Medicine and pharmacology professor has served as deputy director since '91 .fl
The 1970 Carolina graduate will coordinate the center's research activities involving 190 faculty members in the University's schools of Medicine, Public Health, Nursing, Pharmacy and Dentistry, as well as the College of Arts and Sciences. He succeeds founding director Joseph S. Pagano, who held the post since 1975.
"Shelley Earp is a distinguished physician-scientist whose outstanding work has brought great credit to our University," said H. Garland Hershey, vice provost for health affairs. "I'm delighted that he has agreed to serve as director of the center, where I know he will continue to provide the clinical, scientific and administrative leadership that has been his signature throughout his 20 years at Carolina. He will be a superb director."
Earp, professor of medicine and pharmacology, has served as the center's deputy director and Lineberger professor of cancer research since 1991. His research area of interest includes the behavior of cancer cells and the signals that regulate cell growth and differentiation.
Since 1993, he has chaired the clinical-cancer program of the School of Medicine and UNC Hospitals and overseen the development of the cancer center's joint efforts with the School of Public Health.
Earp is principal investigator of the UNC Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in breast cancer, one of six such programs in the country funded by the National Cancer Institute. SPORE researchers are investigating breast cancer from its genetic origins to early detection through community screening.
Jeffrey Houpt, dean of the School of Medicine, said, "The UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center has established itself as a treasured resource of this state, and under Dr. Earp's leadership will not only continue as such but even expand its contributions to patient care and research. We are extraordinarily fortunate to have Dr. Earp take over the reins of this prestigious institution."
Earp has served as a medical school course director and has received multiple teaching awards from medical students, including the Kaiser Permanente Excellence in Teaching award.
The Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of 26 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. Established in 1975, the center has 10 research programs in molecular, clinical and public-health science research.
To UNC-CH Home Page