UNC officially unveiled Roper Hall, the new 172,000 square-foot home of the university’s School of Medicine, in a special ceremony on Monday night. The building is named for Dr. Bill Roper, dean of the School of Medicine from 2004-2019. Roper also formerly served as both interim president of the UNC system and CEO of UNC Health. A release from the school said Roper Hall “offers innovative spaces where students can hone clinical skills and collaborate with learners from across the medical campus and state.”

“This is a special evening to celebrate both our medical students and Dr. Bill Roper, who this building is named after,” said Dr. Wesley Burks, current dean of the School of Medicine and CEO of UNC Health. “For our medical students, Roper Hall is built in a unique way – around you and your experience as a student here. It really is the beginning of your journey, as you go out from here to serve our patients and change how we practice medicine.”

Roper and Burks were joined by more than 300 people at the building’s grand opening, including UNC chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and UNC System President Peter Hans.

“The work that will be done in this space is a reflection of Carolina’s unwavering commitment to serve through education and it will further empower Carolina’s pursuit of excellence as the leading global public research university in the nation,” Guskiewicz said.

UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz congratulates Dr. Bill Roper at the opening of the School of Medicine’s new Roper Hall. (Image via UNC)

The opening of Roper Hall comes after Berryhill Hall, the former home of the School of Medicine, was demolished in 2020. Roper Hall stands in the same space as the old building on South Columbia Street.

The building contains six floors of training space, including classrooms, seminar rooms, study spaces, an Active Learning Center, a student lounge and a wellness center. Though Monday night’s festivities marked the official opening, Roper Hall has been hosting classes since September 12. The School of Medicine’s 204-person Class of 2027 makes it the largest medical school in the state.

“Unquestionably, this is the medical school of the people of North Carolina,” said Roper. “It’s a great personal honor for me that this building is named Roper Hall. But it’s been an even greater honor and a privilege for me to be able to work with all of you – and the wonderfully dedicated others – across more than a quarter of a century.”

 

Featured image via UNC

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
New UNC Medical School Building to be Named in Honor of Dr. Bill Roper
A new building under construction for the UNC School of Medicine will be named in honor of Dr. Bill Roper, a long-time leader of the school. Roper, who served as the dean for the School of Medicine and the CEO of UNC Health from 2004 until 2019, will be honored by having his name on […]
UNC Sees 30 Graduate Programs Place Highly in 2025 U.S. News & World Report Rankings
Two UNC graduate schools placed in the top three of their respective categories in the 2025 rankings shared by the U.S. News & World Report.
'That Is The Point Of Higher Education': UNC Medical Professors Stress the Intangibles
Should college classes only focus on the skills that translate directly into higher pay? UNC medical professors agree: absolutely not.
UNC Team Aims to Use Research Funding to Bring Medical Screening to Rural Areas
One of the UNC projects that earned Creativity Hubs funding focuses on bringing advanced medical screening to underserved rural populations.
UNC Trustees Approve Demolition of Carrington Hall; New Designs Revealed
The UNC Board of Trustees took a step closer to the “renewal” of Carrington Hall on campus, as they approved the demolition of the current School of Nursing building and designs for its reconstruction. Having first been discussed during Wednesday’s Budget, Finance and Infrastructure Committee meeting, the measures were unanimously approved by trustees as part […]
UNC to Get Infectious Disease Treatment Designation
University of North Carolina hospitals will soon be designated as a treatment center for patients with highly infectious diseases in the region.
UNC School of Medicine Research Named to Forbes' Healthcare Innovators List
A UNC School of Medicine and UNC Health researcher known for studying perinatal depression just landed another honor to her decorated career. In its recent list of “16 Healthcare Innovators That You Should Know,” Forbes included Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody, a long-time UNC faculty member and innovator in studying women’s mood disorders. The magazine pens that […]
UNC School of Medicine to Open Branch Campus in Charlotte
The UNC School of Medicine will soon have a new branch campus to offer North Carolinians a new way to access its top-rated schooling. The branch campus will be located at the Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Made possible through a new partnership between UNC Health, the UNC School of Medicine […]
UNC Graduate Programs for Pharmacy, Nursing Earn Top National Rankings
Many UNC graduate programs earned high marks in the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” list, including some taking the top rankings. The list’s latest results were shared by the university in a release on Tuesday, revealing the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as the top graduate program in pharmacy for the second straight […]
UNC Scientists, Researchers Making Strides Toward HIV Cure
Around 1.1 million people are living with HIV in the United States. Currently, those with the virus take antiretroviral therapy, which can suppress HIV to undetectable levels in blood. Unfortunately, the virus still persists in the body through latent, or hidden, infected cells. For several years, scientists have been trying to bring latent HIV cells […]
›