MD
Professor of Cancer Policy and Innovation
UNC-Chapel Hill
Molecular Therapeutics
Area of Interest
Norman E. (Ned) Sharpless, MD, is the Professor of Cancer Policy and Innovation at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He is interested in cancer therapeutics, novel cancer diagnostics and the intersection of healthcare policy and cancer care.
Dr. Sharpless is the former Director of the National Cancer Institute (2017-2022) and Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2019). Before that appointment, Dr. Sharpless was the Director of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (2014-2017), and a Wellcome Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Genetics at UNC-Chapel Hill (2012-2017).
Dr. Sharpless was a Morehead-Cain Scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill, earning his undergraduate degree in mathematics (with distinction) and his medical degree (with honors and distinction) from the UNC School of Medicine. He completed his residency training at Massachusetts General Hospital and his clinical and research fellowship in hematology and oncology at Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care in Boston.
Awards and Honors
Sharpless is a member of the Association of American Physicians, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the American Association for Cancer Research Academy, and the National Academy of Medicine.
- Lifetime Achievement Award, Triangle Business Journal Health Care Leadership Awards, 2026
News and Stories
Four from UNC Health named in Triangle Business Journal’s Health Care Leadership Awards
Norman E. (Ned) Sharpless, MD, Professor of Cancer Policy and Innovation at the UNC School of Medicine, is this year’s winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Scientific symposium celebrates UNC Lineberger’s 50th anniversary
The 48th annual scientific symposium featured lively talks on cancer discovery and application, marked the kickoff of UNC Lineberger’s 50th anniversary as an NCI-designated cancer center, and celebrated Shelley Earp, MD, for his leadership at UNC and nationally.
