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William “Bill” Powers, MD, has announced that he will enter the three-year phased retirement program beginning July 1, 2018. He will step down from his position as Chair of the Department of Neurology on April 30, 2018, at the end of his five year term.

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William “Bill” Powers, MD, has announced that he will enter the three-year phased retirement program beginning July 1, 2018. He will step down from his position as Chair of the Department of Neurology on April 30, 2018, at the end of his five year term.

During phased retirement, Powers will continue as attending neurologist in the Neurology inpatient services and participate in the educational programs of the Department.

“It has been my privilege to lead this Department for the last 11 years,” Powers said. “We have accomplished a great deal working together and I look forward to watching the Department continue to grow and prosper.”

Powers has presided over significant clinical and research advancement during his time as Chair, including the opening of the 16 bed Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit in 2010 and the opening of UNC’s first Epilepsy Monitoring Units.

UNC Hospitals has also become a nationally recognized leader in stroke care. In 2013 and again in 2017, UNC was recognized by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association with the Disease-Specific Care Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification. When first awarded in 2013, UNC was the 15th hospital in the nation, and first in the Southeast to achieve the designation. Further accolades were achieved in 2017 when UNC received the Gold Plus Award from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

During Powers’ time as Chair, the Adult Neurology Residency Program was expanded from four to seven residents, the Child Neurology Residency was expanded from three to five years, and the number of accredited subspecialty residency programs expanded from one to six.

Throughout his time at UNC, Powers has maintained an active educational role, clinical practice and research portfolio. He has served as principal or co-investigator on 7 NIH research grants, been first or co-author on 48 peer-reviewed publications, and serves on the editorial boards of Stroke and The Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. He has been recognized by residents four times with the Colin Hall Award for Teaching Excellence.

Nationally, Powers received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association William M. Feinberg Award for Clinical Excellence in Clinical Stroke, and twice chaired AHA/ASA writing groups charged with updating care guidelines for stroke patients.

“Dr. Powers’ leadership has helped to establish UNC as a national leader in stroke care and a great place to train,” said Wesley Burks, MD, Executive Dean of the UNC School of Medicine. “On behalf of the institution, we wish Bill the best as he transitions to this next phase of his career.”