Eugene P. Orringer, M.D., is among the pioneers in "translational research," having spent much of his time making discoveries in the laboratory and then seeking to move them to the patient and ultimately to the community. Dr. Orringer received his MD from the University of Pittsburgh in 1969 followed by training in Internal Medicine and Hematology at the University of North Carolina. He is currently Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill where he also serves as the Executive Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development. Dr. Orringer has worked tirelessly to find treatment options for Sickle Cell Disease from NIH-sponsored clinical trials to his innovations for Investigational New Drug protocols (FDA) for combination therapies and next generation treatments. Beginning in the mid-1980’s, Dr. Orringer and his colleagues from Duke University formed the combined Duke-UNC Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center. Together, their group became a model for inter-institutional collaboration, competing successfully for a Sickle Cell Center grant as well as for numerous R01 awards from the NHLBI. Dr. Orringer has served on numerous NIH Advisory Committees and study sections. He is currently a member of two NIH committees including the Sickle Cell Disease Advisory Committee and the Advisory Committee for Research on Women’s Health. Finally, he recently stepped down after almost 20 years as a member of the Governor's Council on Sickle Cell Disease for the State of North Carolina.

In addition to NIH funding for this sickle cell disease-related research, Dr. Orringer has developed and led a variety of NIH-funded programs at UNC. He assumed the Program Directorship of UNC’s General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) in 1989, a role he held for over 10 years, after which he became the Principal Investigator of UNC’s GCRC grant. During his tenure as the Program Director of the GCRC, Dr. Orringer mentored 11 junior faculty members, helping them to obtain NIH translational research grants, at that time referred to as Clinical Associate Physician (or CAP) awards. In 1995, he agreed to accept responsibility for the UNC MD-PhD Program. At that time, it was a very modest program with only 12 students and no extramural support. Within two years, Dr. Orringer and his colleagues were able to prepare and compete successfully for a Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) award from the NIH on which he still serves as the Principal Investigator. Today, this is a very healthy and vibrant program, having grown to a total of 70 combined-degree students who have been recruited to UNC from many of the best schools in the country. Beginning in 2000, Dr. Orringer wrote and enabled UNC to successfully compete for 3 separate K12 Awards, on all of which he has served as Principal Investigator. These three awards include: the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) Program; the NCRR-funded Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Career Development Program; and most recently the Roadmap K12 Program. With these awards, Dr. Orringer and his team have enabled UNC to support an entire cohort of junior faculty members, many of whom have now gone on to compete for their own, independent grant support.

In 2007, Dr. Orringer and his colleagues competed successfully for a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA), and he serves as a Co-PI on the overall CTSA and the leader of the Education, Training and Career Development section of this award.