About Us

The major objective of the UNC BSP is to support and enhance translational, clinical, population, and basic science research at UNC and beyond. This goal is achieved by providing the research community with a centralized, quality- controlled and quality-assured facility for the processing, storage and disbursement of human biospecimens. All operations are administered in accordance with our Manual of Operation (MOP) and QA/QC policy documents, which are based on repository industry standards. In addition, the BSP is an IRB-approved UNC Core Facility and requires individuals’ studies/projects to provide documentation of IRB approval before sample receipt/processing/storage/distribution. The BSP works with an internal advisory board of experts representing various disciplines at UNC to help establish policies and promote collaborations. Finally, the BSP utilizes a state-of-the-art Laboratory Information Management specimen tracking System (LIMS) designed specifically to meet the immediate, inventory-style tracking needs of multiple health research projects and whose database is maintained on secured backed-up servers.

The BioSpecimen Processing Facility was established in 2005 through joint coordination between the Carolina Genome Sciences Center, Department of Genetics, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, and the Provost’s office. Ongoing support is provided by the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (LCCC) and the Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility (CEHS).

The facility is located on the Epidemiology floor  (3rd floor), Rm 3213, in the School of Public Health’s Michael Hooker Research Center, at the corner of Manning Drive and Columbia St, Chapel Hill, NC.  Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM Monday through Friday

BSP Staff and Advisory Committee:

Faculty Director:
Patricia V. Basta, PhD., Department of Epidemiology

Research Specialists:

Hannah Lee Dixon, M.Sc.

Brent Chen, M.Sc.

Advisory Committee:

Andrew F. Olshan, Department of Epidemiology (SPH), Ph.D

Melissa Troester, Dept of Epidemiology, PhD (SPH)

Kimon Divaris, Department of Pediatric Dentistry (SOD), DDS., Ph.D

Michael Kappelman, Department of Peds-Gastroenterology (SOM), MD., MPH.

Jessica Booker, Department of Pathology Lab Med (SOM), Ph.D