August 28, 2019

Dr. Joan Huntley

Dr. Joan Huntley

Joan Cornoni Huntley, PhD, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, died August 5 at North Carolina Memorial Hospital following a sudden illness. She was 88 years old.

Born in Melrose, Massachusetts, Huntley was a 1953 graduate of Mary Washington College. After working as a research assistant at the Harvard University School of Public Health and the Yale University School of Medicine, she pursued graduate studies at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Public Health. In 1962, she earned a master’s degree in biostatistics; in 1970, she received a doctoral degree in epidemiology.

For several years, Huntley taught and conducted research as an assistant professor in the School. Her career then took her to Washington, D.C., where she was a division director in the National Institute on Aging (part of the National Institutes of Health) until retiring to Chapel Hill. For a period of time, while living in D.C., she flew back to North Carolina three days a week to continue teaching.

“Joan was a faculty member, a respected epidemiologist who focused on issues of aging and a member of our Public Health Foundation Board,” said Barbara K. Rimer, DrPH, alumni distinguished professor and dean of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. “She was generous in her wisdom and contributions to the School.”

In addition to being a member of numerous professional associations, Huntley served as president of the UNC School of Public Health Alumni Association and vice president of the UNC School of Public Health Foundation. In 1999, she was awarded the H.A. Tyroler Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of the substantial impact she had over her career in the field of epidemiology. She also was the author of numerous scientific articles published in professional journals.

Outside of work, Huntley was a world traveler and an avid collector of antiques and eighteenth- and nineteenth-century French paintings. As an art lover, she enthusiastically supported the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) by serving as a member of the Museum’s board of trustees. She also provided support to the NCMA for the establishment of the Joan and Robert Huntley Gallery.

“Dr. Huntley always took a pan-University perspective,” Rimer said. “She loved many parts of UNC-Chapel Hill and the larger community. She was a patron of the arts and was as comfortable talking about a painting as about an aging study. Her renowned Christmas parties were a great example of her broad network. We will miss Joan very much.”

Prior to his passing, Huntley and her husband, Robert, spent much of their retirement together traveling the world. When they were not traveling, they enjoyed each other’s company and the serenity of nature in their cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains. In more recent years, Huntley enjoyed spending time with friends and colleagues in Charlottesville, Virginia, as well as in Padua, Italy. She treasured experiencing local art and culture and continued to do so until her passing.

A Memorial Celebration will be held Sunday, September 8, at the UNC-Chapel Hill Morehead Planetarium. If you are interested in attending, please contact Amy King.

A full obituary was posted by Walker’s Funeral Home.


Contact the Gillings School of Global Public Health communications team at sphcomm@listserv.unc.edu.

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