Corbie wins 2023 Ned Brooks Award for Public Service

Honoring a distinguished and sustained record of service to Carolina and the larger community

The Ned Brooks Award for Public Service recognizes a staff or faculty member of the UNC-Chapel Hill community who has, in a collaborative and sustained record of service to Carolina, made a difference in the larger community throughout their career.

This year's Ned Brooks award went to Giselle Corbie, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Social Medicine; Director, Center for Health Equity Research; Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. Corbie was recognized for her distinguished and sustained record of service to Carolina and the larger community. Corbie is noted for her dedication and commitment to fostering healthier, stronger and more equitable communities across the state and mentoring others in addressing health inequities in underserved populations through authentic partnerships and community-engaged research.

Among many notable accolades, Corbie was recognized for founding the UNC Center for Health Equity Research (CHER), which brings teams of scholars, community members, medical professionals and other stakeholders together to advance health equity and improve health outcomes in underserved communities by fostering innovation and translational research. Under Corbie's leadership, CHER has grown to become a key convener and clearinghouse for equity-based education and capacity building across the state. As the Associate Provost for Rural Initiatives, Corbie founded UNC Rural, a campus-wide entity dedicated to creating campus-rural partnerships to strengthen rural communities and to further advance equity across North Carolina.

According to nominator Patricia Harris, "Those commitments to fostering healthier, stronger and more equitable communities across the state are abundantly apparent in Corbie's work with our faculty and University communities," says Harris. She adds, "She has a particular passion for supporting faculty development, a passion that is evident in her efforts as a co-investigator in the Clinical Scholars Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation."

In early 2023, Provost Chris Clemens appointed Corbie to a newly created position, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and stated, "We are proud to have a leader with Giselle's depth of experience and commitment join us in serving the University community. And we are delighted to work with a scholar and person who so fully evidences a commitment to excellence, equity, and ultimately to making the world a more just, more humane, and better place."