Laura Hanson, MD, MPH, was awarded the Ronald J. Falk Vanguard Award, an honor recognizing a faculty member who leads with excellence across patient care, discovery and teaching. The annual award reflects the values of its namesake, Dr. Ronald Falk, an international renowned nephrologist who served as department chair from 2015-2025.
Dr. Hanson is a Professor of Medicine in the UNC Division of Geriatric Medicine. She was a founding co-Director of the UNC Palliative Care Program, an interdisciplinary program of palliative care services and related research and teaching. As a board-certified physician in internal medicine, geriatric medicine, and hospice and palliative medicine, she provides clinical services for frail and medically complex older patients, and for adult patients of all ages with serious and potentially life-limiting illness.
Dr. Hanson leads a research program to understand and improve the quality of palliative care for nursing home residents and other vulnerable populations. As the lead clinical investigator on the PEACE Project she helped to develop and test clinical quality measures endorsed by the National Quality Forum and applied nationwide in hospice care. She has been the principal investigator or co-investigator for numerous studies to improve nursing home dementia care, including two NIH-NIA funded randomized clinical trials of decision aids for palliative care in advanced dementia.
During his time as Department Chair, Dr. Falk was known for providing Carolina Chairs in recognition of excellence. On September 11, he received his very own Chair. To honor this tradition, the Ronald J. Falk Vanguard Award recipient will receive one as well.
