School of Medicine’s James Evans to Speak at Fourth Distinguished Speaker Series

The fourth installment of the Distinguished Speaker Series, presented by the Student Research Group, will feature the UNC School of Medicine’s Dr. James Evans, the Bryson Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Medicine. This hour-long event is scheduled for Friday, March 1 at 1 p.m. in Room G405 on the ground floor of Koury Oral Health Sciences Building.

At the event, Evans will present a lecture titled What’s Genomics Good For? Realizing its Potential in Clinical Medicine and Public Health. Evans, who serves as the director of the Clinical Adult and Cancer Genetics Services, is known for his interest in cancer genetics and focus on the use of DNA sequencing for gene discovery and clinical diagnosis. His interest in public policy, especially where related to genetics, led him to his involvement with the scientific education of the U.S. judiciary at the State Supreme Court and Federal levels about genetics and scientific issues in general. Notably, his involvement was highlighted in a 2008 New York Times article. Evans has also published widely in the scientific literature and served as a member of the advisory committee to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services on Genetics, Heath and Society, where he led the committee’s task force on gene patenting and its effect on patient care.

Evans earned his Ph.D. and M.D. from the University of Kansas Medical Center Graduate School in 1983 and 1984, respectively. Evans served as UNC’s chief resident of internal medicine before training in medical genetics at the University of Washington. After he completed that training, he returned to Chapel Hill.

The Distinguished Speaker Series is an ongoing Student Research Group project during 2012-13 that will provide various researchers the opportunity to speak to the dental school community. Past installments have featured Drs. Myron Cohen, Bill Maixner and Bill Proffit.