Roper Fellows Fund to Support Patients and Families at UNC Children’s
A generous anonymous gift in honor of Dr. Bill Roper has established a new fund designed to bolster patient support services at UNC Children’s.
The William L. Roper, MD Fellows Fund was established recently thanks to a $500,000 anonymous gift in honor of the longtime University of North Carolina and UNC Health leader. Roper, former School of Medicine dean, CEO of UNC Health, and interim president of the UNC system, came to UNC in 1997 as dean of the School of Public Health before taking over as CEO of the statewide healthcare system in 2004.
“It is a great honor to be associated with this generous support which will make a real difference for our most vulnerable patients and families,” Roper said. “Knowing that others share my passion for supporting children’s health in North Carolina is very special, and I know that this fund will create many opportunities to raise the level of compassionate care our UNC Children’s team can provide.”
Roper’s tenure was highlighted by a significant expansion of both the UNC Health system and UNC School of Medicine, extending their collective reach and impact on the health of all North Carolinians. His leadership helped moved the School of Medicine closer to its goal of becoming the nation’s top public school of medicine and established UNC Health as one of the nation’s leading academic health systems.
A dedicated physician and teacher in addition to his accomplishments as an administrator, Roper completed his residency in pediatrics at the University of Colorado Medical Center after earning his MD from the University of Alabama School of Medicine and his MPH from the UAB School of Public Health. His career has been dedicated to serving others and improving the health of all patients, particularly children.
It was that dedication to children’s health as well as Roper’s long history of public service that inspired this new gift. The donors were particularly excited about the opportunity to support UNC Children’s while also honoring the legacy of such a dedicated and humble healthcare leader.
“We wanted his legacy to prevail in North Carolina because he’s had such a profound impact on both the quality of medicine and the care for children in the state,” the donors said, emphasizing the importance of people “understanding the importance of Bill Roper in this whole process.”
The Roper Fellows Fund will provide needed support for patients and families who come to UNC Children’s at a truly challenging time in their lives. Through this investment in Child Life Specialists, patient navigators and other non-medical resources that are so important to families, UNC Children’s is committing to providing the best experience possible at every step of the care process.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support that the Roper Fellows Fund will provide to our patients and their families,” said Stephanie Duggins Davis, MD, physician in chief for UNC Children’s and chair of the UNC Department of Pediatrics.
“Children are not small adults and require services tailored specifically to their needs. These services include pediatric therapists and specialists who are solely dedicated to providing care for children and adolescents. Anyone who has spent time in a children’s hospital and has had the benefit of interacting with these special individuals knows how impactful these specialists are for families.”
To learn more about how you can help this comprehensive pediatric healthcare endeavor, contact Mary Gard, Executive Director of Development, Children’s, at [email protected].
