This is a message from Vice Chancellor for Research Penny Gordon-Larsen.
Today I am sharing the news that Steve Marshall will be stepping down as director of the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center (IPRC), effective March 1, 2024. After more than a decade at the helm of IPRC, he will be returning to his faculty position in the Department of Epidemiology within the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and will continue his research activities with the center.
Beth Moracco, IPRC’s current associate director, will serve as the center’s interim director beginning March 1. Between February 12 and March 1, Marshall and Moracco will work together to efficiently transition leadership of the center.
For more than 30 years, researchers at IPRC have addressed vital societal issues including domestic abuse, car crashes, traumatic brain injury, home and workplace safety, and opioid overdose — and have worked closely with practitioners to change policies and save lives.
Under Marshall’s leadership, IPRC expanded in size and increased its impact while maintaining continuous funding as a CDC Injury Control Research Center. Additionally, he oversaw hundreds of research projects that have improved the lives of people in our state and beyond. We are grateful for his years of service, talent, and dedication to the field of injury and violence prevention.
Moracco has served as associate director of IPRC since 2017 and brings more than 15 years of experience in higher education leadership to her new role. She is also an associate professor in the Department of Health Behavior at Gillings and is the chair of faculty at the University.
Please join me in thanking Steve for his service to IPRC and Carolina, and in supporting Beth in her new role.