October 2011 – The Impact Award recognizes and encourages graduate students whose research benefits North Carolina communities. Impact Awards are privately funded through generous contributions from the members of the Graduate Education Advancement Board of the Graduate School of UNC Chapel Hill.

Maggie’s project explores the use of a novel biologic compound in the treatment of myocardial infarction, or heart attack. Given the high rate of heart disease in North Carolina, these studies have the potential to greatly impact the overall health of North Carolina citizens.

Sarah seeks to define the role of the insulin receptor (IR) in the intestine, its relationship to fat absorption, and its connections to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

All awardees will be honored for their achievements on April 4, 2012.

Past physiology Impact Award winners:

2011 – Ivana Semova (Rawls lab)

2010 – Kathryn Hamilton (Lund lab)

2008 – Nicole Ramocki (Lund lab)

2005 – Arianne Theiss (Lund lab)