UNC renames public health school after gift

CHAPEL HILL — The University of North Carolina is renaming its School of Public Health after getting a $50 million private gift.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is being named Friday after the gift from Dennis and Joan Gillings.

Dennis Gillings is chief executive of Quintiles Transnational, a Durham clinical research firm.

The newspaper reported the Gillingses and other Quintiles staffers serve on advisory boards related to the school.

The gift is the largest the Chapel Hill school has received from an individual or family. It put the school’s Carolina First campaign over the $2 billion mark.

The dean, Barbara Rimer, said some of the money will be used to study obesity, global health, and clean and accessible water.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)