Category: News

Zina McSweeney, DO joined the Pediatric Division of Endocrinology on January 5, 2026 as a part-time Assistant Professor. Dr. McSweeney received her Bachelor of Biomedical Science in 2015 from the University of Central Florida and then earned her DO from Campbell University in 2019. She completed her Pediatric Internship and...

Joseph Muenzer, MD, PhD, leads research on groundbreaking therapy that offers hope for patients across the world living with a devastating genetic disorder. Ongoing clinical research at UNC could lead to a first-of-its-kind enzyme replacement therapy for Hunter syndrome, an ultra-rare disorder that causes progressive multisystem disease and neurologic decline.

UNC has been approved for funding by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to implement research findings on early childhood obesity prevention. The project is co-led by Dual Principal Investigators Dr. Kori Flower in the UNC Department of Pediatrics and Dr. Eliana Perrin at The Johns Hopkins University.

The Center for Molecular Medicine (CMM), formerly the UNC Gene Therapy Center, launched a new effort to give potential Einsteins a foot in the door. The newly revamped Center, located in the Thurston Bowles Building, is buzzing with undergraduates and high school students looking to get a head start on...

UNC Children’s is proud to announce that The Duke Endowment has awarded $700,000 to launch “Expanding Care for Infants and Children with BPD across North Carolina – an Interdisciplinary Care and Outreach Program”, a new statewide initiative led by Nicole Stephenson, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of...

Mary Clay Federspiel, MSN, CPNP-PC, joined the Muenzer MPS center in the Pediatric division of Genetics & Metabolism as an Advanced Practice Practitioner on December 15, 2025. Ms. Federspiel completed a Bachelor of Science at William & Mary in 2006 and a BSN at the University of North Carolina at...

A clinical trial led by Dr. Matt Laughon, Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, weighs medications versus ‘wait and see’ approach for treatment of patent ductus arteriosus.

Adriana Herrera, MD, MPH was promoted to Associate Professor of Pediatrics effective December 1, 2025. Dr. Herrera has been faculty in the division of Hospital Pediatrics since 2021. Congratulations!

Melissa Smith, MD was promoted to Associate Professor of Pediatrics effective December 1, 2025. Dr. Smith has been a faculty member in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine since 2018. Congratulations!

UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry Division is a central hub for cancer therapeutics. Its faculty — more than half are UNC Lineberger members — are studying the chemical and biological mechanisms that promote cancer growth and persistence.