News Release

Benjamin is named first Floyd W. Denny Jr. 
distinguished professor at School of Medicine

CHAPEL HILL – Dr. John T. Benjamin has been selected as the first Floyd W. Denny Jr. M.D. Distinguished Professor in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

Benjamin is a professor in the department of pediatrics and chief of the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The new distinguished professorship honors the career, ideals and memory of the late Dr. Floyd W. Denny Jr., who was chairman of UNC’s department of pediatrics for 21 years and was on the faculty for 41 years.

"Dr. Benjamin is recognized nationally for his contributions to improving education of both trainees and practicing physicians," said Dr. Alan Stiles, Brewer distinguished professor and chairman of UNC’s department of pediatrics.

"With his participation and leadership, the American Academy of Pediatrics has developed programs for physicians in practice to access continuing education and residents in training to utilize educational materials and track training milestones using Web-based educational tools. He is also a superb physician, a clinical scholar and an important leader in the N.C. Children’s Hospital.

"For these and many other reasons, I think Dr. Denny would be very pleased that Dr. Benjamin is the first to hold the Floyd W. Denny Jr. M.D. Distinguished Professorship."

Benjamin received his medical degree from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1966 and then completed his residency at UNC in 1969. After three years in the U.S. Army in Germany, he returned to be the first fellow in hematology-oncology at UNC.

From 1973 until 1994, Benjamin worked at Pediatric Associates in Charlottesville, Va. At the community hospital in Charlottesville, Martha Jefferson Hospital, he was a member and then chairman of the executive committee, as well as the president of its medical staff. While in practice at Pediatric Associates, he developed an interest in office-based laboratories. This led to several national leadership positions in training physicians in the appropriate use and development of office-based laboratories.

He joined the faculty of the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Ga., in 1994. There, Benjamin developed a model program for resident training in outpatient pediatrics, received the medical school’s Educator of the Year Award seven successive years and received the Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award for Research Institutions in the State of Georgia in 2003.

Benjamin returned to UNC in August 2003 as division chief of general pediatrics and adolescent medicine. Since returning to UNC he has continued his national leadership in education programs sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics and has become a highly engaged educator of trainees and faculty.

He also is associate chairman for clinical affairs in the department of pediatrics and pediatrician-in-chief for the N.C. Children’s Hospital.

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Photo note: To download a photo of Benjamin, click on http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/faculty/BenjaminJohn_picture.bmp

UNC School of Medicine contact: Stephanie Crayton, (919) 966-2860 or scrayton@unch.unc.edu