“Our pledge to the School of Public Health reflects our admiration for the School and its accomplishments — and our desire to give it the resources needed to develop and deliver health innovations faster to the people of North Carolina and the world.
Joan and I, having been personally involved with the School for more than 30 years, are delighted to make this gift. With it, we believe the School of Public Health can lead the way in 21st century public health advances.” — Dr. Dennis Gillings, CBE
Preventing disease, confronting the disparities of health care, improving overall public health for entire populations — these are some of the most pressing issues facing us at the dawn of the 21st century.
That is why the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is dedicated to providing groundbreaking research and world-class education for the next generation of leaders in public health. That is why across North Carolina and around the world,
We are making a difference.
A $50 million personal pledge from Dennis and Joan Gillings allows the School to continue its mission at an accelerated pace.
Highlights from the Naming Ceremony on September 26, 2008.
Trailer 39
Dr. Dennis Gillings joined the UNC Department of Biostatistics faculty in 1971 and began his teaching career with fellow assistant professor Dr. Gary Koch in what was known as “Trailer 39.”
The trailer (middle left), a makeshift office set up in a parking lot behind Rosenau Hall, gave rise to the work done in Koch’s Biometric Consulting Laboratory and the independent consultations that grew into Quintiles Transnational Corp.
Gillings served on the School’s faculty until 1988. He is now chairman and chief executive officer of Quintiles Transnational Corp.
Koch (lower left) is shown outside the trailer in the early 1980s. He is a professor and director of the Biometric Consulting Lab. Read more about the history of the Department of Biostatistics in the Fall 2008 issue of Carolina Public Health Magazine.
Early Gillings Research
“The Structure of Health Services Research” was one of the earliest research projects by Dr. Dennis B. Gillings when he was an Assistant Professor of Biostatistics in the School of Public Health. This report, presented to the Health Sciences Library on December 15, 1975, analyzes various research methodologies and culminates in a redefinition of health services research.