About Gillings Research
Tomorrow's solutions today- At the Gillings School, we are impatient for change that improves public health. Our research strengths focus on urgent challenges to generate tomorrow’s solutions today. Gillings researchers provide teaching and training opportunities for students while catalyzing a collaborative, creative environment for the world’s top scientists to discover, test, and implement solutions to health threats and problems.
Message from the Interim Associate Dean for Research

Andrew Olshan, PhD

Researchers at UNC Gillings are pioneers in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary, and revolutionary research. They develop ground-breaking ideas and apply innovative ways to address the biggest public health issues in North Carolina and around the world. Equity is a fundamental principle underlying the school’s research enterprise.

Our Unit

The Gillings Research Unit supports the school’s research enterprise by: 

  • Helping researchers identify funding opportunities and research resources. 
  • Facilitating team science and research collaborations across campus. 
  • Supporting proposal development. 
  • Providing workshops and training opportunities to the Gillings research community. 
  • Tracking research metrics and public health research impact. 
  • Assisting researchers as they navigate research compliance. 


Meet the members of the Gillings research unit:

Andrew Olshan, Interim Associate Dean for Research  

Alexia Kelley, Senior Director for Research  

Traci Davis, Research Development Associate  

Jaime O’Brien, Research Compliance Coordinator  

Spotlight
Dr. Kari North

UNC CVD Genetic Epidemiology Lab

This team of faculty, students, and staff investigate genetic factors related to heart, blood, and lung disorders.

Our Work in Health Equity
Inequities in disease and well-being come from discrimination, racism and unequal access to society’s benefits, including conditions that positively contribute to health. Our researchers seek to understand these inequities and address the structures that reinforce them to ensure that all individuals and populations have equitable access to resources for optimal health.
Advancing Health Equity Solutions at UNC Webinar Series
Planey receives 2023 Gillings Faculty Award for Excellence in Health Equity Research
NIH Diversity Supplements
Our Numbers at a Glance
$1+ Billion
in research dollars since 2016 ($280M in FY2022)
#1 NIH
Top Public School of Public Health for NIH Funding
$1.4M
average funding per PI (FY2022)
14
Gillings researchers named to Clarivate’s 2022 Highly Cited Researchers List
EXPLORE OUR RESEARCH BY DEPARTMENT
Biostatistics
Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Epidemiology
Health Behavior
Health Policy and Management
Maternal and Child Health
Nutrition
CENTERS AND CORES

Gillings researchers collaborate with many centers, institutes, and cores within Gillings and across campus. The following list contains some of our more frequent collaborations. 

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CONTACT INFORMATION
Contact researchsolutions@unc.edu

135 Dauer Drive
104 Rosenau Hall, CB #7415
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7415
(919) 843-3945