Funding Priority

More Impact in North Carolina and around the World

Staying true to the university’s strategic framework, being 'Of the Public for the Public' is a priority for the future of Carolina, and equal to that is 'Innovation made Fundamental'. We focus on these core imperatives, not to raise our rankings, but rather to make a great impact on the people we serve. The only way we can sustain and grow solution-oriented service is to enhance our position as a preeminent translational research university, thereby strengthening our impact in North Carolina and beyond. 

Innovate and Impact
    Sarah Yelton, environmental education coordinator for the UNC Institute for the Environment, measures water levels using a staff gauge at Botany Pond on June 8, 2017, in Chapel Hill. (Johnny Andrews/UNC-Chapel Hill)

    Reaching Our Destination Starts by Changing Our Approach.

    Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is diagnosed in one out of every 68 children in the U.S., a 123 percent increase since 2002, and one in every 58 children in North Carolina. The disorder effects all races and backgrounds. And, it can last a lifetime.

    Ranked No. 2 in the world for autism research, Carolina is poised to change the trajectory of those lives. Our new Autism Research Center represents the heart of that effort. We recognize the complexity of ASD and have brought together specializations spanning from basic autism research to service delivery to collaborate and do together what can’t be done alone: develop personalized ASD treatments for every age.

    From using genetics to diagnose autism at a much earlier age to scaling up treatments to reach many more people, our collective expertise will tackle every facet of ASD. Not only will individuals with the condition benefit, but family members and caregivers will as well. By seeing individual cases for each person on the spectrum, we forge a bigger path, one that leads the way in ASD treatment.  As we continue down this road, we can determine how it’s treated in the future on our way to our ultimate destination: a cure.

     

    More Innovation and Impact Funding Priorities

    Explore More Stories

    Veteran Matthew Colon stands in a barn with a horse, facing the camera. An American flag is in the background.
    Health

    Helping Veterans Thrive

    An empowering clinical outreach program at UNC-Chapel Hill offers veterans and first responders new hope through holistic health care.

    A male Blue Ridge two-lined salamander is held in the hand of a researcher
    Environment

    Seeking Salamanders

    Carolina students discover their passion and aptitude for fieldwork

    A phone screen with social media apps is shown
    Innovation

    Tackling Crisis of Teens and Screens

    New center providing groundbreaking research and public awareness

    Dante Pittman poses outside with hands on hips and whirligigs in the background.
    Community

    Strengthening North Carolina’s local governments

    Dante Pittman, member of the first cohort of Lead for North Carolina Fellows, is now human relations director for the City of Wilson, his hometown.

    Samantha Meltzer-Brody sits outside at a patio table with a cup of coffee.
    Research

    Improving child and adolescent mental health

    CHAAMP is one of the first research programs focused exclusively on addressing the gap in child and adolescent mental health services.

    A physician sits with her arms on a desk
    Health

    STEPPS to Address Physician Stress

    New recommendations seek to ameliorate stress among health care workers