A $5 million gift from Western North Carolina-based UNC-Chapel Hill alumni John Mitchener (BSBA ’81) and Heath Massey (BA ’83) will transform melanoma research and care at UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine.
The gift establishes the Calvin C. Mitchener, MD Eminent Professorship in Melanoma, bolstering the UNC Melanoma and Complex Skin Cancer Program to advance clinical care, research and education across North Carolina and beyond. This endowed position will support groundbreaking discoveries and innovative treatments, ensuring UNC Health remains at the forefront of melanoma care and that UNC continues to serve as a leader in research and education for generations to come.
Melanoma is one of the fastest-growing cancers in the U.S., with more than 100,000 new cases diagnosed each year and a rising incidence rate. Early detection and innovative treatment strategies are critical, making investment in melanoma research and care more important than ever.
“This gift will ensure that Carolina remains a national leader in skin cancer treatment and research,” said UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “We are particularly pleased when our alumni give back, and we are grateful to John and Heath for this extraordinary support.”
Mitchener and Massey made this generous gift in memory of John’s late father, Dr. Calvin Mitchener, a UNC graduate (BA ’45, Certificate of Medicine ’47) who completed his dermatology residency training at Duke, graduating in 1953. A board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Mitchener dedicated his career to skin health before passing away from melanoma in 1997.
“Besides being a great dad, he was an accomplished dermatologist in Charlotte for his whole career,” John said.
It was with this lifetime of knowledge that Dr. Mitchener read his own biopsy results after his wife, Cynthia, noticed an irregular growth on his back.
“He called it the big, bad wolf,” John said of his father’s diagnosis. “At that time, given the stage of melanoma that he had, there just were not a lot of options for treatment.”
After facing his own melanoma diagnosis in 2024, John began to look more closely at complex skin health programs in the state. And while his tests fortunately showed his melanoma had not spread, he and Heath were still motivated. They turned their attention to their alma mater, where leaders across the Departments of Surgery and Dermatology as well as UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have been providing standout care to melanoma patients for decades.
“As we began to research, it became clear that the UNC Melanoma and Complex Skin Cancer Program was an excellent program, and we decided we wanted to help enhance the program in a way that would also honor my father,” John said.
“I’ve become involved with the UNC Board of Visitors, and Heath and I have been coming back to Chapel Hill more frequently. Looking at the University today and realizing what a big difference it has made in both of our lives, we just couldn’t think of a better place to help out.”
By establishing an eminent professorship, Mitchener and Massey are empowering the School of Medicine to recruit a national leader in the melanoma and complex skin cancer field, providing support to an already strong program that features experts across a variety of disciplines working to improve outcomes for patients with melanoma and other skin cancers.
“We are grateful to John and Heath for this generous investment in the future of melanoma care,” said Wesley Burks, MD, dean of the UNC School of Medicine and CEO of UNC Health. “This is a fitting tribute to Dr. Mitchener, a pioneer in skin health who dedicated his career to serving North Carolinians, and we are honored that John and Heath chose to extend that legacy in a way that will support UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine now and in the future.”
“This support from John and Heath will help us secure the long-term success of our UNC Melanoma and Complex Skin Cancer Program,” said Caprice C. Greenberg, MD, MPH, chair of the UNC Department of Surgery. “Through this investment in an eminent professorship, we will be able to grow and adapt in a way that will serve both our patients and those who dedicate their time and effort to working within the program.”
“We are incredibly honored to carry forward the passion that Dr. Mitchener had for patient care,” said Laura Ferris, MD, PhD, chair of the UNC Department of Dermatology. “John and Heath care deeply about advancing the work happening in our School of Medicine and we are excited for what this will mean for how we serve our patients in the future.”