It is with regret that the UNC Hemophilia & Thrombosis Center announces the departure of Paul E. Monahan, M.D. after a 25-year association with UNC-Chapel Hill. Dr. Monahan received his M.D. in 1990 from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, VA and completed his Internship/Residency at UNC Chapel Hill.
Dr. Monahan was a Professor in the UNC Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology and Attending Physician in the Comprehensive Hemophilia Diagnostic and Treatment Center at UNC Hospital. Dr. Monahan provided care for children with bleeding disorders and was the Principal Investigator for the Region IV-N of the U.S. hemophilia treatment center (HTC) system, executing the HRSA and CDC federal grants that support 10 HTCs in Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. This work has involved epidemiologic studies in collaboration with CDC scientists examining clinical outcomes in hemophilia and in particular the surveillance of factor VIII and IX inhibitors.
Dr. Monahan’s research work for the last twenty years at UNC has been in the area of gene therapy. In the last decade, his major laboratory focus has been the development of gene delivery using the adeno-associated virus (AAV) for correction of hemophilia, in particular vector modification for improved gene delivery and safety.
Dr. Monahan has been the recipient of many research grants over the course of his career. Additionally, the National Hemophilia Foundation awarded him a Judith Graham Pool Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from 1998 to 2000 and a Career Development Award from 2003 to 2006. Dr. Monahan received the National Hemophilia Foundation Leadership in Research Award in 2013. He is a longtime member of the National Hemophilia Foundation’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Council.
With a lifetime ambition to see gene therapy become a reality for patients with hemophilia, Dr. Monahan is leaving UNC-Chapel Hill to pursue this mission in an industry position. The staff of the UNC Hemophilia & Thrombosis Center is grateful to Dr. Monahan for his superb care of pediatric bleeding disorder patients and for his leadership of the Region IV-North hemophilia treatment center network. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.