NEWS

Local angle: Blowing Rock

By CHRYS BULLARD
Office of University Development

CHAPEL HILL -- Will and Donna Biles of Blowing Rock celebrated what would have been their daughter’s sixth birthday by making a gift to parents across the nation. They are making a $2.5 million donation to the department of pediatrics in the University of North Carolina School of Medicine for the study of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The gift was made on the Biles’ behalf by an anonymous trust in memory of their daughter, Samantha Ann Biles, a 1997 victim of SIDS.

"We have dreamed of doing something to help find out what causes SIDS ever since our daughter died," said Will Biles. "We were thrilled to learn about the research being done at UNC-Chapel Hill. It also pleased us that the research was taking place in conjunction with the opening of the new North Carolina Children’s Hospital, the only hospital in the state that treats children regardless of their ability to pay."

SIDS is the sudden death of an apparently healthy infant whose death remains unexplained after a postmortem investigation. It is the leading cause of death in infants between 1 month and 1 year of age. Samantha Biles was four months old when she died.

"SIDS has been associated with problems of the heart, lungs, infections, sleeping positions and abnormalities but the underlying cause is not known, "said Dr. Alan Stiles, chair of the department of pediatrics. This gift is exciting for the faculty because it will help establish a new research group that builds on our strengths in cardiac, pulmonary and brain development research. This work could eventually lead to prevention of these tragic losses for families."

Income from $1.5 million of the endowment will create the Samantha Ann Biles Distinguished Professorship, used to attract or retain a SIDS physician-scholar in the department of pediatrics. The university will apply for $334,000 in state matching funds from the Distinguished Professors

Endowment Trust Fund to supplement the professorship. Income from the endowment’s remaining $1 million will create the Samantha Ann Biles Fund for SIDS Research to support the work of faculty and to bring visiting SIDS scholars to campus.

"Research made possible by this generous gift has the potential to directly impact children and families in North Carolina and across the nation," said Dr. Jeffrey L. Houpt, dean of the UNC School of Medicine. "It establishes a new area of research that draws on the strengths of scientists and clinicians already at work at one of the nation’s leading schools for health related research."

Biles’ gift counts toward the Carolina First campaign goal of $1.8 billion. Carolina First is a comprehensive, multi-year private fund-raising campaign to support Carolina’s vision of becoming the nation’s leading public university.

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Office of Development contact: Speed Hallman, director of development communications, 919-962-0027, speed_hallman@unc.edu
News Services contact: Mike McFarland, 919-962-8593, mike_mcfarland@unc.edu