men in a field of more than 22,000 in the event. His time of 2 hours, 20 minutes, 57 seconds, was only 13 minutes longer than the first place runner, Robert Cheruiyot, of Kenya, who completed the course in 2:07.46. Other participants from the School included: I Patricia Drummey, recent environmental sciences and engineering master’s graduate, whose time was 3:30:13; I Dr. David Leith, professor of environmental sciences and engineering and recent Greenberg Award winner, whose time was 3:51:34, 155th in his age division; and I Dr. Harsha Thirumurthy, assistant professor of health policy and management, whose time, 2:35:58, placed him 99th among men in the race. C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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Kosha Rajesh Shah, a 2008 health policy and management graduate at the School, was among 125 UNCChapel Hill students inducted into Kosha Rajesh Shah Phi Beta Kappa this spring. The organization is the nation’s oldest and most venerated honorary society. Phi Beta Kappa membership is open to undergraduates in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences and professional degree programs who meet stringent eligibility requirements. Dr. Jennifer Espiritu, a health care and prevention student in the School’s Public Health Leadership Program, has received the American College of Preventive Medicine’s (ACPM) Don Gemson Resident Award. The award recognizes individuals with outstanding achievement in community service, scholarship, research, teaching and leadership, who have strong potential for future contributions to preventive medicine. Espiritu, an officer in the U.S. Navy Dr. Jennifer Espiritu and chief resident in the UNC Preventive Medicine Program, has served as a visiting scholar in the Department of Homeland Security. She currently works on a statewide quality-of-care initiative with the UNC Family Practice Department and the N.C. Academy of Family Physicians.

ALUMNI Dr. Heather Munroe-Blum received an honorary doctor of science degree at the School’s spring 2008 commencement ceremony.

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Munroe-Blum, principal and vice chancellor of McGill University in Montreal and an alumna of our School, was the School’s 2008 commencement speaker. She earned her doctorate in epidemiology from the School in 1983. A specialist in psychiatric epidemiology, Munroe-Blum has held faculty positions at the University of Toronto and York University. She has led large-scale epidemiological investigations of the distribution, prevention, course and treatment of major Dr. Heather psychiatric disorMunroe-Blum ders. Her work in the field has earned her major support from the National Institute of Mental Health, the Canadian National Health Research and Development Program. Dr. Philip Palmer Green III received an honorary doctor of science degree at the School’s spring 2008 commencement ceremony. Green, a Chapel Hill native, worked in the School’s biostatistics department early in his career. Currently, he is professor of genome sciences at the University of Washington and an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Credited with key algorithms and software tools that made Dr. Phillip Palmer possible the systemGreen III atic analysis of complex genomes, Green received an undergraduate degree from Harvard and a doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley. Nobel Prize winner Dr. James D. Watson stated that, “without his (Green’s) Phred and Prap computation tools, the assembly of the human genome would have moved ahead much more hesitantly, if not chaotically.”

Carolina for Kibera honored with Oklahoma’s Reflections of Hope Award The Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum honored Carolina for Kibera, Inc., as recipient of its 2008 Reflections of Hope Award. The award, established in 2005 as part of the 10th anniversary commemoration of the Oklahoma City bombing, honors a living person or group whose extraordinary work has significantly impacted a community, state or nation. The award also exemplifies that “hope not only survives but also thrives in the wake of political violence.” It includes a $25,000 honorarium which may be used for program development, Alumni of our School are among Carolina for Kibera’s (CFK) leaders. Kim Chapman, a master’s degree graduate from the School’s Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, serves on CFK’s board of directors. The organization was founded by U.S. Marine Captain Rye Barcott and Executive Director Salim Mohamed, from Kenya. Established in 2001, CFK is an international, nongovernmental organization based in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. In the United States, CFK is an affiliated program of the UNC Center for Global Initiatives. Run by Kenyans and advised by American and Kenyan volunteers, the organization promotes youth leadership and ethnic and gender cooperation in Kibera through sports, young women’s empowerment, and community development. CFK also works to improve basic health care, sanitation and education in Kibera. Serving as a model for holistic, community-based urban development worldwide, CFK has helped grassroots organizations develop youthbased programs in six other nations and dozens of communities in Kenya. For more information on Carolina for Kibera, visit http://cfk.unc.edu. I

HONOR

ROLL

DONORS

“YOUR GIFTS ARE INVESTMENTS, AND WE THANK YOU FOR EVERY ONE OF THEM. The return on your investment will be far more than the gratitude of public health researchers, teachers and students, though you will have that in abundance. Your return will be solid information on your gift’s impact — discoveries made, students trained, publications made possible, clinics supported, lives touched, communities improved and the public’s health transformed. You will know that your gift — your investment—has made a difference in the protection of the world’s health and America’s future.” – DEAN BARBARA K. RIMER

School of Public Health

H ON O R R O L L JULY 1, 2007 TO JUNE 30, 2008

$1,000,000 to $50,000,000 Dennis & Joan Gillings

$100,000 to $999,999 Dorothy Dunn* Gary & Carolyn Koch William A. & Michele A. Sollecito Anonymous

$50,000 to $99,999 J. Keith Crisco

$25,000 to $49,999 Allison Lynn Dauer George & Bodil Gellman Alan Coningsby Moore

Barry Michael Popkin Pauline Reeser * Paula B. & Gregory W. Stafford Derek & Louise Winstanly

$10,000 to $24,999 Fred & Laura Brown Sandra Winn Green Miriam Labbok Barbara K. Rimer & Bernard Glassman Pranab Kumar Sen Marilyn Tyroler William J. Tyroler

$5,000 to $9,999 Deniese May Chaney Leah & Joseph Devlin Leroy & Kay Doughty Cynthia Johnson Girman

of Donors

Donald & Jennifer Holzworth Mabel Smith Johansson Esther Maria John Timothy David Neil King & Kimberly Wheaton Donald & Marie Lauria John & Catherine McConnell Stephen Allen Morse Susanne Moulton & Thomas Wong David H. Murdock Jonathan Jay Pullin Jack Eugene Wilson

$2,000 to $4,999 Anonymous H. Michael Arrighi Jeffrey Propes Baker Sterling Wilson Bell Deborah Elizabeth Bender

Charles T. Bradley & Ruth Ann Shults Ching Kuang Chen Stacy-Ann Christian Howard J. Dunn James Kenneth Edzwald Harold F. Elkin A. Donald & MaryAnn Farthing Peggy & Cambridge Glenn Raymond Harris Greenlaw Jr. Michael & Andrea Griffin David & Karen Harper Paula Billingsley Harrison Joan Cornoni Huntley James Donald Kinard Charles Wayne Kinsey Peter Jonathan Kolsky Peggy Leatt & George H. Pink Julia Prince MacMillan Jeffrey & Suzanne Morrison * deceased

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OPPORTUNITIES

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James Edward Nix Douglas Martin Owen John Edward Paul Clarence Edward Pearson David D. Potenziani Alan & Linda Rimer James Hess Rosen John Spotswood Russell Patricia D. Saddier Jacqueline van der Horst Sergent Sallie Shuping-Russell Ilene C. Siegler & Charles Edelman Jiannan Song & Xiaonan Zhu Alan Spalt & Susan Willey Sarah Lynn Strunk Lydia Lansangan Tiosejo Barbara Tyroler Chansuda Wongsrichanalai Kuan Mu Yao Steven & Susan Zeisel

$1,000 to $1,999 Oscar Hunter Adams* Michael D. Aitken & Betsy Rudolph John & Betsey Anderson Delton Atkinson Edward L. Baker Frank & Harriett Barr S. Mae Beale Margaret E. Bentley Gary Sterling Berger Mark Dean Beuhler Michael N. Boyd Kerrie Eileen Boyle Edward Carroll Bryant Pierre & Ma Buekens W. Stanley & Georgia Campbell Dennis Alfred Clements III & Martha Ann Keels Jean Marie Colthurst Ralph R. Cook David Erwin Cooper Stephen Couch Georgia Cruz Carol Zies Cuatrecasas Ramona & Alan DuBose

Jo Anne & Shelley Earp Kenneth LeRoy Eudy Jr. Lyne Gamble & Kathryn Yandell Joseph Chitranjan Gardiner Daniel Lynn Goetz & Eugenia Eng Jay Marshall Goldring Hilton Thomas Goulson Richard Robert Hammel C. David & Lucy Hardison Charles & Edna Hensey Gerald C. Hook Deborah Parham Hopson Thierry Horner & Rachel Williams Louise Foushee Horney Barbara & Jaroslav Hulka Peter Bert Imrey Mary Ellen James Berton Harris Kaplan Rebecca King & Roy Robert Piscitello Maylon Earl Little Douglas Seward Lloyd Walter R. Lynn Merrill & Cynthia Mason Alex Simon Mayer Keith & Patricia Meador Felicia E. Mebane Edward F. Meehan Bill & Susan Milner Mona Marie Moon Hugh Holt Morrison Sarah Taylor Morrow Kenneth A. Mundt Dara Lee Murphy Jeanenne Little Nelson Raymond Joseph Nierstedt Jeffrey John Oberhaus & Brent Wishart James Patrick Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell Andrew F. Olshan Anne Townsend Overman Herbert B. Peterson Brian Lee Ramaley Ruth Rothman R. Gary & Jeanette Rozier Girard Anthony Salak James K. Schaefer

James & Anne Schenck David & Mary Peoples-Sheps Gladys Siegel Philip C. Singer Frank & Melanie Spencer Fred & Alice Stanback Gregory Strayhorn Susan E. Strunk John Henry Sweitzer Boyd & Janie Switzer Mary S. Thompson Russell Barner Toal John Chester Triplett Billy G. Turner Dianne Stanton Ward Deborah Anne Wheeler Paul Martin Wiles John Sterling Young Jr.

$500 to $999 Anonymous William Cudd Blackwelder John Briscoe S. Scott Brown David Wayne Campbell Linda M. Cecarelli Barbara Taiyee Chang Amy Duckett Corcell Kenny Crump Francis A. DiGiano Rachael Lynn DiSantostefano Brenda Kay Edwards George & Mary Elmore Mary Beth Fasano Tom & Jenifer Faulkner Edwin B. Fisher Jr. Donald & Barbara Fox Stuart & Karen Gansky Richard & Lynda Goldberg Robert Lee Hines Sallie Craig Tuton Huber Heinz U. Hueper Jonathan V. James Joseph Francis Kanney Michael & Marilyn Knowles Michael & Pamela Kosorok Kenneth Scott Ladrach Margaret Edith Layne Steven & Elizabeth Levitas

Stephen Marshall & Anna Waller Danita McAllister David & Gladys McNelis Indrani Nandi Xumin Nie & Ming Zhong Richard Jay Osborne Jane Therese Osterhaus Rachel Theresa Palmieri Wayne Pein & Susan Ennett Robert Francis Peoples David Edward Pinsky Carl F. Raetzsch Mark & Karen Rodin Hugo Rogers Brian & Linda Sanders Patsy Burgiss Sanders Michael Gerard Schell Victor & Marion Schoenbach June Stevens & C. Michael Sheppa Robert E. Silverman Ellison & Electa Smith Paul Edward Stang Jo Anna Stephens Rachel Humphries Stevens Jeanine Hamlin Stice David Strogatz & Rosalind Thomas M. Jackson & Jane Stutts David & Jeanie Taylor Richard & Vanessa Thorsten Fredrick Seymour Whaley Gary John White James & Bonnie Yankaskas William & Janet Zelman

$250 to $499 Anonymous Omid & Julie Ahdieh Cutler Wilson Andrews Marijke Lee Annis Amy Preminger Artman Mark & Suzette Bardill Eileen Danielle Barrett Edmund Gerald Barron Gordon & Mary Hynes-Berry Taffey Louise Bisbee Lynn W. Blanchard Carol Miller Blum

* deceased

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HONOR

Rosenau Society Gifts

ROLL

DONORS

Membership — July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008

T HE R OSENAU S OCIETY IS NAMED IN HONOR OF M ILTON J. R OSENAU, THE FIRST DEAN OF THE S CHOOL OF P UBLIC H EALTH . M EMBERSHIP IN THE R OSENAU S OCIETY IS LIMITED TO BENEFACTORS MAKING A MINIMUM UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTION OF $1000+ TO EITHER THE S CHOOL OF P UBLIC H EALTH OR ONE OF ITS DEPARTMENTS . M EMBERSHIP MUST BE RENEWED ON AN ANNUAL BASIS .

P RESIDENTS ’ C IRCLE ($5,000–$25,000) Deniese May Chaney Keith Crisco Leroy and Kay Doughty Donald and Jennifer Holzworth Esther Maria John Timothy David Neil King and Kimberly Wheaton David H. Murdock Jonathan Jay Pullin Barbara K. Rimer and Bernard Glassman William A. and Michele A. Sollecito Paula B. and Gregory W. Stafford Derek and Louise Winstanly C HANCELLORS ’ C IRCLE ($2,000–$4,999) H. Michael Arrighi Sterling Wilson Bell Deborah Elizabeth Bender Fred and Laura Brown Harold F. Elkin Peggy and Cam Glenn Raymond Harris Greenlaw, Jr. Michael and Andrea Griffin David & Karen Harper Paula Billingsley Harrison James Donald Kinard Charles Wayne Kinsey Gary and Carolyn Koch Peggy Leatt and George Pink Jeffrey and Suzanne Morrison John Edward Paul David D. Potenziani James Hess Rosen Patricia D. Saddier Jacqueline van der Horst Sergent Ruth Ann Shults Ilene C. Siegler

Jiannan Song and Xiaonan Zhu Sarah Lynn Strunk Lydia Lansangan Tiosejo Susan Willey & Alan Spalt Steven & Susan Zeisel D EANS ’ C IRCLE ($1,000–$1,999) Oscar Hunter Adams Michael D. Aitken and Betsy Rudolph John and Betsey Anderson Delton Atkinson Edward L. Baker S. Mae Beale Peggy Bentley Gary Sterling Berger Kerrie Eileen Boyle Edward Carroll Bryant W. Stanley and Georgia Hobbins Campbell Ching Kuang Chen Dennis Clements and Martha Keels Ralph R. Cook David Erwin Cooper Stephen Couch Carol Zies Cuatrecasas Ramona and Alan DuBose Shelley and Jo Anne Earp Kenneth LeRoy Eudy, Jr. Lyne Gamble and Kathryn Yandell Jay Marshall Goldring Sandra Winn Green Richard Robert Hammel C. David Hardison Charles and Edna Hensey Deborah Parham Hopson Louise Foushee Horney Jaroslav & Barbara Hulka Peter Bert Imrey Miriam Labbok

Douglas Seward Lloyd Julia Prince MacMillan Merrill and Cynthia Mason Keith and Patricia Meador Felicia E. Mebane Bill and Susan Milner Mona Marie Moon Hugh Holt Morrison Sarah Taylor Morrow Kenneth A. Mundt Dara Lee Murphy Jeanenne Little Nelson Jeffrey John Oberhaus and Brent Wishart James Patrick O’Connell Andrew F. Olshan Anne Townsend Overman Douglas Martin Owen Herbert B. Peterson John Spotswood Russell Jerry Salak James & Anne Schenck David and Mary Peoples-Sheps Gladys Siegel Philip C. Singer Frank & Melanie Spencer Fred and Alice Stanback Gregory Strayhorn John Henry Sweitzer Boyd and Janie Switzer Russell Barner Toal John Chester Triplett Dianne Stanton Ward Paul Martin Wiles Kuan Mu Yao

Through June 30, 2008

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OPPORTUNITIES

INVEST

Meg Marie Booth Douglas Donaldson Bradham Peiffer Allen Brandt Vance Brooks Duncan Brown & Janet Elliott Gail Rose Brown James Paul Bulman Ted Gray Chapin David Edward Cockley Terri Ann Colangelo Deborah Lee Covington Burton & Heather Craige Carolyn Elinor Crump Mara C. Cusker Gonzalez Norris A. Dearmon David Carl Deubner Gary L. Duhon Laurie D. Elam-Evans Mohamed Nabil El-Khorazaty & A. Horne Laurel Ann Files Constance Anne Finch Lynn Schueler Fitzgerald Pradip & Swapna Gangopadhyay Carol Zimmerman Garrison Jerry Gray Gentry J. K. Ghosh Lisa Armsrees Gillespie Henry & Barbara Ginsberg Michael Craig Griffiths Alyssa Marie Gsell Kerry Brent Hafner Kenneth James Hausle Richard John Heggen Robert & Edwina Higgins Kenneth & Jeanne Hoffner William & Fancy Hogan David Bruce Holstein Penelope Page Howards Stephen Shawnan Hsich Vernon Brock Hunt James Joseph Jetter Baxter Lee Jones Dennis Joyner & Ruth Cohen Michelle Crozier Kegler Julian & Barbara Keil Katherine Gartland Kelley* Donna Gayle King John & Judy Klaas Kenneth Joseph Koury

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Dauers honor daughter’s success by providing scholarship for other students

n 2000, while attending an NCAA basketball tournament in Austin, Texas, Allison Lynn Dauer met a group of students from the University of North Carolina. She spent the next hour talking to them. As they discussed activities and aspirations, Allison sensed that the students were deeply intelligent and insightful and desired to make a difference in the world. That very day, she decided she would mail a college application to Chapel Hill. “They really made an impression on her,” says Joanne Dauer, Allison’s mother. “She kept talking about how the students were smart, friendly, down-to-earth and naturally engaging with a complete stranger. She said, ‘I want to be this type of student. I want to go to this type of university.’” In 2005, Allison graduated from the UNC School of Public Health with a bachelor’s degree in health policy and administration. This year, her Allison Lynn Dauer parents are giving something back to the school that shaped much of Allison’s professional life, and they are doing it in her name. Through the Dauer Family Foundation, Dr. Edward Dauer and his wife Joanne established the Allison Lynn Dauer Scholarship in Public Health with a gift of $125,000 to the UNC School of Public Health that is meant to support the education of highly qualified students seeking degrees in public health. “We think it’s very important to give back to institutions that have helped make you a success in life,” says Edward Dauer. “Philanthropy is something you learn from your parents, so by setting up this scholarship in her name, we are underscoring its importance. We’ve no doubt Allison will pass this along to her children.” The Dauers say their intent is to provide a life-changing difference in students’ lives by directing them toward a field that is ever growing in importance. “I am so pleased this scholarship has come about,” Allison says. “I’m honored that it is in my name. I have a strong belief in the education that the School of Public Health provides and I like the idea of giving back to a school that has given so much to me.” Allison now works as a registered nurse in the macular degeneration and retinal clinic at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, which was named best eye hospital in the United States by U.S. News and World Report in 2007 and 2008. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Miami shortly after she left Chapel Hill. “She’s applying her clinical degree by caring for patients and her public health degree by teaching her patients how to take care of their eyes and prevent eye disease,” says Joanne. Allison’s parents are also health care professionals. Joanne Dauer is a registered nurse and a clinical instructor at the University of Miami’s School of Nursing. Edward Dauer is a medical doctor and a research associate professor of biomedical engineering and radiology, also at the University of Miami. The Dauers have made many other generous gifts to the School, including a facilities gift that named the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health’s address — 135 Dauer Drive. I — B Y M A R G A R I TA D E PA N O

HONOR

Jennifer Elston Lafata Robert & Michele Larson Gregory Phillip Lathan Sheri Johnson Lawrence Clarence Matthews Lee Wilbert Liou-Lang Lee Marcia Joanne Levenstein Danyu Lin Donald Daniel Lisnerski Craig Stephen Maughan Deborah Ann McFarland Mark Hamilton Merrill Wilbur & Virginia Milhous William Clarence Miller Beverly Nieman Mirman Hal Morgenstern Ilene Moss Janet Mullaney Mary Margaret H. Mundt Timothy Keith Myers Bruce Nielsen James Notaro Leonard Oppenheimer Louis Joseph Orban John & Zoe Parker David Rufus Patterson Laura Pearson Janice Periquet Frederic K. Pfaender Phyllis Wendt Pierce Lewis William Pollack Joseph & Amy Price Margo Lynn Quiriconi Irving & Joan Rimer Charles Eric Rodes Susan Marie Sanders David Hess Sarr Chuan-Feng Shih & Yi-Wen Ma Linda Simoni-Wastila William Thomas Small Jr. Fraser B. Smith Jonathan Carl Smith Maura Ellen Stokes William Thornton Stringfellow Robert Charles Sykes J. Chi-Chung & Jane Tang Julie Poh Thurlow Mildred P. Turner Gladwin Olin Unrau Deborah Lee Vacca James William Vernon

Edward Harris Wagner Martha Wilkinson Waller Jenny Warburg Eric & Elizabeth Whitsel Katherine Ward Williams Deborah Marie Winn Robert & Lisa Woolson

$100 to $249 Anonymous Daniel & Kathryn Ahlport R. F. Albani Keith & Karen Aldridge Alan & Barbara Alexander Sheri D. Allen E. Jackson Allison Jr. Heather Kay Altman Terry P. Anderson Eugene & Linda Appel William & Ellen Archer Matthew & Susan Arduino Kenneth & Patricia Argo Mary Susan Ariosto-Coe Susan Houts Arnold Richard Allan Aronson Annella Jean Auer Charles Lunsford Ayres Patricia Michel Backus A. John Bailer & Jennifer Faris-Bailer Nina J. Baird Sandor Alan Balogh Edna Marsha Barber Anna Lynn Barden Alex James Barker Tommy R. Barnhardt Robert & Kimberly Barrier C. W. Bartholomai Cynthia Bowers Bartosek Andy Dean Basinger Sheri Ruth Bates Geraldine B. Beck Michael Peter Bell Jonathan Berg & Louise Henderson Cecelia Potts Berkstresser Robert & Christine Berndt Jay Michael Bernhardt Elizabeth Hardaway Birkenbeuel

C. Trent Blackman Aaron Earl Blair Jill Susan Block Heidemarie W. Boas Linda Boise David & Elise Bolda Linda Marilyn T. Bollag Larissa Borts J. Darrell Bost Edward & Lila Bostian Hughlene Bostian Maryanne G. Boundy Rebekah Sue Bowden Kristen Eastwood Bowers James H. Bowles Michael Austin Boyd Jo Ellen Brandmeyer Karl Brandspigel & Juanita Coleman Michelle Ruth Bressler Judith Moore Britt Hoke Mitchem Brittain Margaret Dodd Britton Cynthia V. Brown Arthur Emil Bruestle Edward Bryan Lynda Bryant-Comstock Charles Ross Buck Claude Francis Burnham R. Stockton & Jennifer Butler Victor Marcial Caceres Shirley Elizabeth Callahan Margaret Katherine Campbell Robert Frederick Campbell Dana & Catherine Carlton Mercedes Renee Carnethon Joseph & Jennifer Carson Juan & Suzanne Carvajal Meredith Casteel Reid & Jessica Castrodale Edward Lee Cavenaugh Carl & Carolyn Cerco Joe Carroll Chambers Max & Peggy Chandler Hsing-Yi Chang Shine Chang Steven Channing & Nancy Clapp-Channing Caroline Chantry Louisa Elaine Chapman Jianhua Chen & Shao Lin

ROLL

DONORS

Jen-Tse & Shu-Chung Shih Cheng Clyde & Anita Chesney Vernon & Jolene Chinchilli Joan Christison-Lagay Sharon L. Christy Dorothy Cilenti Kathryn Clark Michael A. Clarke Jan Patricia Clement J. Steven & Catherine Cline William Spencer Clinger Ronald Harper Clitherow Cheryl Arthur Coble W. Gerald Cochran Robert Martin Coker Christopher & Julie Connelly Basil Gust Constantelos Elizabeth Curtis Cook Glinda Sue Cooper Melody K. Correll Beth Cossart William Irvine Cowden Gretchen Anne Cowman Carol Gordon Cox Mary Foster Cox Katherine Elizabeth Crosson John Irving Crowell E. Stewart Crumpler Kathy Teer Crumpler Nancy Bosworth Crutchfield Cameron Cecily Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Alpe Rahul Prakash Dalvi Sallie Cornwell Darnell Edith Maye Davis Ronald Gerard Davis Claude Victor Deal Jr. Henry & Alisa Debnam Clifford Earl Decker Jr. Carrie Anne Delcomyn Beverly Priddy Derr Linda Webster Dicker Vincent Bernard DiFranco Laura Lynne Dillard Robert Arthur Diseker Eleanor Lorraine Dixon-Terry Winfred & Sarah Dodson Karl Maximilian Doetsch Rosalie Cecilia Dominik William K. Drane Lee Stoll Dukes * deceased

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A Charitable Gift Annuity:

The Gift that Gives Back With relative ease, you can set up a charitable gift annuity that will allow you to receive: • Income for life, • A charitable tax deduction, and • The satisfaction of supporting the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Let us show you what your return will be based on your age, your financial plans, and current interest rates. Once your gift is made, the rate remains fixed. S A M P L E A N N U I T Y I N T E R E S T R AT E S *

Your Age 60 70 75

Annuity Rate 5.7% 6.5% 7.1%

Your Ages 65/63 70/68 75/73

Annuity Rate 5.6% 5.8% 6.2%

*Rates are subject to change

You may indicate your need for more information by checking the appropriate box in the enclosed envelope — or call, write, or e-mail: Lyne S. Gamble, Jr. Director of Major and Planned Gifts UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Campus Box 7407 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7407 lyne_gamble@unc.edu Telephone: 919.966.8368

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Charles Dunbar Kevin Holden Dunn Erin Mary Dusch Rachel K. Edmiston Brian K. Ellerby Margaret Hilda Elliott Kenneth Elstein & Lynette Keyes-Elstein Michael William Enghauser Sharon Ellen Epstein Lori Ann Turnbull Evarts Paul Jay Feldblum David Bernard Fischer Kevin Michael Fitzpatrick Terry Lynn Flanagan Lynn Fontana Robert Harold Forbes Jr. Michele Robin Forman James Summers Forrester Deborah R. Fowler Charles D. Fox IV Margaret A. Franckhauser Eduardo Franco & Eliane Duarte-Franco Alexa Freese Elizabeth A. French Alice Freund Dianna Frick Sarah Kent Fry Robert Ernest Gandley Brad & Julia Gardner Marie Whitehurst Gardner Richard Gargagliano & Joan Hedgecock George Arthur Garland Bryon & Kristi Geer Nancy O’Pry Gentry M. Ghosh Meena Ghosh Peter Gilmore Constance Glasby Evelyn Joyce Glass Jonathan & Amira Goldsmith Susan Goldstein Nick Joseph Gonchoroff Sally Good William A. Goolsby Michael & Susan Gower G. Jay Graepel C. Montrose Graham Jr. Kathleen Marie Gray

David Allan Green Sherri Lynn Green Ruth M. Greenberg Stefan Grimberg & Jan DeWaters James Robert Grube II Priscilla Alden Guild Martin Edward Gurtz Mohammad Taghi Habibian Howard Palmer Haines Pamela Sue Haines Robert McCue Hall Barbara Norton Hamilton Anne Elizabeth Hammer James Arthur Hancock Jr.* Leeroy & Susan Hanna Kacey Alexis Hanson Frank Eanes Harrell Jr. Shirley Shell Harrington Robert & Peggy Harris Mernoy & Frankie Harrison J. Bruce Harstad Carolyn Cantlay Hart Fletcher Lee Hartsell Jr. Mary Meekins Harwell Gene Albert Heath Sharon L. Heinrich Jules Heisler Angie Hemingway Karin Janet Hemmingsen Evelyn Small Henson Eddie R. Hermosisima Rizza Duterte Hermosisima Maureen Ann Hess Seth & Jean Hetherington Clyde Higgs Charles & Sarah Hileman Gregg Alan Hill Judith D. Hill Ruth Linder Hines Matthew & Elaine Hoffman Vijaya K. Hogan Carol Rowland Hogue Nick & Krista Hollander Jason & Laura Holt Jack Holtzman & Pam Silberman William Edward Homovec William & Beverly Hooks Mark B. Horton Joseph & Embry Howell

HONOR

Sui-Lien Hsieh Jonathan & Jennifer Huffman Melissa Lynn Hulting Charles Humble & Victoria Freeman Sara L. Huston Marshall L. Hyatt C. Christopher & Marion Idol Hilary Louise Isacson Michael Hamilton Ivey T. Henry Jablonski Jr. Alexander M. Jackson Curtis & Ethel Jackson Michael Bradley Jacobs W. Joe Jacumin Mary Grenz Jalloh Carol Ruth James Edna Esther Johnson Elmer Marcus Johnson Linda P. Johnson Mark Stevenson Johnson Phyllis H. Johnson Curtis Jones James & Kathleen Jones Thomas V. Jones Todd Allen Jones Wanda Kaye Jones Michele Laura Jonsson Funk Surendra Bhargav Joshi William & Mary Joyner Charles Martin Kaltenbach Norma Fox Kanarek Lenni William Kangas Wilfried Joachim Jurgin Karmaus Coyt M. Karriker Janis Gail Kaufman Melissa Turner Keck Christopher & Lara Kees Charles Thomas Kekich Jimmy H. Keller Douglas G. Kelling William & Toni Kenerly Barbara Kennerly John Irvin Kester Sandra E. Kick Tom Kincaid Gail L. King Hiram & Mary King Charles Walton Kirby III Lynn Koss Knauff

ROLL

DONORS

Scholarship bequest reflects Dunn’s appreciation of opportunities UNC provided her

he end of World War II was a time of movement and change for many, and Dorothy Dunn (MSPH 1946) was among those restless for new beginnings. She had earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and had spent several years in progressively more demanding positions within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Yet a tip from a former sociology professor about the dynamic environment at UNC led her to apply to the new master’s program in health education. With the help of a stipend from the U.S. Public Health Service, Dunn enrolled as a Master of Science in Public Health student, taking epidemiology courses under Dr. Milton Rosenau, founding dean of the School, and receiving close mentoring from Dr. Lucy Morgan and Dr. Eunice “Pickie” Tyler, two women who would be instrumental in her decision to complete a Doctor of Philosophy at Purdue and then pursue academic appointments at Stout State University, Western Kentucky University, South Dakota State University, and the University of Illinois. Dunn ended her career after a long tenure with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an assistant regional director out of Chicago. “I can say definitively,” Dunn commented several times during her life, “that I got more out of my energy and efforts at the UNC School of Public Health than at any other school I attended.” Upon her death on March 6, 2007, Dunn left a significant bequest that will establish a scholarship fund for students in the School’s Department of Health Behavior and Health Education. “This bequest really speaks to the meaning of Dorothy’s education here at the School of Public Health,” says Dr. Jo Anne Earp, professor of health behavior and health education. “It’s an education that doesn’t stop with the earning of the degree. The deep ties remain. We are so pleased that we knew of Dorothy’s plans in advance and had the opportunity to thank her and discuss what she wanted her gift to achieve. It is such a tragedy when we learn that a graduate or friend cared enough to leave a bequest, and we never had an opportunity to say ‘Thank you’ or discuss its use.” If you have planned for the School in your will or by other means, please let us know so that we may thank you and welcome you to membership in The Gerrard Society, the University’s organization for donors of planned gifts. I — BY ELIZABETH FRENCH

Amy Lansky Knowlton Keith Eric Kocher Helen Rosalie Kohler Bert Petty Krages II Jennifer Lara Kriss N. Scott Kukshtel Julia J. Kula Lawrence Kupper & Sandra Martin Arnold Kuypers Richard Kwok & Melinda Manning Patricia Weggel Laane Darwin Labarthe Wendy Gwirtzman Lane Lisa F. Langhaug Mary Anne Laningham

J. Tate Lanning Jr. Melanie F. Mendoza Larkin Barbara A. Larsen Bernard Guy LaRue Ira Laster Jr. Jean Kantambu Latting Andrew & Catherine Lawler Ava June Lay David Ernest Layland Carol Deadman Leatherman Samuel & Shannon Leder Ji-Hyun Lee Kelvin K. Lee Soong Hyun Lee David Stephen Legarth Philip Lehman & Judith Kincaid

Ann Hogan Leonard Arnold & Zena Lerman James Robert Leserman Penny Masur Levy Steven & Barcey Levy Geraldine Spitzer Lewis Candelaria Irene Leyvas George Lawson Liggins Henry N. Lin Pia Britt-Marie Lindstrom Stacy Melvin Linick Dennis & Norma Lockney Ellen D. Lopez Randy Dean Louchart Margaret A. Lucking Gheorghe Luta William Whiting Lyon * deceased

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Juliana Meimei Ma J.H. Malone Jr. Khalil & Patricia Mancy Terri Zimmerman March Jerold Lee Marlow Brian Robert Marshall Edwin Cochran Marshall A. Helen Martikainen Margaret Martin-Goldberg Theresa Ann Martino Katherine Pieper Mason David Leon Matthews II M. Timothy & Katherine McAdams Margaret Ellen Floyd McCann Sunanda McGarvey Leslie Jane McGeorge Susan Lee McIntyre Evelyn J. McKee Ross & Margaret McKinney Katherine Kennedy McLeod Jerry McManus Robert & Cynthia McMillan Heather Frances McNamara Sally Davis Medicke Anne Ruth Meibohm Michelle Marie Mello Al & Sharon Melvin Susan Marie Merkel Percy & Sharon Merritt Gwen E. Metz Mary Jane Mietlowski Aida C. Miller Christopher Perry Miller Priscilla Randall Miller Charles & Barbara Milone Robert & Bernie Misenheimer Carlon Virgina Jackson Mitchell David & Estelle Momrow Donald L. Moore Robert Burns Moorhead Jr. Patricia Gripka Moorman Anna Chaiko Morrill Helen Holt Morrison John Bertrand Mulligan Jr. Gary William Murphy Mary Anne Murray Kimberly G. Nash Dennis Freeman Naugle Charlie & Margaret Nelson Jacob Alan Neufeld

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Catherine Barrett Newhouser Beth Newman Sharon Nicholson-Harrell Willie Little Nodine Ruthie F. Norman Richard Recher Nugent Julie Truax Nunez Aubrey Christie Nutter Donald & Mary Oberlin Sean Michael O’Brien Timothy Patrick O’Brien Ray Thurmond Oglesby Timothy Wade Okabayashi Richard Davis Olin L. Dean Oliver C. Marc & Heidi O’Neal William Kevin O’Neil Joan Ann Oppenheimer Judith Stachura Ostendorf Kevin John O’Toole Bernice Green Otudeko Karl Owen & Susan Buchanan Janice Ann Paris Edith Ann Parker Kathleen Anne Parker Margaret Mebane Parker Nancy Jordan Parker Donald E. Pathman W. Ward Patrick Edward & Nancy Pattishall Eleanor Marie Perfetto Leah Perkinson Nancy Marie Petersen Susan Grant Phelps Ephraim Henry Phillippe III Richard Norman Phillips Franco Piazza & Regina Rabinovich Kathryn Evelyn Pickle Joel William Platts Justin Edward Plummer Daniel Pomp Jenny C. Poole Cedric W. Porter Jr. Sarah Edwards Porter E. Charlton Prather Lester & Ellen Preston Timothy Wayne Prince Nancy Easter Proia Debbie Quach Richard Douglas Quattrone

FALL 2008

Robert Mark Queen Robert Martin Quillin Rose M. Quinto Paula A. Quirin Alan J. Rabideau Wilton Rankin Bobby & Carolyn Redding Heidi Winn Reynolds Victor Gregg Rhodes Jr. Russell Howard Richardson Brian D. F. Richmond Thomas & Diana Ricketts Martha Cornwell Riddell Thomas Andrew Ridgik Christopher Rimer J. Thomas Rimer Laurence Rimer Gary Alan Ritchie Kelly Elizabeth Ritrievi Nancy Carol Rivers Karen Tager Rivo James & Elaine Robb Malcolm Clive Roberts Roger & Donna Robertson Larry Philip Robinson Lois Collins Rohrer Anthony Terrell Rolan Marjorie Sue Rosenthal Bill Rowe & Susan Pollitt Susan Russell James Carlyle Rutledge Susan Martin Rynard Stephanie Ann Sabatini Marjorie Rose Sable Lynne Scott Safrit Billy Murray Sandlin Leah Beth Sansbury William Bishop Saunders Peter & Susan Saviteer Daniel Solomon Schechter Jerald Scott Schindler Amy Fox Schmitzer Patricia Gail Schnitzer Mark Schrader & Karen Whichard Don Scott Alexander Seligman Rina Khemlani Shah Carol J. Shannon Andrew J. Shapiro Laura Ellis Sherrill

Aisha M. Shoman Steve Shore Valeria Denise Shropshire Jimmie Blake Shuler Dorothy B. Silver Robert Silvers II & Penelope Padgett William Golden Simpson Jr. Elizabeth Hamerschlag Sims Katherine Murray Sloan Alan James Smith Jason & Paige Smith Leonard Smock & Ellen Gilinsky V. L. Snoeyink James Clifford Spilsbury Robert Spirtas C. Jean Spratt Vera Hughes Stallings Morris Fearin Stamm Michael Stangl & Rebecca Raymond Gary & Teresa Starr Gregg Martin Stave Jane Patricia Staveley Becky Lynn Fisher Steele Robert & Julie Steele David Steffen & Jill Kerr Julie Macon Stegall William Steinbach & Michelle Mayer Lisa Ames Stillman Anne Nelson Stokley Elizabeth Jane Stoller Jo Frances Christian Stow Walter Straus G. William Strein G. Thomas & Anna Strickland Walter & Ann Stults Kenneth & Mary Sugioka Mary Charles Suther David John Svendsgaard Mark Edward Swanson James & Sandra Swenberg James M. Symons Kara Anne Taff Pickens C. Talley Susannah Tasanee Tantemsapya Barbara Joan Taylor Charles D. Taylor Jr. Eugene Emerson Taylor

HONOR

Francis Curtis Thayer Jr. Gene Dennis Therriault Colin G. Thomas Jr. Maceo M. Thomas Margaret B. Thomas Sandra Christenbury Thomas Joseph Wood Thompson Shirley Jean Thompson Theodore Tellef Thompson Mark Wallace Thorne Blossom McGarrity Tindall Sujata Ravindra Tipnis Samuel Ridley Tipton Jr. Susan Baker Toal John Eric Tobiason Eugene & Anne Todd Edward & Leslie Trainer Anne R. Treanor Paul & Alison Trinkoff Thomasene Cates Troxler William True & Louise Flick Jerry Su Yao Tsai Marilyn Tseng Jean Walker Tucker Lou Flippin Turner Margaret Bliss Umphres Emily Florence Untermeyer Gerald Upton & Nancy Henshaw David Utterback & Mary McCutchen Martha Eloise Valiant Gladys Van Poole William Alvin Van Wie II Patience Vanderbush Michelle Bauman Villere Andrew & Karen Voetsch Cynthia Sue Walker Ann Wall Barbara Tepper Wallace Bruce Davis Wallace Ralph Gene Wallace Hua Wang Laurence Octavius Watkins B. Peyton Watson David Bruce Webster Jr. George Weedon & Stephenie Winter Ganesa Rebecca Wegienka Jill Ruedy Welch Craig Steven Welence

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DONORS

Morse names office in School’s renovated Rosenau Hall A

s a doctoral student majoring in environmental sciences and engineering at UNC -Chapel Hill, Stephen Morse spent most of his waking hours holed up in a laboratory on the second floor of Rosenau Hall. He studied there. He conducted his experiments there. He wrote his dissertation there. Many of the skills that he now uses to carry out his job as the second most senior person tasked to handle bioterrorism issues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), he learned there. “My time at the UNC School of Public Health exposed me to various aspects of public health, ranging from health administration to epidemiology to biostatistics,” says Morse. “That type of broad exposure is very helpful when it comes to developing research agendas for the CDC.” Morse says he acquired his public Dr. Stephen Morse health training at no cost through scholarships and stipends he received throughout the five years he spent as a graduate student. To express his gratitude, he has made it a point to make regular Annual Fund gifts to the UNC School of Public Health Foundation. This year, he increased his gift by pledging $25,000, payable over five years, to improve the infrastructure of Rosenau Hall. In exchange, the School offered to name Morse's old laboratory, now an office, after him. “I didn't really expect anything in exchange for the money, but someone suggested that the room be named after me,” recalls Morse. “I have a lot of fond memories associated with that laboratory, so I said fine.” A former professor led Morse to the laboratory where he eventually devoted five years of his life. Morse took up microbiology at California State University in San Jose, with the intention of continuing on to medical school and becoming a doctor. Along the way, however, he realized that he was more interested in the research aspect of clinical practice. So when his thesis adviser, Dr. Robert A. Mah, accepted a teaching position at the UNC School of Public Health's Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering in 1964, Morse followed. “Looking into the area of research and infectious diseases and its impact on public health interested me more,” he says. Before he came to the CDC, Morse was a professor of microbiology and infectious diseases at the Harvard School of Public Health and at Oregon Health Sciences University. In 1984, the CDC recruited him to direct their sexually transmitted disease research program. In 1998, Morse became deputy director of the bioterrorism program, and in February 2008, he became associate editor for environmental microbiology at the National Center for Preparedness, Detection and Control of Infectious Diseases at the CDC, which also deals with bioterrorism issues. I — B Y M A R G A R I TA D E PA N O

* deceased

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INVEST

Kathryn Wellman H. Bradley Wells Jr. Lisa Michelle Welsh-Skiffington Roland Willis Wentworth Laurence & Constance Wescott J. Keith Weston Margaret Emily Weydert K. Cyrus Whaley Elizabeth Anne Whelan Stephen & Peggy Whicker William & Billie Whisnant Katherine LeGuin White Tony L. Whitehead David & Hope Whitley Johnette Padgett Whitley W. Ralph Whitley II Bruce Steven Whitman Cheryl Lindsley Williams Janet Horsley Willis Richard Burton Wilson John Winfield & Leigh Callahan Robert Oakley Winters Melvin Ray Witcher Jr. David Wohl & Alison Hilton Linda Kay Worman Wayne Edward Wormsley Grover Cleveland Wrenn Jr. Joy Wu Carl Nobuo Yoshizawa Beverly Ann Young John & Lynda Young Christine Zahniser Alfonso Zavala Dean Zehnder & Andrea Biddle Robert Norman Zelnio Jun-Guo Zhao & Yu Lou

Abena Konadu Asante Carol S. Ashley Gwendolyn Andrews Baber Tracy Brazell Baker Rodney Eugene Ball Allyson M. Banas Stacey Lynn Barger Elizabeth Spruill Barr Patricia Malinda Barron Vickie E. Bass Melissa Kane Batavia Alan Sol Baumgarten Suzanne Feikema Beeler William & Madeline Beery Frieda Behets

$50 to $99 Monica Stephanie Adamian Julie Adams Robert Adamski Jean Elizabeth Alexander M. Taylor Alexander Jr. Alia A. Al-Tayyib Brent Andrew Altemose Laura Carrillo Alvarado Jane Anderson Judith Virginia Anderson Norma Powers Anderson Yolanda Banks Anderson

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FALL 2008

Ronald Benson & Nellie Hansen Douglas Berg & Marcia Herman-Giddens D. Mark & Maira Billings W. Malcolm Blalock Stephen Bogdewic & Elizabeth Lee George & Barbara Bond Michael & Maureen Boner Danielle Leigh Boree Steven Bornstein Aleta Alyce Borrud Frank & Mary Bowman William Foster Brannon Jr.

William Robert Brieger Barry Britt Heather Rae Britt Laura R. Brogan David Lee Brown Wendy Sims Bryant John Bryson & Patricia Clark Julian & Jane Bryttan Sujata Chatterji Buck George Davis Bussey Brian Calingaert Jolynne Campbell Marci Kramish Campbell Martha Ellen Campbell Susan Young Cares

Dad taught her teamwork, Mom taught her science,

now Devlin honors them with her gift

s a child, North Carolina State Health Director Leah Devlin spent Sunday afternoons learning how to play basketball. Her father, Fred McCall, worked as a basketball coach and college administrator for 43 years at Campbell University, and he took his wife and children to many of his games. “What it means to be part of a team and how important it is to stay healthy and physically active,” says Devlin, “I learned from my dad.” Devlin says she got her natural interest in the sciences from her mother, Pearle, who was a biology Dr. Leah Devlin professor at Campbell University. Both parents also taught her the value of community service and higher education. “They were public servants in an institution of higher learning,” says Devlin. “So they gave me this notion that it’s important to give back, to keep an open hand, especially when it comes to educating people.” Now Devlin is giving back to the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health through the Fred and Pearle McCall Scholarship in Public Health, a $25,000 gift meant to support the education of highly qualified graduate students seeking a degree in Public Health. Devlin earned a master’s in public health administration from the School and a doctor of dental surgery from the UNC School of Dentistry. With the public health system facing enormous challenges in terms of workforce development, Devlin has chosen to give her gift to students who have demonstrated a strong commitment to public health practice. “It’s a small effort really, given the enormity of the problem,” she says, “but we need to do everything we can to make sure that young people who want to get engaged in health improvement have the skills and tools they need.” Devlin says that the UNC School of Public Health has been the foundation of her career in public health. “I have a lot of respect for the quality of the programs and the faculty and the way they prepare the workforce for the future,” she says. “I am very grateful for the opportunity and the training they have afforded me, and as my parents have always taught me, I’m giving something back.” I PHOTO BY KATHLEEN KEARNS

OPPORTUNITIES

— B Y M A R G A R I TA D E PA N O

HONOR

L. Douglas Case David Nathaniel Cavallo Jerry Cegielski & Valerie Robison Terrell & Janet Chalker Janella Faye Chapline M Brett Chapman Andrea Lynne Cherrington Robert Chipman & Elizabeth Eggleston Eloise Ann Clark Lawrence Michael Clark A. Bruce & Diana Clarke Maurine G. Claver Tracy Lee Clayton Jonathan & Amy Cohen Nancy Sederholm Cohn Genevieve Lowry Cole Richard Francis Cole Arthur & Phyllis Collier Hortensia Reyes De Colon Lloyd Comstock & Judith Kramer Lewis & Linda Coonley Emily Rose Miller Cooper Mary Paul Moore Cooper Janet Louise Cordell Donna E. Cornwall John Landrum Cromer Elsie Deana Cross David James Crow Nelida Alba Cuenca Rosa Elena Cuenca Claire Cumbie-Drake Stephen Thomas Daly Arthur Hans Danielson Charles Eric Danielson Andrea Elizabeth Davis Jennifer Lynn Davis Marcia von Thaden Davis Richard & Boyd Davis Robert Lloyd Davis Sonia Kropp Davis Marion Elliott Deerhake Gregory Vladimir deLissovoy Jamie Thomas Dilweg David Dodd Dorothy Hays Donnelly Joanne Frances Dorgan Wendy Doughtery Joan Schneider Douglas

Kimberly Avoy Duff Benjamin Duncan Jeanne Marshall Duncan Ashley Caroline Aull Dunham Suzanne Elizabeth Eaton-Jones J. Wilbert & Marianna Edgerton Alan & Ellen Edmonds Molly Margaret Eggleston Edward P. Ehlinger J. Maxton & Iris Elliott Leslie Elliott Nancy Joy Ellish Laura Sutton Elsberg Alice Ross Ely Terry Coffin Ervin Beth Ann S. Everly Sherry Leigh Farr Jose Antonio Felix-Filho Praveen David Fernandes Cynthia Hutton Ferrell Amy Ellen Fine Leo Fishel III Paul & Gayle Fitzgerald Margaret Mary Fitzsimmons Valerie Lynn Flax Laurie Judith Fox Bernard & Edna Franko Megan Raspa Freed Anne Chenicek Freeman Alexandra Steiner French Robert E. Fry Deborah Ellen Fuldner Erika Beth Fulmer Wendy Lynn Fuscoe Nancy Hall Gabianelli Jack & Susanne Gakstatter Judith Ann Ganser James Brian Garber Mia M. Gaudet Diana Marilyn Gaviria Lynette Moolenaar George Mary Beth Russin Gilboy Rebecca Marie Glover Kudon Edgar Francis Golden Shelley Diane Golden Harriet Falkowitz Goodstein David Jeremy Gordon Mark & Teresa Gordon Brian Huger Greene Jr. Anthony & Rebecca Greiner Laura Anne Griffin

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DONORS

Your gift today…

a healthier tomorrow Bequests are a vital source of support for the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. They provide funds to: • • • • •

Create scholarships Establish professorships Build new facilities Support research Improve the public’s health

The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health’s future depends on you — our friends and alumni who remember the School in their estate plans. Your bequest will help to ensure the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health’s continued excellence. In an era of shrinking federal support, bequests are more important than ever. Contact us today about including the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health in your estate plans. Let us know if you need more information by checking the appropriate box in the enclosed envelope — or call, write, or e-mail: Lyne S. Gamble, Jr. Director of Major and Planned Gifts UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Campus Box 7407 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7407 lyne_ gamble@unc.edu Telephone: 919.966.8368

Margaret Kneale Groening Zhishi Guo Robert & Diane Gustines Catherine Ann Gutmann Grace E. Hafner Philip Wills Haines Anne Marie Hakenewerth Naomi Jean Hall

Holli Anne Hamilton Mary Linn Hamilton Ruth Evans Handley Rosanne Buckley Hanratty Mary-Aileen Harkins-Schwarz Jane Coltrane Harrington Anita Marie Harris Brian O. Harris * deceased

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OPPORTUNITIES

Mark A. Harris Michael & Suzette Harris Elizabeth Payne Harrison Katherine Eubanks Hartmann Lisa Miller Harvey Nancy Hickman Harvin Gilbert Lee Hawes Ka He Thomas & Gail Heath Cynthia Stewart Heatherly Kent Robert Helwig Robert Dart Hemrick Elizabeth Joyce Hensleigh Julia Lettner Hester Tara Lynn Hickey Andrea Beth Hickle Avis Hernwall High Marion Highriter Diane Wright Hirsch Maria Katharine Hitt Sandra McDaniel Hodges Gaynelle Hogan Michael & Stephanie Holder Gwyn S. Hollenbeck Bryan Robert Hollinger Thomas Clemmer Holloway Richard H. Holmes Richard Lawrence Holmes Patricia Holt David Peter Horn Heather Lookabill Horne Janice Ruffini Horner George & Virginia Howard Cathrine Hoyo Patty Rosenquist Huffman Chia Mun Hui Stephen & Marcie Hursting Vi Gia Huynh Deborah Anne Hyland Timothy James Iafolla Subin Im & Soowon Kim Deborah Dundas Ingram Kate A. Sullivan Ingram A. Lee & Betty Ivester Bruce & Jessica Jacobs Bessie D. Johnson Christopher James Johnson Derek Michael Johnson Jaret Carl Johnson Kathryn Schmidt Johnson Thomas Lenoir Johnson

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INVEST

Vickie T. Johnson William & Susan Johnson A. Warren & Leigh Jones Karen Waters Jones Joanne Marie Jordan John Gibbons Jordan Jr. Francine Katz Jupiter James Jurkovich & Stephanie Molliconi Nicholas Z. Kafoglis Samuel Kahn Richard Kamens & Bobette Eckland Catherine Pascoe Kaminetzky Sarah T. Kavanagh Dolores O’Brien Kearney Steve Keir Martha Wood Kelly George Kerr Virginia King Kessing Roy Jung Woo Kim Marcia Klebanow Russell S. Klingensmith Matthew & Lilin Koch Charles Konigsberg Jr. Alvin Korba Lawrence David Kornreich Kevin & Denise Kreb John Henderson Lacey John Eugene Lammers Joy Elizabeth Lane Timothy & Roberta Lane Sarah Bernadette Larkin Nancy Warner Laszlo Donald Lawrence & Simone Cummings Terry Lee Leap Charles & Lois Lee Kerry Lamont Lee Donald Eric Lentzen Rosemary Budd Lentzen Brian & Amy Letourneau Jonathan Paul Levin Robert & Berta Levin Ronald Howard Levine Peter Lichstein & Elizabeth Gamble Susan Lieff Hanford H. Lin Patricia Dale Lindsay Gang Liu & Rongling Li

FALL 2008

Anthony Ray Locklear Everett Logue & Claire Bourguet Jeremy & Amy Long Sharon Corinne Long William Lowry & Dawn Winstead Dana & Erika Lumsden Patricia Ann Lusk Rebecca Leigh Mabe Pia Macdonald Ann Marie Malarcher Lisa Frances Mallonee Meera Tina Markanda Cynthia Dawn Markham Diane D. Marshall Keith Ronald Marshall Christopher & Caroline Martens Lisa Jane Mason-Faison John Clyburn Matheson III Denise Louise Matthews James Richardson Mattocks Jr. Joseph & Gretchen Mauney Lisa Renee Maxwell Catherine Smith McCarroll Thomas Joseph McCarthy III Janet Lynn McCauley Moira Stephanie McCloskey Scott Miller McCurley Kathleen Maree McFadden Jack Smith McGinnis Rebecca Wilson McGonigal John McKernan & Lauralynn Taylor Richard Warren McLain A. Darlene Gifford McLeod Carolyn Damery McPherson Maria E. Meisch Cindi McPherson Melanson Winjie Tang Miao Linda Ann Miller Paul Matthew Miller Christine Lorraine Moe Mary Virginia Moggio Rose Wilcher Monahan Elizabeth Claire Montague Joel Gedney Montague Jonathan David Moore Joyce Hawkins Moore Peter Rankin Moore

Victoria Stover Mordecai Bonnie Brown Morell C. Dwayne Morse Robert Wesley Mullennix Bobbie Jo Munson David Martin Murdoch Josh Murphy Eileen Stellefson Myers Mary Nelson Myers Sree Lakshmi Nadella Theodore Cooke Nelson William Richard Nelson Joseph Rea Nichols Zachary & Alison Nimchuk Patrick Joseph O’Connor Dixon Raines Olive Jr. Margaret E. O’Neil Amy Clark O’Reilly Jason Page & Kimberly Chapman Aishwarya Palwai Cheri Maia Papier Anna Willis Parrott Read & Cristy Patten Carol Carswell Patterson William Edwin Paupe Beverly Joyce Klein Peckous James Francis Penfold Alan Garner Peroutka Lisa Lewis Perry Howard August Peters Arlana Bobo Peterson David Rawson Phillips Melvin Thomas Pinn Jr. Carolyn Andrews Poe Faith Lawrence Polkey Fred & Susan Poole David Lewis Pope Sujatha Prabhakaran Jefferson Boyce Prather Scott Martin Presson William Armistead Price Cynthia Johnston Probst Candace Prusiewicz & Barry Beggs Elizabeth Larsen Pullen Muoi The Quach Michael & Noreen Qualls Pavel & Jennifer Rabiner Norman DePue Radford Jr. Judy R. Rafson

HONOR

Erika Lynn Rager Rohit Ramaswamy Maura Smith Rampolla Patricia Wilson Ray David Reckhow & Catherine Wanat Martha Jean Reddout George & Joy Reed George Arthur Reich Chris Joseph Reimer Mary Louise Reynolds Marilyn Anne Reynolds-Canty Ann McAfee Ringland Glenn & Anita Rives Marilyn Colby Rivkin Virgil & Susan Roberts Craig Hall Robinson Edward Christian Rogge Katherine Jane Roggenkamp Alton & Frances Ross Dale & Joanne Ross John A. Ross Lynne Schachner Roux Scott Edward Rowden John Runkle & Nancy Dole Eldon Jessie Russ Maria Citarella Russell S. Reid Russell III Carol Wendt Sackett Jan Ellyn Salzer-Ogden Nat H. Sandler Karin Lastowski Sandlin Mary Mann Sappenfield Sara Moir Sarasua Amy Frances Saunders Daniel Ray Scharf Jane Clowney Schroeder Richard Schulz & Marcia Coster-Schulz Marjory Bagby Schwartz Grace Rita Selicato Cornelia Boardman Service Robert & Pearl Seymour Mark Alan Sgan Martha B. Shackelford Brent Jay Shelton Lynn Roberta Shemanski Betty Jane Shuler Kevin Richard Shuping George William Siebert III Leslie Staton Silkworth

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DONORS

Balchem Scholarship supports nutrition student’s choline research

n Dr. Steven Zeisel's lab, Amy Johnson is studying how certain enzyme mutations can affect the brain’s ability to metabolize choline — a nutrient found in milk and eggs which plays a critical role in memory and brain function. Johnson, a doctoral student in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health’s nutrition department, is the recipient of a new scholarship established by Balchem Corp. The scholarship will allow her to work with Zeisel over the next three years to study how choline is metabolized. Zeisel, Kenan Distinguished University Professor of nutrition and pediatrics at UNC, is director of the Nutrition Research Institute (NRI), a new component of the School located on the North Carolina Research Campus being built in Kannapolis, N.C. He is internationally recognized for nutrition research, especially in establishing the body’s need for choline. “Dr. Zeisel is the leading authority in choline research, so we wanted to know how our group could help advance his work,” says Paul Richardson, vice president of research and development at Balchem. “Our interest is to support continuing education on the benefits of choline.” Balchem manufactures choline chloride used by the food industry to fortify foods such as nutritional drinks, cereals, breads, yogurts, nutrient bars, frozen foods and supplements. Richardson said the company believes the School’s research will provide important information about appropriate uses for choline by the food industry. “The more that is known about choline, the more people will appreciate how important it is to include in their diet,” Zeisel explains. “We are grateful that Balchem is supporting the work of a young scientist.” Johnson adds that she is grateful for the Balchem fellowship and excited about doing research that could translate into practical application and potentially improve the nutritional value of everyday foods. I

Lawrence & Miriam Slifkin Claudia May Smith Lucille Letzelter Smith Cindy Smith-Soloe Helen Easter Snow Ellen Sim Snyder Sandra Faye Snyder Joleen M. Soukup Yvonne Hebert Sparling Douglas & Patricia Spegman Gerald Eugene Speitel Jr. Laura Marie St. Martin Michael Steven Stalker Courtney Vivian Stanion John Haywood Stanley Barbara Ellen Starrett Leslie Thomas Stayner Mary M. Stephens Carol Elizabeth Stokes Miroslav Styblo

Elaine Symanski Douglas James Taylor Irma I. Taylor J. Bradford Taylor A. Cole Thies Wayne Robert Thomann Donald Brett Thomas Kent & Robin Thomas Alice Raymond Thomson David Frierson Todd Forrest Glenn Tompkins Joseph & Jennifer Tracey Duy Trong Tran Stephen & Andrea Treimel Katrina Foss Trivers Annie Wang Tu Mary Kay Tucker Mary Rose & Douglas Tully Kimberly Tum Suden Sarah Louise Turner

Louise Twiselton Marian Raidl Van Nierop Richard & Patricia Vaughn Robert Irving Wakeley Susan Wall Wallin Ashlea Scott Waters Nancy Burrow Watkins Sharon Jean Wayne Mitchell & Randie Weisberg Robert R. Westerman Kay Suzanne Whetstone Jeffrey Paul Wierse Judith Bres Wildfire Rachel Ann Wilfert Edward Richard Williams Margot Elizabeth Williams Ellen Katherine Wilson Marie-Elaine Winslow Susan B. Winterle Philip & Susan Witt * deceased

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OPPORTUNITIES

INVEST

Gifts from

Corporations and Foundations $1,000,000 TO $50,000,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation $100,000 TO $999,999 American Heart Association American Institute for Cancer Research Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation The COPD Foundation The Duke Endowment Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation GlaxoSmithKline Merck & Co., Inc. W.K. Kellogg Foundation $50,000 TO $99,999 American Chemistry Council Bryson Foundation Limited Exxon Mobil Corporation General Mills, Inc. Lance Armstrong Foundation Louisiana Foundation for Excellence in Science, Technology and Education Novartis Animal Health Inc. $20,000 TO $49,999 ARCA Discovery, Inc. Asheboro Elastics Corporation Balchem Corporation The Coca-Cola Company The Dauer Family Foundation Inc. The Gellman Foundation Inspire Pharmaceuticals Inc. Jackson Medical Mall Foundation Kraft Foods Inc. McDonald’s Corporation

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FALL 2008

Orica Watercare Otsuka Maryland Medicinal Laboratories, Inc. Sanofi-Aventis Unilever United Therapeutics The Kenneth S. Warren Institute Wyeth $5,000 TO $19,999 Adolor Corporation AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals Cadbury Schweppes Camp Dresser & McKee Inc. Campbell Soup Company Copernicus Group IRB Danone Research Dole Food Company, Inc. Duke Energy Foundation Dynogen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Eisai Medical Research Inc. Environmental Group of the Carolinas, Inc. Forest Laboratories, Inc. Genentech, Inc. The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation The Hershey Company Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. John P. McConnell Foundation Kellogg Company Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. Mead Johnson Nutritionals MedImmune, Inc. Momentum Research National Dairy Council National Water Research Institute Nestlé S.A. NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc. Pfizer, Inc.

Radar Plaintiffs Management Committee Reckitt Benckiser Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Starbucks Coffee Company Telik, Inc. Theratechnologies Inc. Theravance, Inc. ThromboGene Inc. XenoPort, Inc. $1,000 TO $4,999 AARP Brick, Gentry, Bowers, Swartz, Stolze & Levis PC Cabarrus Economic Development Carolinas Medical Center – NorthEast Duke Energy Corporation Endowment for Health Family Health International First Presbyterian Church of Raleigh NC State Employees’ Combined Campaign Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation RTI International Trussell Technologies, Inc. Windstream Communications T O $999 American Water Works Association ARCADIS Black & Veatch Capital Health Management Inc.

Colonna Chang Family Foundation DePompa’s Comfortable Foods & Catering Eco-Planta Inc. Hazen and Sawyer, PC Nascar SpeedPark NC American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Association Nielsen Healthcare Group North Carolina Symphony Orange Water and Sewer Authority Patterson Harkavy LLP Peoples & Quigley Inc. Pinehurst Geriatrics PA Simon Malls/Concord Mills Skateland USA Sojourner Group, LLC The Law Offices of Swindell & Jones Total Wine & More — July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008

HONOR

Eva Higdon Wood Dana Lynn Woodruff Carol Ellen Woodside John Milton Worthington Bruce & Judith Wright Mary Haney Wright Robert Stanley Wright William Craig Wright Jingzhen Yang Feng Ye & Jean Pan Thomas Edward Youket Samina Yunus Guo Zhishi Zhi Zhong Katherine Shelden Ziegler Mary Bradshaw Zizzi Adam Zolotor & Karolyn Forbes Julia Wit Zupko

To $49 Anonymous Evelyn Larsen Aabel Sheryl Wallin Abrahams Peggi Jan Gilbert Acker Nazir & Keir Adam Barbara F. Adams Becky Angela Adams Elizabeth Ann Hayes Adams Wade Calvin Adams William Mason Adams Indu Bala Ahluwalia Lorraine Kathleen Alexander Catherine Dove Allport Norma J. Allred Marc Robert Alston Maren Elise Anderson Toni Gore Andrews Robert Eric Aronson David William Autry Jr. David Bruce Babcock Paul & Lee Ann Babinski Ellen DePew Bailey Donna Day Baird Moazzum Nabeel Bajwa Debra Ann Baker John Curry Baker Jr. Mark Daniel Baker Philip Morgan Baker Miriam Parke Balding

Louise M. Ball Sarah C. Ball Violette Kasica Barasch Carolyn Groce Barbe Wendy Seamans Bardet Clyde Henry Barganier John & Suzy Barile Debora L. Barnes-Josiah Susan Carter Barnwell Shirley Mae Myers Barrett Lisa Cohen Barrios David Barskey & Mary Baviello Elizabeth Rouse Bates May Ahmad Baydoun Sherrill Crawford Beaman Kimberly Dawn Beck Charles & Andrea Bell John Witherspoon Bell Jr. Tammie Bell Timothy Lee Bell Joyce Hoerr Benko Amos Berkal Kendall Emenheiser Berry Richard Bilsborrow & Helen Koo Stanley & Lora Bingham Alice Nash Blackwelder Emily Trexler Blair John David Blankfield Jennifer Milspaw Blattner Lisa Marie Blighton Virginia Boardman Kimberly Whitman Bohler David Daniel Boree Christina Kathryn Borrelli Steven C. Boss Barbara Sue Bostian Kathleen Smith Bowman Linda Keenan Brackett Blair Urquhart Bradford Kimberly Shuford Bradley Steven & Kristin Bradley-Bull Kateland Elizabeth Branch Kenneth Franklin Branch Jeanette Hollar Braswell Danielle Furci Braxton Bobby Dean Brayboy Toye Helena Brewer James Michael Brindle Louise Annette Brinton Paul H. Brodish

Kenneth & Marjorie Broun Bonnie Lowe Brown Karen Elizabeth Brown Steve & Kimberly Browning Beth Brown-Limmer Thomas Bruckel Phillip Heller Buchen T. Neil & Lori Buckley Jennifer E. Buigut Joel Simpson Bulkley Robert David Burkett Suzanne Kathryn Burlone Omisade Billie Burney-Scott Jeanne-Stuart James Burroughs Ann Edwards Burruss Donna H. Byrd Marian Beard Caldwell Joanne Rita Campione Madlen Polly Caplow Robert Francis Cappel Jr. William & Mary Cappleman Colleen M. Carpenter Betty Ellen Caywood Salley Kathryn Cessna Charles & Linda Chandler W. Adrian Chappell Diana Bah Chen Cassandra Maurer Childs Mary Anne Chillingworth Marjorie McCutchen Clark Marie Phillips Cloney-Williams Matthew Wayne Cogdell Susan Rita Cohen R. Matthew & Joanna Conley David Conard Corkey Amy Lynn Corneli Shiyoko Slate Cothren Martha Lee Coulter Diana Douglas Coyle Donna Lynne Cragle Katherine Anne Cretin Bobbie J. Cross Nancy Rankin Crutchfield David Lawrence Cusic Bruce Harold Dahlquist Barbara Taylor Dalberth Deborah Renee Dale Kathleen Daly-Koziel William Darity & Andrea Mullen Allie Culler Davis

ROLL

DONORS

Frederick Emerson Davis Noreen Hastings Davis Richard & Patricia Davis Jackson Harvey Day Kathy T. Dayvault Michael Morgan Dechman Joseph & Kasey Decosimo Ruth Deer DeHolton Betty Pierce Dennis Patricia M. DeRosa Michael A. DeSpirito Kathryn Chivens Dickinson Jody Marie Dietrich Allen & Phyllis Dixon Janice M. Dodds Vera F. Dolan Konstantinos Dovantzis & Mary Lou Dovantzis Craig & Kimberly Dove Linda Yandell Dove Joan Walters Drake Edmond Daniel Duffy Jr. Betsy Ferrell Durway John Harold Dygert Kathleen Anderson Ebert Indika Damith Ekanayake Michelle E. Elisburg Laurence Bruce Elliott Robert Stanfill Ellison Catherine Boland Emrick Robert Lewis Enlow Emily McDonald Evens Sandra Tibbals Everett Lillian D. Farrar R. Kelly Faulk & Robin Elliott-Faulk Hunter Elizabeth Faulkner Kathrine C. Fernandez John R. Fieberg Kenneth B. Fiser Leslie Fisher Sheila Lani Flack Robert & Octavia Flanagan Michael Paul Flynn Jennifer Jean Francis Shelley Avon Francis John Anthony Frank Doren Dale Fredrickson Daniel Herbert Freeman Jr. Martha Stines Freeze Shirley A. Fry * deceased

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INVEST

Suzanne Arny Fullar Ruth Hoyt Gage Mariana Garrettson Robert Milton Gastineau Boris Georgeff Elaine Germano Jane Pentland Getchell Preeya S. Gholkar Barbara L. Ginley Gary Kent Ginsberg David William Glascoff Angela Marie Gluesenkamp Alice Jane Godfrey Cathryn Ann Goedert Carol Janet Goerner Laura Maureen Goettinger Aime Lyn Goldberg Jeffrey Mark Goldman J. Barry Goldstein Jerome Edward Goodman John Steven Goodnight Margaret C. Goodrich Kathleen C. Gotterup Molly Anne Grabow Mary Lee Donoho Grafe Christopher & Kristina Graham Cynthia Green Debra Ann Green Peter Michael Griswold Catherine Aspden Grodensky Benjamin F. Gundelfinger Kenneth Gutterman John R. Guzek Karen Kay Haas Ian Walker Hagans Janet Shaver Hall Lynne Anderson Hall Charles Brady Hamilton Theodore George Hanekamp Robert Michael Hanes Charles Proctor Haney Myra Mott Bomba Hanni Mary Penix Harding Jane Holman Hardwick John J. Harrington Jennifer Shepherd Harris Jana Harrison Theresa Hatzell Shauna Noelle Hay James Albert Hayes Yumiko Ohta Hayes

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Jennifer Smart Haynes Kathleen Edwards Headen Melissa Dawn Hearsch Mary-Katherine R. Heffern Kristin Nicole Schaible Hendricks Bradley David Hendrickson H. Carlisle Henley & Martha Henderson George Joseph Hermann Elizabeth Bowen Herring Sally Maxwell Hess Julia Terrell Hickman Anthony & Nancy Hitchcock Nancy Hochberg H. Donald Hochstein Alexander Ryan Hodges Stephen & Theresa Hoffman Edward Olin Holloway Thelma Mary Holmes Jerry Lynn Hood Claudia B. Horowitz Sadaf Hossain Elizabeth Goheen House Robert Arthur Houseknecht Marc Richard Houyoux Cathy Howell Jacqueline Noble Howell Richard Benjamin Howell III Grace Han Huang Charmaine Marguis Huckabel Lory Thompson Huffman Gary Franklin Hughey Joan Marshall Hunter Jacqueline E. Higginson Huntly Johnnie Lea Hylbert Richard Ickes Dora Ilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;yasova James & Rosemay Irion Carie Katherine Irving Lois Simmons Isler R. Arnold Isley Robbin F. Itzler Joseph Francis Jadlocki Jr. Shirley Todd Jamison Gilbert Jui-Chung Jen Cathy Anne Jenkins Morgan Lyn Johnson Willie Spoon Johnson Wilma Griffin Johnson Carrie C. Johnston

FALL 2008

Chaka G. Jordan Elizabeth Jordan-Bell Wen-Yi Huang Jung Adena Cohen Kaplan Sudesh Kataria Mimi S. Kaufman Sumner Kaufman Stephen R. Keener Jada L. Keith Mariah Leigh Keller Robert & Johnea Kelley Connie Kelley-Sidberry Helene Marie Kent John Addison Kenyon Ann Kesler-Anterasian Charlene Dickerson Kidd Hoke Pollock Kimball Mark William Kindem John Gridley King Wade Hampton King Sheila K. Kippley William Lewis Klein Karen S. Kmetik Julie K. Knaack J. Yvonne Rogers Knauff David Krupke Knopf Carolyn Reid Kohn Charles & Sharon Kralick William Allen Kreutzberger Jamie Bayer Krischer Arun & Sarah Krishnaraj Mellayne Lackey Breana Goldman Lai Louis C. LaMotte Jr. Robert Joseph Landry Richard & Kim Langholz Charles Duane Larson John & Susan Lasater Desmond & Alice Lawler Janice Slayman Lawlor Leslie J. Lawson Jill Smith Leatherman Annmarie Meredith Lee David Orrin Lee Lisa Yvonne Lefferts John Christian LeGarde Kurt Vance Leininger Joanna Massey Lelekacs Martin Frederick Less Susan D. Levin Katherine McLaurin Lewis

Marsha Martin Lewis Susan Park Lewis Melvin Dale Lightner Frances Estes Likis Alice Strozik Linyear Karen Klein Lipman Jeremy & Amanda Littleton John Llewellyn Lobdell John Kelly Lockhart Frank & Barbara Loda Denise Heath Londergan Frances Cowdrey Long Suzanne Elizabeth Long Ann Amy Lowenfels Jaime C. Lucove Edward William Lusk Melanie A. MacLennan Krista Giersch Maddigan Kathryn Marley Magruder William Francis Maloney Ann Carol Maney Justice Allen Manning Eleshia Cheadle Marceau Carolyn Venice Howard Marcus Lewis Margolis & Linda Frankel H. Belle Potter Marks Andrew Martin & Jill Reedy Brenda Ray Martin Rose Marie Martin Emerico Lionel Martinez Elizabeth Annette McAlister Jill Ann McArdle Timothy Ann McBride Donald Edward McCall Anne Sheldon McCook Gene Frederick McCoy Lauren Elizabeth Mccullough Maura Ann McDonald Janna Ruth McDougall Shirley Jackson McDowell Douglas Lyndal McKay Amanda Baker McKee Walter & Yvette McMiller Lesa A. McPherson Michael McQuown Margaret Elizabeth Meador Bruce & Sara Melosh James & Mary Merchant James Chamblee Meredith Robert Scott Merolla Billy Ray Merritt

HONOR

Edythe Green Merritt Jane Serena Mezoff Donna Volney Michaux Christopher & Michele Miller Claire Ward Mills Joanne Tusov Mirdas Margaret S. Misch Carol Ann Molinari Leslie A. Montana Mario Monte Alexis Anne Moore Gary Stephen Moore George Thomas Moore Jr. Jim Moore & Kimberley Cizerle Teresa Anne Moore Beth Moracco Brett & Vicki Moran Mary Berkley Mueller Barbara Burkhardt Mullen James Thomas Murphy Robert Stewart Murphy Michael Ben Musachio Sharon Myers Sneha Bakulesh Naik Joseph & Gail Naimoli William James Neil Elizabeth Wysor Nelson Mary A. Nelson William Bernard Neser Marlene Helen Nicholas Glenda Armstrong Nicolini Oscar David Niswonger Jr. Delores L. Nobles Kelly L. Nordby Marilyn Vukobratic Novosel Jane Marie Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Doherty Andrea Holly Okun Byron Toyota Okutsu Albert & Elizabeth Osbahr Sara McMurray Osborne Nancy Dasher Oswald Donald Alfred Owens Tracy Hughes Owens Alice Kinsman Page Thomas & Bhavna Pahel Lawrence Robert Palmer Misook Park Rebecca Susan Parsio Edward A. Pascarella William Joseph Pate Danica Luehm Patterson

Richard Timothy Patton David & Tracey Paul Christine Pederson Barbara Jane Pellin Alexandra L. Penney Jessie Valentine Pergrin Raymond Orlando Perry Edythe Mae Persing Donald Personette & Deborah DiGilio Dustin J. Petersen Leonard Russell Peterson Jr. Sophia Sirokay Petrusz Christopher Eric Pfeifer Diane Fistori Phillips Mary Ann Cimochowski Phillips Jennifer Pue Pickett Vern Pidcoe Cynthia A. Pipes Laura Maude Pless Lynanne Plummer-Plunkett Louise Adkins Poe Paula Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien Poglinco Elise Pohl Barbara Lillian Polhamus Marcy Leigh Policastro Elisabetta Politi Sally Grabe Poux Judith Ann Powell Thomas John Prendergast Jr. K.C. Price Barbara Alison Prillaman George William Prothro John Chester Pulaski Jr. J. Kenneth Purvis Janice Putnam George Justice Race Myrnice McCormick Ravitch Kirk & Lisa Redwine Debra Jan Reese Jonathan & Sandra Reid Linda Schoof Reilly Lawrence Gerald Retchin Carmen Lee Retzlaff Amanda Renee Reynolds John & Donna Rezen Sheryl J. Rhodes Jimmie Lee Rhyne Diane Richie Wendy D. Riley

ROLL

DONORS

Friends Making A World of Difference The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health thanks our many alumni, parents and friends who are enabling the School to make a world of difference through their gifts of professorships, scholarships, special purpose funds and building support. The following new funds were established between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008. PROFESSORSHIPS Dennis & Joan Gillings Visiting Professorships Dennis & Joan Gillings SCHOLARSHIPS & FELLOWSHIPS Balchem Corporation Scholarship for Choline Research Balchem Corporation Clive Boxhill Jr. Scholarship in Health Policy Stacy-Ann Christian Allison Lynn Dauer Scholarship in Public Health Allison Lynn Dauer & family Dorothy Fay Dunn Scholarship in Health Behavior & Health Education Dorothy Fay Dunn Sandra B. Greene Scholarship in Health Leadership Sandra B. Greene Gary G. and Carolyn J. Koch Merit Scholarship in Public Health Gary G. and Carolyn J. Koch Fred and Pearle McCall Scholarship in Public Health Leah M. Devlin Elizabeth Reaves Martin Moore Scholarship Alan C. Moore Elizabeth E. Mumm Scholarship Elizabeth E. Mumm Smith Anderson Biostatistics Fellowship Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan L.L.P. H. A. Tyroler Scholarship in Epidemiology Family & friends Winstanly Scholarship Derek & Louise Winstanly SPECIAL PURPOSE FUNDS Cynthia H. Cassell Doctoral Dissertation Award in Maternal and Child Health Gail and Ralph Cassell Minority Health Conference Sponsorship George & Bodil Gellman Ruth A. Shults Faculty Development Fund Ruth A. Shults * deceased

C A R O L I N A P U B L I C H E A LT H

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OPPORTUNITIES

INVEST

Tamar Ringel-Kulka Michael Vernon Robertson Mark & Julie Robinson Omar Justin Robles James & Phyllis Anne Rochester Eric Alan Rodgman Herbert Harold Rogers Jayne Johnson Romero Mark Jamison Rosch Nora Ellen Rosenberg Kiley Robert Ross Penny Faye Rosser Catherine Palisi Rowan Kathleen Patricia Ruane Nina Tiglio Ruckes Candie Caccia Rudzinski Miriam Marie Rueger Douglas James Rupert Karen Lee Rust Ronald & Nancy Rutta Chris Niilo Salmi Ben Lovett Sanford David Sasser & Kerry Quillin Markus & Mariam Sauer Martha Key Saunders Frederick & Alison Saville Jennie Perey Saxe Mary Hagaman Saylor Patricia Brunton Scharko Sarah Elizabeth Schenck Susanne Schmal Maria Ines Schmidt James Edmund Schwankl Todd Andrew Schwartz Pamela Jane Schwingl Susan Margaret Scott Edgar Franklin Seagle James E. Sells Gary Selmeczi Jean Aliyah Shaakir-Ali Tarak Sunil Shah George Shaler & Jill Rosenthal Eugene Hugh Shannon S. Drusanne Shaulis Joyce Q. Sheats John Lewis Sheets Judene Anne Shelley Glenn Scott Shew Jeanne Louise Shingleton Starr Riddle Shive Esten Hollis Shomo

68 |

V O L . 1 â&#x20AC;˘ N O. 5

Stanley Allen Shulman Ann Margaret Shy O. J. Sikes III Donna C. Simmons Barbara Pawlik Simpson William Henry Simpson Debby Ferguson Singleton Connie Marie Slavich Michael Paul Smeltzer Jan Winslow Smith Mary Lewis Smith Wanda Boger Smith Lyle Byron Snider William James Snodgrass Grady & Mary Snyder James Michael Snypes Jr. James Harold Southerland Stanley & Elizabeth Spangle Joseph & Marilyn Sparling Joyce Annette Spencer Lee Spencer Jill Hofmann Sperry Robert Spielman John J. Spivey Stephanie Elaine Spottswood Edward John Stanek III Anna C. Stanley Capitola Louise Stanley Doran Webster Stegura Cheryl Randy Stein Marilyn Mackson Stein Seth Michael Steinberg Margaret Mozingo Stephenson Carolyn Faye Stepney Constance Ritz Stern Rachel Parker Stevens Pearson H. Stewart Betsy Van Belois Stikeleather Stephen Ronald Stoddard Jeanette Stokes Nancy L. Stone Ada Uhland Storm Justine Strand Brian & Belinda Sturm Elizabeth Ann Sutherland Mary Elizabeth Hibbs Sutton Susan Montgomery Swafford Angela Wooten Swicegood Jean Crane Sykes Sylvia Mullins Tart Lisa Sloan Taylor

FALL 2008

J. Luckey Welsh Jr. Kathryn Whetten Rachel Anne Whetten Catherine Whedbee White Melinda Faye Wiggins Noel Hance Wiley Donald B. Williams James Earl Williams Lance & Diane Williams Michael Kurt Williams Joseph Worth Williamson III Mildred Carmichael Williford Scott Vinsant Wilson Thomas Armand Wilson David & Patty Winter Leonard Wolfenstein & Jan Kaplan Anne Roberds Wood Charles & Elizabeth Woodell John David Wray David C. Wu Susan Reynolds Wyatt Robert Wynn II & Millie Jones Sirin Yaemsiri Allen Yarinsky E. Peter Yarnell Peggy Kloster Yen Florence Riffe Yerkes Alex Yoon Alan Nelson Young Suzanne Unger Young Ciara Zachary Judy Teresa Zerzan Christine Collins Zimmerman Bin Zou

Christine Bahia Tenekjian Rhonda Mckenzie Terrell Lois H. Terrill Sarah Brill Thach Jeffrey B. Thomas Jennifer Hadley Tisdale Karen M. Toll Mary Ann Tomasiewicz Christopher R. Tompkins Jr. Phyllis McCully Tousey Anh Nhat Tran Khiem T. Tran Susan Beth Trout Joan Meister Truby Thomas Tucker & Stephanie Powelson Craig David Turnbull Emily Thomason Tyler Sheron Garris Tyndall Jennifer Hamblen Valdivia Adrienne Nichole Valentino Emily Johnson van Schenkhof Joyce Hilleboe Vana Paul Joseph Vander Straeten Encarnacion F. Vide Randall Gregory Waite Hilda Lee Walker Nigel & Sharon Walker Heather Long Wallace Georgia Ann Walter Edward & Elizabeth Walther Meredith Leigh Ward Edward Patrick Watters Kenna Stephenson Watts Michael & Karen Webb Melissa Malkin Weber Martha Thompson Webster John R. Wells

* deceased

E VERY

to the UNC Gillings School

GIFT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT

of Global Public Health and is deeply appreciated. We have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of our Honor Roll lists. We regret any errors or omissions that may have occurred and ask that you advise us of corrections needed by contacting Cutler Andrews at 919-966-8369 or cutler_andrews@unc.edu. The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is extremely grateful for your continued support. I

KEITH CRISCO:

Support for Leadership S

PHOTO BY TOM GILLESPIE

ince 1986, Keith Crisco has been president and chairman of Asheboro Elastics Corporation, one of the fastest growing privately held businesses in the U.S., with offices in seven countries and sales around the world. What brought success to the boy born on an Aquadale, N.C., dairy farm? Many point to his love of learning, a willingness to take calculated risks and his well-honed leadership skills. Now Crisco, a former White House Fellow and current member of the Asheboro [N.C.] City Council, is helping develop a new generation of leaders through a series of unrestricted gifts being used to expand leadership programs at the School. “My interest is in developing leaders who will leverage the state’s world-class assets — whether the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health or the North Carolina Zoo,” says Crisco, who is an active supporter of both. “I’m not an expert in public health,” he says, “but as a local official, the School’s leadership — in the area of water, for instance — is of direct interest to me because the health of our citizens, our animals, and our economy depends upon it.” What could be more important?

An annual unrestricted gift to the School of $1,000 or more entitles a donor to membership in the Rosenau Society. Complete the enclosed gift card and be one of the reasons why we’re one of the leading schools of public health in the nation.

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

U N I V E R S I T Y O F N O RT H CA RO L I NA AT C H A P E L H I L L CA M P U S B OX 7400 C H A P E L H I L L , N C 27599- 7400

PAID PPCO