Halpern, Pence to be recognized with Larsh, McGavran faculty awards
April 27, 2016
Dr. Brian Pence
Dr. Carolyn Halpern
The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health will present two of its most prestigious faculty awards during the School’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 7. Carolyn T. Halpern, PhD, professor and chair of the maternal and child health department, will receive the John E. Larsh Jr. Award for Mentorship, and Brian Wells Pence, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology, will accept the McGavran Award for Excellence in Teaching.
The Larsh Award
Established in 1997, the highly competitive John E. Larsh Award for Mentorship honors Dr. Larsh, a faculty member in the Gillings School’s Department of Health Behavior and Health Education from 1942 to 1981. The award is presented to a current member of the School’s faculty who best exemplifies the mentorship and commitment to students for which Larsh was known.
Larsh awardee Halpern earned a master’s degree (1979) and doctoral degree (1982) in developmental psychology from the University of Houston. She joined the UNC Gillings faculty in 1998.
An expert in research on the study of adolescent and young adult sexuality and risk-taking, both in the United States and in global settings, Halpern has collaborated on more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. In her role as professor, she shares her passion for improving understanding of healthy sexual development and its effects on later life.
“The opportunity to mentor our bright and dedicated students, and to see how they apply their knowledge and skills to improve the health of women and children around the globe, is truly the most rewarding part of my work,” said Halpern. “I’m honored and so grateful to my colleagues, students and former students who supported my receipt of this particular award.”
Several student nominators wrote letters of support for Halpern.
“Watching Dr. Halpern interact with students gave me a model of exactly how I would like to act if I become a professor,” wrote one nominator.
“She is a truly exceptional mentor who, notably, was never an ‘official’ adviser to me, yet spent countless hours working with me on my research and professional development,” shared another student. “I cannot overstate how generous she has been with her time.”
A third student said she came to the Gillings School specifically to work with Halpern: “I had heard from numerous students that she was a wonderful mentor, which was one of my top priorities in choosing a doctoral program. I am so grateful that I had the privilege to be mentored by Carolyn. To put it very simply, she is a good person who cares deeply about her students.”
The McGavran Award
The McGavran Award for Excellence in Teaching honors Edward G. McGavran, MD, MPH, dean of the UNC School of Public Health from 1947 to 1963 and a proponent of “hands-on” field training for public health students. First presented in 1975, the award recognizes career-long excellence in teaching by a faculty member at the Gillings School.
McGavran awardee Pence, who received a doctorate in epidemiology from UNC Gillings in 2005, joined the School’s faculty in 2008.
His research focuses on the links between mental health, HIV-related behaviors and health outcomes in the southeastern United States and in multiple African countries. Pence is PI or co-PI on three current or recent grants from the National Institutes of Health, and he recently co-authored the second edition of a book titled, “You’re the First One I’ve Told: The Faces of HIV in the Deep South.”
“This award is really a wonderful honor, and a testament to the importance that Gillings places on its teaching mission,” Pence shared. “The opportunity to teach such talented students is definitely one of the best parts of this job. I am quite sure I learn at least as much from them as they do from me.”
Student nominators were equally enthusiastic about Pence.
“When I think about the characteristics that make Dr. Pence a great teacher, so many come to mind,” read one letter. “Approachable. Brilliant. Helpful. Innovative. Patient. Fun. Inspiring. Most teachers possess some of these qualities; Brian embodies them all.”
Another student reported that Pence has a unique and highly successful approach in the classroom: “Hands-on learning has been a theme of Dr. Pence’s teaching philosophy. Notably, he restructured an epidemiology course as a flipped classroom to enable students to collaborate in greater depth. Because of his innovative teaching style, he was asked to provide a presentation at a departmental faculty meeting to discuss the ways his classroom structure enhanced student success.”
“Dr. Pence and Dr. Halpern emerged from a crowded pool of nominees for these two awards,” noted Laura Linnan, ScD, professor of health behavior and associate dean for academic and student affairs at the Gillings School. “Given the enthusiastic nominations, they were both clear choices. We are so pleased to honor these wonderful teachers and mentors – they are inspiring to all.”
More than 350 undergraduate and graduate students and more than 35 members of the faculty and staff are expected to participate in the Gillings School’s commencement event, to be held Saturday, May 7 at 1 p.m. in Carmichael Arena on the UNC campus.
Watch for commencement photos on Flickr.
Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu
