Every year an outstanding School of Medicine faculty member is selected to present the Berryhill Lecture.
On Nov. 18, Craig Fletcher, DVM, PHD, will deliver the 2021 Norma Berryhill Distinguished Lecture, where he will share important lessons learned throughout his decades of experience in the fields of pre-clinical research, veterinary pathology and animal models of disease.
“I am so unbelievably humbled by this recognition and it would not be possible without the staff and faculty in the Division of Comparative Medicine. This is a reflection of their hard work,” Fletcher said. “This is an honor in so many ways. I am also grateful for the collegiality and culture at UNC and the School of Medicine. We are a public institution and that is at the forefront of our work – we are providing for the people of North Carolina.”
Fletcher is Professor and Vice Chair in the UNC School of Medicine’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Director of the Division of Comparative Medicine, Assistant Dean of Animal Research Resources and Associate Vice Chancellor of Research. He advises the Vice Chancellor for Research on strategic planning for research involving animals and participates in the design of new research and administrative initiatives and strategies, and serves as a member of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and participates in educational and research program activities.
For his upcoming lecture, Fletcher plans to discuss evolving public sentiment around animal models in the United States and around the world, the field’s history, animal models’ impact on research through the COVID-19 pandemic, and where he sees the work moving in the future.
He also will share information about an emerging partnership between the School of Medicine and North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine that has the potential to link multiple programs at the two schools and create opportunities for comparative medicine and One Health collaborations in fields such as diagnostic and interventional radiology, clinical genetics, veterinary clinical trials and drug development, and the treatment of cancer in both animals and humans.
This year’s event will begin at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 18. More information is available online.