Dr. David J. Weber
Charles Addison and Elizabeth Ann Sanders Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics
Professor of Epidemiology
Associate Chief Medical Officer, UNC Health Care
Medical Director, Department of Infection Prevention, UNC Medical Center
David Weber’s many titles reflect his many strengths: tremendous expertise in medicine, public health and infectious diseases; devotion to service rendered with the intention of doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people; and managing multiple responsibilities with a steadfast commitment and apparent joy.
It is fitting to recognize Weber’s service as an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist following the worst pandemic since the 1918 influenza pandemic, which caused the death of 42-year-old UNC-Chapel Hill President Edward Kidder Graham. As a clinician, Weber has led in the treatment of patients and implementation of pandemic protocols — including protocols that he innovated during the 2003 SARS outbreak. As an epidemiologist, he made it his mission to reach as many people and groups as possible with up-to-the-minute, highly reliable scientific information. He has served as a state and national leader in research on many aspects of the pandemic, becoming the most published author based on PubMed citations in the field of hospital epidemiology and infection prevention. During this same period, he also worked to address the mpox outbreak, treating patients, conducting research and sharing information with the public.
Weber joined Carolina’s faculty in 1985 and was the first faculty member in the Department of Epidemiology with an interest in infectious diseases. He has mentored dozens of students, helped secure millions in research funding and published hundreds of research papers. His many awards and honors include the UNC School of Medicine’s faculty teaching award, the H. Fleming Fuller Award, and the Gillings School of Global Public Health’s Bernard G. Greenberg Alumni Endowment Award.
