NEWS

Memorial fund to honor UNC pioneering neuroscientist, scholar, mentor

CHAPEL HILL -- A memorial fund to honor Dr. Pierre Morell has been established at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Donations to the fund will support a lecture and other activities of the School of Medicine’s neurobiology curriculum.

Morell, a pioneering neuroscientist and professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UNC, died July 15 at age 61. A faculty member at UNC since 1973, Morell had helped guide development of UNC’s neuroscience community. He followed Dr. Edward Perl as director of the neurobiology curriculum, the second-oldest neuroscience graduate training program in the nation, and remained director for 10 years, presiding over an unprecedented growth in neuroscience graduate training, while helping to establish the university as a leader in this area.

During a 35-year career, Morell helped revolutionize the scientific understanding of myelin, the cellular support that enables communication between neurons. He was among the first to recognize the necessity of understanding myelin as the sum of its biochemical, genetic and molecular properties.

"Pierre moved his field forward, enthusiastically and tirelessly. His efforts provided new insights into our understanding of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis and the hazards of a wide array of toxic substances for the integrity of the nervous system," said Dr. Anthony-Samuel LaMantia, UNC Neuroscience Center colleague and associate professor of cell and molecular physiology.

A master swimmer, Morell was adjunct professor in the department of exercise and sport science at UNC, where he developed the scuba diving program and taught numerous students.

Remembrances can be made to the "Pierre Morell Fund" at the Medical Foundation of North Carolina and sent to the foundation at 880 Airport Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.

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School of Medicine contact: Les Lang, (919) 843-9687 or llang@med.unc.edu