EDUCATION
Every year UNC School of Medicine trains nearly 1,000 medical students, more than 1,100 residents and fellows, and over 1,000 graduate and health sciences students—many of whom go on to work and serve across North Carolina.
Ranked among the top public institutions for NIH funding, UNC offers learners unparalleled access to cutting-edge science, clinical innovation, and collaborative discovery. This robust and interdisciplinary training environment prepares graduates not only to practice and lead, but to shape the future of health and medicine.
TRAINING TOMORROW’S HEALTH LEADERS
Learners across UNC School of Medicine’s MD, health sciences, graduate medical education and basic sciences programs gain the skills and training needed to become tomorrow’s health leaders, advancing health and improving lives for generations to come.
MD students learn and rotate across four campuses throughout North Carolina, gaining experience in diverse communities while strengthening the state’s healthcare workforce pipeline. Residents and fellows receive rigorous training across dozens of specialties while providing high-quality patient care as UNC Health employees. UNC’s health sciences programs are among the nation’s best, preparing clinicians whose work improves mobility, communication, rehabilitation and quality of life for patients of all ages. In the basic sciences, students advance biomedical research while gaining the knowledge and skills to drive discovery and improve human health.
Together, these learners and trainees are shaping a healthier future for North Carolina and beyond.
There are boundless opportunities to boost student support, enrich training, and prepare learners to meet emerging challenges in healthcare—and this is where philanthropy plays a transformative role.
PHILANTHROPY ADVANCING EDUCATION
Philanthropy fuels this work by funding scholarships and professorships, expanding training infrastructure and opportunities, and strengthening programs that prepare students, residents, fellows, and early-career scientists to lead. Through the generosity of donors, we can reduce financial barriers, allowing students to graduate with less debt and greater freedom to pursue the paths they are most passionate about. Our donors help to strengthen the academic environment—accelerating mentorship, research, and student-led initiatives that inspire learning and create lifelong connections.
Philanthropy for UNC School of Medicine comes from a wide community—including alumni, former faculty, patients, families, community members, and partners—who are inspired to give back, invest in future generations, and help advance discovery and care. Together, we help translate their experiences and aspirations into opportunities that expand access and enrich education.
The stories below bring this impact into focus, showing how generosity sustains learning, leadership, and impact across UNC School of Medicine.
INVESTING IN RURAL CARE
Through the generosity of Frank Moretz, MD, UNC School of Medicine is helping prepare future physicians to serve communities throughout western North Carolina. The Moretz Scholarship provides generous funding for students committed to practicing in rural areas of North Carolina—reducing financial barriers while opening pathways to meaningful, community-based care. The first Moretz Scholar reflects the impact of this investment, bringing both skill and dedication to underserved regions and building the healthcare workforce across the state for years to come.
MOBILITY AND PARKINSON'S DISEASE
At UNC School of Medicine, research in human movement science is helping address one of the most challenging aspects of Parkinson’s disease: mobility and balance. PhD student Ben Killen is studying how changes in movement and motor control affect walking and stability, with the goal of developing interventions that reduce fall risk and help patients maintain independence longer. Backed by the Giuliani‑Wellman Fund, which provides critical funding for doctoral training in neurologic rehabilitation, this work is advancing understanding while preparing the next generation of scientists to improve care for patients living with Parkinson’s disease.
FACULTY ENSURES FUTURE RESEARCH EXCELLENCE
At UNC’s Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, a gift from longtime faculty member A. Leslie Morrow, PhD, and Michael Lish, MD, is helping sustain one of the nation’s leading hubs for addiction research. By endowing a distinguished professorship, their philanthropy provides flexible support to recruit top scientists, advance new lines of inquiry, and mentor emerging researchers. This investment builds on decades of discovery—including work that has identified promising new treatments for alcohol use disorder—and strengthens UNC’s leadership in translating research into real-world solutions.
