By , March 14, 2024

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a hub of groundbreaking research, and this Women’s History Month, we celebrate the exceptional Carolina women leading the charge. From principal investigators to early-career faculty, our women researchers are making significant contributions to scientific progress across a diverse set of disciplines. Their discoveries are not only impactful, but they also inspire future generations and propel Carolina’s research to even greater heights.

Leading the Way

It is a thrilling time to see so many women leading organizations in general. Here at Carolina, that progress is evident within our schools, where women now hold eight of 15 dean positions: Janet Guthmiller, Adams School of Dentistry; Nancy Messonnier, Gillings School of Global Public Health; Amy Wall, School of Government; Beth Mayer-Davis, The Graduate School; Mary Margaret Frank, Kenan-Flagler Business School; Valerie Howard, School of Nursing; Angela Kashuba, Eshelman School of Pharmacy; and Ramona Denby-Brinson, School of Social Work.

At the school-level, our research deans are extraordinary, and I am grateful to be able to collaborate with inspiring leaders like Blossom Damania, the vice dean of research for the School of Medicine, and Kari North, the recently appointed associate dean for research at Gillings. I have worked closely with both outstanding researchers over many years and am grateful for their leadership, collaboration, and scientific impacts. Blossom and Kari, like all our research deans, are dedicated to setting strategic direction and providing the research leadership needed to ensure our continued success.

Powerhouse PIs

Some of the top-funded principal investigators at Carolina are women and many lead large, collaborative projects that drive Carolina’s research strengths. These researchers have secured millions in extramural funding, fueling their ground-breaking work, supporting undergraduate research, employing graduate students and technicians, fostering collaboration across departments, and providing depth to our research strengths. Below I mention a selection of these powerful women, though there are far too many to include in a single blog:

Health Sciences

• UNC Nursing Associate Dean Cheryl Giscombe focuses on understanding and reducing stress-related health disparities among African Americans. Last year, she was elected to her second national academy, this time the National Academy of Medicine in recognition of her accomplishments as a leading scholar in mental health, resilience, and clinician wellness whose work has influenced national guidelines.
• In the Gillings biostatistics department, Anastasia Ivanova is the principal investigator of the Data, Modeling, and Coordinating Center for Precision Interventions for Severe and/or Exacerbation-Prone Asthma (PrecISE) Network. The project was awarded by NHLBI to conduct an adaptive precision medicine trial to identify novel treatments for severe asthma.
• Dorothy Cilenti is a leader in maternal and child health with a distinguished career in public health service and research. She directs the National Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Workforce Development Center and serves as a principal investigator for the Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center where she works to improve health care systems for vulnerable women and children.

Cancer

• Jen Jen Yeh is the vice chair of research in the surgery division of oncology at the School of Medicine. Her research interests focus on pancreatic and colorectal cancer, with a goal of identifying novel therapeutic targets. She leads a NIH-funded team that is studying new therapies for pancreatic cancer and developing new drug combinations and improving treatment selection
• Stephanie Wheeler is a health services researcher interested in how people access quality cancer treatment, with a focus on medically underserved groups. In 2019, she was appointed associate director of community outreach and engagement for the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, highlighting her commitment to bridging the gap between research and the community.

Infectious Diseases

• Vivian Go is the associate director of the Center for AIDS Research Social and Behavioral Science Core and a member of the Institute for Global and Infectious Diseases (IGHID). Her research focuses on the intersection between HIV and co-morbidities including mental health and opioid use disorders, stigma and discrimination among key populations.
• Adaora Adimora, who recently passed away, was a distinguished professor of medicine and a member of the National Academy of Medicine, was a global leader in research on AIDS and HIV. She received the Thomas Jefferson Award to honor her contributions and her impact on medicine and on the wellbeing of citizens of North Carolina and the world.

Energy and Environment

• As the deputy director for the Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE), Jillian Dempsey uses electrochemistry and spectroscopy to understand electron transfer in solar energy conversion. She is a prominent inorganic chemist whose research focuses on electron transfer reactions in renewable energy technologies.
• Jill Stewart is a distinguished professor in the Gillings Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering who has conducted research projects that involve establishing baseline water quality measurements and implementing monitoring programs to track improvements over time. She also serves as deputy director of the NSF-funded Precision Microbiome Engineering Research Center (or PreMiEr) which seeks to enable the development of high impact microbiome technologies that provide innovative solutions to key societal challenges at the interface of human health and the built environment.

Humanities & Social Science

• Senior Associate Dean for Fine Arts & Humanities Elizabeth Engelhardt is a distinguished professor of American studies. Her work has made a significant impact in understanding Southern food and culture. Her newest book, “Boardinghouse Women: How Southern Keepers, Cooks, Nurses, Widows, and Runaways Shaped Modern America,” draws on her deep expertise on the American South.
• Barbara Entwisle, distinguished professor of sociology, led the Carolina Population Center, one of the top population centers in the country, for close to a decade. She was also a former UNC Vice Chancellor for Research, the first woman to serve in that role. Her research focuses on the intersection between populations and environments, which she has continuously approached using innovations in methods to overcome barriers in the field.
• Sian Curtis, statistical demographer, and professor of maternal and child health, has led the MEASURE Evaluation Program, funded by very large grants from USAID, for over two decades. The program includes cutting-edge research to support county-level efforts to respond to tuberculosis, malaria, and other critical health issues across the globe. Many of these efforts build local capacity to effectively counter these, and other, life-threatening diseases.

The Next Generation

Carolina has trained a cadre of amazing women who have gone on to leadership roles that have amplified Carolina’s impacts. For example, W. Kimryn Rathmell, who started her career as assistant professor of medicine and genetics at Carolina now serves as the NIH National Cancer Institute Director. Zena Cardman, who received two Carolina degrees, will serve as commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station later this year. She will also deliver the 2024 keynote address at the university’s spring commencement. Both women have impacted the careers of countless other women with their inspiration and their inspirational pathways to success.

While I have had incredible mentors myself, I am so grateful for my peer mentors and collaborators who impress me daily and who I can count on for a good laugh and a healthy dose of support. I am also grateful for the opportunity to mentor and train the next generation through my work with students and trainees. For example, my very first doctoral student, Melissa Laska, now a distinguished professor at the University of Minnesota, is a leader in the field and has grown our understanding of pediatric obesity and avenues for prevention. My current student, Autumn Hullings, is in the final stages of completing her dissertation investigating the molecular linkages between diet and cardiometabolic health. I am sure Autumn too will go on to do big things.

These are just a few of the many extraordinary women researchers who have been or are being launched here at UNC-Chapel Hill. They are shaping the future of science through their dedication, innovation, and commitment to impactful research. Happy Women’s History Month to all our amazing researchers, our enterprising students, and our staff members who support their endeavors.

Permalink: UNC Research Celebrates Women’s History Month

By , February 8, 2024

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are bringing incredible opportunities to almost every aspect of life. Carolina is already doing outstanding work with this burgeoning technology, including our deep well of expertise within the Department of Computer Science and at the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI). Along with the growth of the UNC School of Data Science and Society (SDSS), our expertise and capabilities continue to foster more collaboration than ever before. As AI begins to transform society, we are working to ensure Carolina researchers lead in the use of AI and digital technologies.

Indeed, we have a wealth of research on our campus that leverages AI – too much to fit into a single blog! Thus, I will focus on our work in the health and clinical domains where collaborations and technological prowess in AI combine with expertise in health to make significant advancements in health science research and applied clinical care.

With recent funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, an interdisciplinary team of Carolina researchers is working to expand prenatal care access in low-resource settings like Zambia and rural North Carolina through low-cost, AI-assisted ultrasound devices. Jeffery Stringer, professor and division director of global women’s health in the UNC School of Medicine (SOM), and his team have created an AI model that accurately estimates fetal age from scans taken by untrained users on simple devices. This research will be foundational for developing comprehensive AI tools that will improve access and pregnancy care worldwide.

W.R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Biostatistics at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, Michael Kosorok works at the forefront of sophisticated methods in precision health and AI with applications designed to improve health care. His Precision Health and AI Research Lab develops new algorithms and statistical methodology for data-driven decision making and application across a wide variety of human health domains, assessing patient characteristics and treatment regimens rapidly. Kosorok has used his advanced precision health methods in collaboration with others across campus to address critical health issues like type I diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis, and more.

K.H. Lee Distinguished Professor Alex Tropsha leads the Molecular Modeling Lab at the Eshelman School of Pharmacy. His lab works at the intersection of pharmaceutical development and data science to accelerate the discovery of novel drugs. Leveraging the power of AI, the team tests solutions for therapeutics for illnesses like Alzheimer’s, cancer, and viral diseases. He and his team also collaborate with the chemistry and applied physical sciences departments to support AI-accelerated discovery of solar energy materials

UNC School of Nursing Associate Professor Jessica Zegre-Hemsey uses data science methods to improve diagnostic accuracy in emergency cardiac diagnoses. Her work has shown that AI can determine the likelihood of time-sensitive conditions like acute coronary syndrome, resulting in quicker response and care in life-threatening situations.

The Biomedical Image Analysis Group in the Department of Computer Science within the College of Arts and Sciences focuses on the design of computational algorithms to extract quantitative measures from biomedical data, creating easier to understand diagnostics. Led by Professor Marc Niethammer, the group focuses on methods for statistical shape analysis, image segmentation, deformable image registration, and machine learning. Niethammer also provides faculty support to Carolina’s AI Project which addresses the utilization of AI and augmented/virtual reality through a philosophic lens.

Led by Corbin Jones, professor of biology within the College and genetics in SOM, the Creativity Hubs funded AIxB team is combining an AI approach with biological sciences to examine how genetic information becomes transcribed and is regulated at a chemical level – cracking codes of how DNA controls gene expression and ultimately cell functions without changing DNA sequence. This research can interpret the complexity of genetic codes and offer insight into regulatory mechanisms that lead to health and disease. This work has potential to reduce experimental time and eventually inform therapies for treatable DNA-based diseases.

There is also much expertise in SOM’s computational medicine department. For example, Oliver Smithies Investigator and Chair of Genetics Fernando Pardo-Manuel de Villena, leverages these tools to explore genetic diversity across several models to answer fundamental questions about genomics, systems genetics, and evolution to understand critical biological processes to improve health.

Last year, SDSS gained its first cohort of faculty members. Many of these new faces have joint appointments in departments outside of the school. Associate Professor Hsun-Ta Hsu, who you will hear more about soon in this month’s issue of Endeavors, is jointly appointed in the School of Social Work and analyzes the implication of using AI to address societal health issues, like homelessness.

RENCI Director Ashok Krishnamurthy, along with Karamarie Fecho and Sarah Tyndell, organized the inaugural Clinical and Environmental Health Data Workshop last May, which covered issues related to clinical informatics, biomedical data ecosystems, and cyberinfrastructure. The conference addressed silos that prevent organizations like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences from integrating data that is crucial to improving health outcomes. This integrated data empowers researchers and officials to pinpoint environmental inequalities, delve into social health drivers, and tailor interventions for specific communities. This research equips policymakers to target aid, optimize resources, and ensure fairness in health care access.

Yet with all the promise of AI, there remain questions about its use (and potential misuse). It is critical that we use AI responsibly to assist discoveries and leverage it appropriately. Thankfully, Stan Ahalt, dean of SDSS, is leading the UNC Generative AI Committee and providing guidelines that help researchers navigate the challenges and opportunities of AI resources.

This blog only begins to scratch the surface. With literally dozens of experts in departments ranging from obstetrics to linguistics, the potential for AI to supercharge our research enterprise permeates throughout our campus. Even more opportunities are possible as we think about incorporating AI into research and education. I am excited for the collaborations and groundbreaking solutions that will yield as we consciously and efficiently integrate this tool into our efforts to improve lives and well-being.

Permalink: Leveraging AI to Power Health Sciences and Care at Carolina

By , January 11, 2024

Carolina is a research powerhouse. We make discoveries every day that transform and save lives. The University’s mission to educate comes alive through research experiences for our undergraduate students.

Undergraduate research experiences are a pivotal element of Carolina’s research mission and enterprise, affording our students valuable opportunities to address intricate questions and navigate unforeseen challenges. Students learn to analyze data, formulate solutions, and adapt to changing circumstances, honing valuable skills applicable to any future career. From writing research papers to presenting findings, students learn to communicate effectively in various formats and to diverse audiences. This enhances communication skills, crucial for success in all fields. Students also gain proficiency in specific software, data analysis tools, or laboratory techniques. These technical skills can significantly enhance their employability and open doors to specialized career paths.

As a parent of a college senior and a recent college graduate, I know how important participating in research has been for both of my children. Like many of our students, those opportunities (one focused in STEM and the other in humanities) have been among the highlights of their college careers and were certainly their most important academic experiences.

Engaging in research alongside the world’s top faculty researchers is an opportunity unlike any other — and on Carolina’s collaborative campus, these experiences are truly transforming students’ lives. With the IDEAs in Action general education curriculum, all undergraduate students are required to engage in research. This curriculum affords the opportunity to engage in hands-on, experiential learning and insight into the wonderful world of research through Research & Discovery courses. These courses are designed to bring our students into focused research alongside faculty for an immersive experience that allows students to produce original scholarship or creative work. In doing so students “reflect upon, deepen, and connect knowledge and capacities,” as described on the IDEAS in Action website.

In the academic year 2022-23, 6,890 students were enrolled in Research & Discovery courses for research credits — a 9.5% growth in those courses from Fall 2022 to Fall 2023. The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) breaks down this impressive number as such:

• Enrollment in faculty mentored independent research: 1,014
• Enrollment in lab courses that met R&D requirements: 838
• Enrollment in other lecture courses that had a significant research component/met R&D requirements: 4,341
• Enrollment of Senior Honors Thesis courses: 697

In addition, OUR reports that 399 students (8.2% of graduates) engaged in research as part of their honor’s thesis. Since these numbers only represent coursework, students who conduct research for pay, work-study, or as volunteers are not captured. But we quantify and track students engaged in sponsored research projects (i.e., research funded by an external organization, such as federal, state, private organization, or entity) through research databases managed by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. According to our metrics, 754 students have been engaged in sponsored research over the last six months.

When faculty members are awarded competitive research grants from federal, private, or other sources, they bring funding to Carolina that provides data, support, and access that benefits our undergraduate students. Most importantly, engaging in hands-on research keeps students engaged and excited to explore, discover, and push boundaries. Student researchers are passionate about making advancements in their fields, and these experiential opportunities create highly trained professionals who give back to the state and beyond by making the world a better place.

Below are a few illustrative examples of the amazing work that our undergraduate students take part in with their faculty mentors:

“I enjoyed being able to work in different areas and to get a better understanding and appreciation of all the things that go into a big study like this.”

Junior Sara Ahmed worked with the Carolina Population Center’s Dynamics of Extreme Events, People, and Places (DEEPP) project during her summer internship in 2023. With a major in biostatistics, she helped the DEEPP team assess the short- and long-term impacts of storms in North Carolina by improving the study’s youth questionnaire, writing new questions that were more relevant for teenage study participants.

“I can’t count the number of times I’ve been overwhelmed by the flood of advice and proposed future experiments that were given purely out of the love for science.”

Senior Lilly Papell is a senior majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry and creative writing within the UNC College of Arts and Sciences. She studies how genome organization within microscopic animals called tardigrades plays a role in how they survive DNA-damaging environments that would kill most lifeforms. She conducts research with the Goldstein Lab and recently began a research forensic science internship at RTI International.

“I have enjoyed the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration with a variety of researchers in fields ranging from nutrition to bioinformatics to epidemiology.”

One of my own undergraduate students, Aditya Shetye, received his BSPH in nutrition in May 2023. He stayed at Carolina for the Department of Nutrition’s dual degree program and will receive his Master of Science degree in May of 2024. Aditya leveraged his undergraduate research into a formal master’s thesis and will publish his results in a peer reviewed journal. This has been a wonderful and efficient opportunity for Aditya to further his career. Aditya’s research applies precision nutrition techniques to uncover associations between diet and cardiometabolic disease. Along the way, he has developed highly marketable, high-level technical skills in statistical programming and analysis.

The substantial investment in undergraduate education, our students, and the lasting impact they’ll have on Carolina’s legacy comes from research funding procured by our distinguished faculty. This funding includes contributions from federal, private, and various other sources. Research experience provides undergraduate students with invaluable skills, hands-on training, and a competitive edge for their academic and future professional pursuits. There is no better preparation for the post-grad years and entry into the workforce than working hands-on with a team to achieve a significant goal. That these teams are led by world experts in cancer, infectious disease, engineering, humanities, and more offers an experience that is uniquely Carolina.

Permalink: Carolina: Empowering Undergraduates Through Research

By , December 13, 2023

2023 was a banner year for research at Carolina and for the administrative offices within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) that support it. I am proud of the ways we worked together to improve and enhance the quality and efficiency of our research enterprise in support of outstanding talent across our campus. The results of those efforts have shown tangible impact for the University, our state, and beyond. None of these impacts would be possible without the support of staff across our research administrative offices and our talented workforce.

This year our offices supported research, critical equipment and infrastructure, drug discoveries for translational research with life-saving potential, and new, large awards. A few examples of those new awards include up to $50 million in FDA funding to establish the Research Triangle Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (or Triangle CERSI), $21 million in funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to make pregnancy and birth safer for North Carolinians, and continued funding for the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute. We also revitalized the Creativity Hubs program to intentionally cultivate a culture that spurs innovation with a call for impact-oriented science.

The first phase of planning for our Strategic Research Roadmap, with cross-campus engagement and investment, was completed this year. We will begin implementing the results of our efforts in the new year which will help us grow our research enterprise and its supporting infrastructure, solidify and grow strategic research partnerships, and improve research administrative support.

The development of the new Translational Research Building also moved towards realization with designer approval. Once open, it will house the technology and translational programming needed to increase Carolina’s discovery and translational science market share and compete with top biomedical and research institutions across the country.

And we just surpassed $1.36B in research expenditures, ranking us the 12th largest research university in the nation.

This growth requires significant effort from the OVCR administration offices. Their contributions are essential to our continued success as a research enterprise. Although not an exhaustive list, the examples below capture a snapshot of the amazing work our OVCR offices conducted this year. Thank you to all those who supported these accomplishments and more.

Permalink: Research Enterprise Support in 2023