SOM Faculty Awards
Annual awards from the Dean’s Office recognizing the research of distinguished faculty in the SOM
Oliver Smithies Investigators
An annual award to honor senior faculty members who have made significant research contributions and achieved international recognition for their work. The award was established in honor of the research achievements of UNC Nobel Prize Winner Oliver Smithies, DPhil, the Weatherspoon Eminent Distinguished Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
List of Oliver Smithies Investigators2018
Joe Eron, MD
Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease
Brian Kuhlman, PhD
Professor and Vice Chair of Biochemistry and Biophysics
2017
Brian Strahl, PhD
Professor and Vice Chair of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Jen Jen Yeh, MD
Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology
2016
Victor Garcia-Martinez, PhD
Professor of Medicine
Karen Mohlke, PhD
Professor of Genetics
2015
Kim Boggess, MD
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Fernando Pardo Manuel de Villena, PhD
Professor of Genetics
Yang Biomedical Scholars
2021-22
J. Mauro Calabrese, PhD
Associate Professor of Pharmacology
Nilu Goonetilleke, PhD
Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Adam Hantman, PhD
Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology
2020-21
Yueh Lee, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Radiology
Jiandong Liu, PhD
Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Angela Smith, MD
Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Urology
2019-20
Chad Pecot, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Li Qian, PhD
Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Gregory Scherrer, PhD
Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology
Greg Wang, PhD
Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics
2018-19
Louise Henderson, PhD, MSPH
Associate Professor Radiology
Jonathan Juliano, MD, MSPH
Associate Professor of Medicine
Ian Shih, PhD
Associate Professor of Neurology
2017-18
Edward Miao, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Garrett Stuber, PhD
Associatge Professor of Psychiatry, Cell Biology & Immunology
2015-16
Jonathan Berg, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Genetics
Maureen, Su, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Yisong Wan, PhD
Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Jefferson-Pilot Fellowships in Academic Medicine
Through the generosity of the Jefferson-Pilot Corporation, a trust fund has been established within the Medical Foundation for the support of Jefferson-Pilot Fellowships in Academic Medicine at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. The aim of the program is to retain promising junior faculty within the UNC School of Medicine. The recipient of the award is given public recognition of his/her prior achievements and the School’s confidence in his/her future, and the monetary award allows the recipient a degree of freedom to explore new ideas, new ways of teaching students, treating patients, or investigating biological problems that may not be available from other granting agencies.
Any individual, either basic medical scientist or clinical scientist, is eligible for nomination for a Jefferson-Pilot Fellowships provided that the candidate has been a full-time faculty member of the SOM for at least 3 years and does not have tenure at the time of appointment as a Fellow.
Preference will be given to candidates below the rank of Associate Professor, but Associate Professors without tenure are eligible. Fixed term and tenure track assistant and associate professors (without tenure) are eligible.
Please visit the most recent 2023 RFA linked here for more information about eligibility, nomination materials, and submission process.
Jefferson-Pilot Fellowship Awardees2022-2023 Recipients
Nicholas Brown, PhD (Department of Pharmacology)
Jose Rodriguez-Romaguera, PhD (Department of Cell Biology and Physiology)
Previous Recipients
Eva Anton
Janelle Arthur
Joel Baseman
Phillip Bassford
James E. Bear
Ross Boyce
Philip Blatt
Sharon Campbell
Williams Cance
Kathleen Caron
Charles Carter, Jr.
Arlene Chung
Frank Church
David Clemmons
Myron Cohen
Jeanette Cook
Giselle Corbie-Smith
Joseph D’Ercole
Blossom Damania
Georgette Dent
Douglas Drossman
Jeffrey Fair
Ronald Falk
William Fischer
John Gilmore
Robert Golde
Lee Graves
Kenney Gray
Thomas Griggs
Jimena Giudice
Joyce Harp
Mark Heise
William Henry
Katherine High
James Howard, Jr.
Charles Jeanette
Larry Johnson
Blair Keagy
Shannon Kenney
MIchael Knowles
Jeffrey Kuller
Edward Lawson
Helen Lazear
David Lee
Yun Li
Edison Liu
Jiandong Liu
Pengda Liu
Patricia Maness
Zoe McElligott
Sharon Milgram
Roger Narayan
Terry Noah
Robert Orlowski
Leslie Parise
Charles Perou
Duncan Postma
Herbert Proctor
Dale Ramsden
Lewis Romer
Norman Sharpless
Gene Siegal
Frederick Sparling
Anne Steiner
Alan Stiles
Brian Strahl
Alison Stuebe
Lishan Su
Manuel Tancer
Joan Taylor
David Threadgill
Jenny Ting
Louis Underwood
Peter Utsinger
Jean-Michel Vos
Yisong Wan
Greg Wang
Zefang Wang
Robert Warren
Monte Willis
Hyejung Won
Yue Xiong
Wendell Yarbrough
Yanping Zhan
Dr. James W. Woods Junior Faculty Awards
Through the generosity of the late Dr. James W. Woods, a trust fund has been established at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to provide this junior faculty award within the UNC School of Medicine. One recipient will be selected each year, and the aim of the award is to support and retain promising young members of the medical school clinical faculty.
Full time, clinical faculty members are eligible for nomination for a Woods Award provided they have been a full-time member of the clinical faculty at the UNC School of Medicine for at least three years. Fixed term and tenure track assistant professors are eligible.
Please visit the 2023 RFA linked here for more information about eligibility, nomination materials, and submission process.
James Woods Award Recipients2022-2023 Recipient
Miriam Sklerov, MD, MS – Department of Neurology
Previous Recipients
Victoria Bae-Jump
Natalie Bowman
Bruce Cairns
Shannon Carson
Ronald Chen
Patricia Chang
Arlene Chung
David T. Curiel
Samir M. Fakhry
Timothy M. Farrell
William Fischer
Jennifer Flythe
Margaret Gourlay
Mark L. Graham II
Joyce Harp
Katherine Hartmann
Alan Hinderliter
Jong Jin (HJ) Kim
Andrea Knittel
Mark Koruda
Suzanne Landis
Steven N. Lichtman
Suresh K. Mukherji
Tim Nichols
Colin Orr
Jackie Knupp Patterson
Jay Raval
Ray Tan
Teresa Tarrant
Linda Van Le
Bradley V. Vaughn
Anthony Viera
Susan M. Weeks
Adam Zolotor
Hyman L. Battle Distinguished Cancer Research Award
The Hyman L. Battle Distinguished Cancer Research Award recognizes sustained, exceptional cancer research over a career by faculty at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Previous winners include Drs. Yi Zhang, Nancy Raab-Traub, Yanping Zhang, Channing Der, Yue Xiong, Joseph Pagano, Charles Perou, Sharon Campbell, Jenny Ting, Shelton Earp, Gary Johnson, and Aziz Sancar.
Please review the most recent memo for more information about the award, application process, and required materials.
Hyman Battle Award Recipients
2022
Albert Baldwin, PhD- Kenan Distinguished Professor of Cancer Cell Biology
2021
Blossom Damania, PhD – Boshamer Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Dirk Dittmer, PhD – Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
2020
Ronald Swanstrom, PhD – Charles Postelle Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics
2019
Aziz Sancar, MD, PhD – Kenan Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics
2018
Gary Johnson, PhD – Kenan Distinguished Professor of Genetics
2016
Shelley Earp, MD – Lineberger Professor of Cancer Research, Director of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Jenny Ting, PhD – William Rand Kenan Professor of Genetics
2014
Sharon Campbell, PhD – Gary F. Liebscher Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics
2013
Charles Perou, PhD – May Goldman Shaw Distinguished Professor of Molecular Oncology, Department of Genetics
2012
Joseph Pagano, MD – Lineberger Professor of Cancer Research and Director Emeritus, Professor of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology
2011
Channing Der, PhD – Kenan Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology
Yue Xiong, PhD – Kenan Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics
2010
Yanping Zhang, PhD – Professor of Radiation Oncology
2009
Nancy Raab-Traub, PhD – Kenan Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
2008
Yi Zhang, PhD – Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics