UNC Lineberger’s Barbara Savoldo, MD, PhD, and Stephanie Wheeler, PhD, MPH, were recently approved as named distinguished professors, one of the highest honors a university bestows to a faculty member.
Savoldo is the inaugural recipient of the Champion Mitchell Distinguished Professorship at UNC School of Medicine, and Wheeler is the first Michael S. O’Malley, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Cancer Health Policy and Community Engaged Research at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
“It is no secret that our faculty are some of the best and brightest in their respective fields. This makes them highly attractive to other academic and medical institutions — many of which have the means to make very compelling, and deep-pocketed, recruitment offers,” said UNC Lineberger Director Shelley Earp, MD. “Our ability to recognize our faculty with named distinguished professorships, and to support them with the additional funding that comes with it, helps us to retain them and to give them the resources to be even more innovative and successful. None of this would be possible without our donors who share our vision and our commitment to our faculty.”
Michael S. O’Malley Distinguished Professorship
The Michael S. O’Malley Distinguished Professorship was established in 2023 and honors the late longtime associate director of the cancer center, who established UNC’s first cancer control and prevention course two decades ago.
The professorship is funded by two separate gifts: an estate gift from a deceased donor and a matching gift from an anonymous donor. The anonymous donor made a $25 million gift to the cancer center in 2022 to create the UNC Lineberger Center for Triple Negative Breast Cancer and support other key UNC Lineberger initiatives, including the UNC Lineberger Cancer Research Professorship Challenge Fund, which was founded to spur support of multiple endowed professorships.
“I am deeply humbled to receive the Michael S. O’Malley Distinguished Professorship, and I am extremely grateful to the donors, Drs. Shelley Earp and Lisa Carey and the cancer center for recognizing the potential for my work to make an impact in North Carolina and beyond,” Wheeler said. “What makes this even more special is to be able to carry on part of Michael’s legacy and his unwavering commitment to health policy, cancer health equity research and community engagement work across UNC and the nation. Michael was beloved by all, including me, and he was a major contributor to my early career decision making and development. To be able to continue in the footsteps of someone who did so much for this university and the state of North Carolina is an incredible honor and a privilege.”
Wheeler is a visionary leader in the study of social, behavioral, clinical and organizational factors that affect health care access, quality, value and equity. She has a specific interest in improving access to care for vulnerable populations, particularly rural, uninsured and underinsured people. Wheeler has published more than 250 peer-reviewed research papers.
“Stephanie started her academic studies as a biology and theatre double major who loved data science and engagement with diverse audiences. She maintains her data-driven and community-engaged approach mixed with an amazing font of compassion for those affected by cancer,” Earp said.
In addition to her research, Wheeler is the associate director of community outreach and engagement at UNC Lineberger and a member of the cancer prevention and control research program. She is also the director of the coordinating center for the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network, a national network of academic, public health and community partners funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce the burden of cancer, especially among those disproportionately affected.
Champion Mitchell Distinguished Professorship
The Champion Mitchell Distinguished Professorship was established by Champ Mitchell of New Bern, N.C. This is the second endowed professorship associated with the UNC Lineberger Triple Negative Breast Cancer Research Professorship Challenge.
“This professorship is an immense honor. I feel grateful beyond words to both Champ Mitchell and the anonymous donor who established the UNC Lineberger Cancer Research Professorship Challenge Fund. Their generosity made this professorship possible,” Savoldo said. “When I first met Champ and his wife, ET, I was impressed by their genuine interest in our program. Since that initial meeting, I have had many opportunities to connect with them for updates and every time I am amazed and inspired by their dedication to helping others and their community. Their support aligns so closely with the cancer center’s mission, and having Champ’s name associated with this professorship means the world to me. It serves as a constant reminder of why I am passionate about this work.”
Savoldo, who is the author of more than 150 peer-reviewed research papers, is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist and co-leader of the UNC Lineberger Cellular Immunotherapy Program. She is recognized globally for her research focused on harnessing the body’s own immune responses to attack advanced cancers that haven’t responded to standard therapies.
She has been pivotal in establishing UNC Lineberger as one of the largest academic centers for cell therapy manufacturing in the United States. She and her research colleagues have the scientific, technical and clinical capabilities to identify new tumor targets and then develop and infuse novel CAR-T immunotherapy. UNC Lineberger currently has 15 adult and pediatric CAR-T trials open that are only available at the cancer center. It also offers six commercially available CAR-T therapies.
“Barbara has the amazing breadth of scientific innovation combined with the practical cell engineering expertise that helped put UNC Lineberger ‘on the cellular therapy map.’ This has produced remarkable treatments for what were once thought to be untreatable diseases,” Earp said.