Distinguished professor makes big research, service impact through INSPIRED Lab

by Matthew Smith

Growing up in a town situated more than an hour-and-a-half away from the nearest “big city,” Trenette Clark Goings directly experienced the impact health care access had on family members and friends.

“I grew up in rural eastern North Carolina in a county without a hospital,” said the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work Sandra Reeves Spears and John B. Turner Distinguished Professor. “Even now my dad drives more than an hour to see a primary care physician.

“Seeing the economic and health disparities faced by people in my hometown, I knew part of my purpose was to help improve health outcomes.”