Burnett-Womack Clinical Sciences Building
Opened in 1975 to house administrative and research space for the Departments of Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Anesthesiology, the building is nine stories tall. It accommodated the medical school's principal clinical research labs and an animal facility. In 2004—6 the building had a complete renovation to accommodate growth and new technology and to relocate the animal facility elsewhere. It now houses the Department of Surgery and the Divisions of Cardiology, Endocrinology, and Nephrology for the Department of Medicine, the Carolina Vaccine Institute, clinical skills assessment facilities, a base for clinical trials, and a center for training in radiological science. The original construction was funded by the North Carolina legislature and a grant from the National Institutes of Health. The renovation was part of the 2000 higher education bond referendum.
The building is named in honor of Dr. Charles H. Burnett (1913—1967) and Dr. Nathan A. Womack, first chairs of the Departments of Medicine and Surgery, respectively. Burnett, a native of Colorado, came to Chapel Hill when the Department of Medicine expanded to a four-year school. He resigned in 1965 due to illness. Womack, a North Carolinian who attended UNC—Chapel Hill for his first two years of medical study, returned in 1951 to lead the Department of Surgery. After stepping down as chair in 1966 he continued to be active in the department. In 1969 his colleagues founded the Womack Surgical Society to honor him and provide a forum for networking, and later a scholarship fund for surgical residents. The society's activities continue as part of the surgery department's annual Research Day.