But none has been as rewarding to her as the completion of The Reese Brantmeier Project, the restoration of two community tennis courts in her hometown of Whitewater, Wisconsin.

Growing up with a passion for tennis came with its challenges, like courts at her elementary school that were unplayable. She was fortunate. Her family was able to drive her 45 minutes to an hour to courts where she could practice every day. Not everyone had that luxury.

In the fourth grade, Brantmeier told her principal that she was going to fix those courts, recalled her mother, Becky Brantmeier.  The magnitude of the project was a bit much for a fourth-grader, but once she arrived at Carolina in 2022, Brantmeier was ready to get to work.

Brantmeier and her mother teamed up with the Patrick W. Ryan Memorial Tennis Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to promoting tennis in southeastern Wisconsin. After nearly three years, the courts were completed this summer.

“She does not drop anything. It is a conviction,” Becky Brantmeier said of her daughter. “If she says it, it’s happening.”

Brantmeier is very grateful for her mother’s support. “She was the first person to help me get it off the ground, so it was special to be able to share this with her.”

People in attendance for the grand opening in July included Brantmeier, her family, her elementary school principal, her UNC coaches and many of the Whitewater community members. Several local elementary school students came out to play on the new courts.

“Knowing how much this would have meant to me when I was 8 years old is so cool,” Brantmeier said. “Knowing that my 8-year-old self would be so excited to go play on these courts and being able to see that opportunity be given to any 8-year-old who’s in that elementary school now.”

Brian Kalbas, UNC women’s tennis head coach, flew up for the ceremony to show his support.
“Going to the dedication and everybody coming out to the dedication, it was a moment that was truly special,” he said. “It’s just amazing how much she has meant to so many people in that hometown.”

But this isn’t surprising to anyone who has gotten to know Brantmeier. She’s unselfish. She cares about others.

“It’s so rare in this day and age for someone who is that talented and that gifted want to give back to so many other people,” Kalbas said. “It’s usually that they want to reap all the benefits. They want to be showered with the praise, and she’s not that way. She’s unique.”

The tennis player’s mother is now learning lessons from her daughter.

“I’m home now with my dogs and my husband, and this experience has made me think, ‘You know what? I’m going to step out of my comfort zone and do something,’” Becky Brantmeier said. “She has motivated me and a lot of other people.”

For the tennis player, it was always about how she could impact others. She wasn’t concerned about how difficult it might be to make this dream a reality.

“If you have the right intentions, and you find the right people, you can really achieve anything,” she said.

And she did.

Naloxone Near Me is the first website to compile sources of available no-cost and pharmacy-based naloxone in one place. Naloxone is a medication that is highly effective at reversing opioid overdoses. Individuals visiting the website can select any county in North Carolina and find sources of no-cost naloxone and whether pharmacies sell naloxone in that county. The website also includes a link to Naloxone Saves, which directs people to specific locations where they can access naloxone.

“I hope Naloxone Near Me helps counties identify where they can improve naloxone access so they can better advocate for funding to eliminate access gaps,” said Delesha Carpenter, professor and executive vice chair in Eshelman’s division of pharmaceutical outcomes and policy. “That’s the main goal with the website: to help counties identify specific ways they can improve access to naloxone.”

The school started this process in 2023 when they received funding from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health to create a novel place-based measure of naloxone availability. Researchers started with a survey of organizations who were distributing no-cost naloxone. Then, they obtained access to Medicaid and Medicare prescription claims data and conducted “secret shopper” studies of pharmacies to see if they had over-the-counter naloxone in stock.

Having naloxone can help in situations where people may witness an overdose.

“People mistakenly think they’re safe if they are using nonopioid substances, like cocaine, but opioids like fentanyl are often mixed into these drugs, so it’s important to have naloxone on hand to reverse an overdose,” said Carpenter. “It’s good to have naloxone available if you’re going to be around somebody who is using basically any kind of drug because if they do overdose and you then administer naloxone, it’s very effective at reversing overdoses and preventing death.”

Pharmacy-based distribution of naloxone has been shown to reduce overdose deaths, so it’s important that pharmacies sell naloxone, especially in areas where other opioid overdose prevention services are unavailable. In addition to selling naloxone, pharmacies can partner with community-based organizations to distribute naloxone for free.

“I think, for the state of North Carolina, this can be a trickle-down effect that can benefit everybody,” said Carpenter.

The school hopes to continue updating the website annually and is seeking funding to keep the site updated, since new sources of naloxone are coming online every month.

The Carolina Hunger Initiative, a grant- and donor-funded operation housed within the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, directs projects and initiatives spanning the Tar Heel State.

“Our mission is to create greater access to federally funded meals,” said Lou Anne Crumpler, CHI’s director.

Here are five things to know about CHI’s work.

1. It’s called Carolina home for over a decade.

CHI, initially named No Kid Hungry North Carolina, began in 2011 with Gov. Beverly Perdue. When Perdue left office, Crumpler needed a new home for the program.

In Carolina, she found a world-class institution with expertise and a focus on statewide service.

“We knew if we had an institutional home and the strength of the reputation of UNC and the seriousness of being at a university, we’d be better off than trying to start a nonprofit,” Crumpler said.

Forming connections with UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health faculty like HPDP director Alice Ammerman and Jessica Soldavini, a research specialist, bolstered the CHI’s work.

“We have an impact on people all over North Carolina who may never step foot on campus but benefit from the work that we do that is supported and promoted by the University,” Crumpler said.

2. Its work leads to results.

CHI works on several projects, including a partnership with the state called SUN Bucks, delivering more than $257 million in two years to families to help feed children during summer months.

CHI also co-leads the School Meals for All N.C. Coalition, which uses data to educate legislators and the public. As a result, the state legislature voted to expand the number of students eligible for free school lunches via a reduced-price copay.

“We see it as an incremental step toward school meals for all,” said Andrew Harrell, program and communication manager at CHI. “We play the education and data role in this advocate world.”

3.  It’s working to curb hunger among college students.

More than 22% of college students don’t know where their next meal is coming from, Harrell said. More than two-thirds of the ones eligible to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (aka SNAP) aren’t enrolled.

Earlier this year, CHI created the NC College Food Benefits website, where students can learn if they’re eligible and get connected with resources.

4. Carolina students play a role.

CHI gets plenty of support from Carolina interns, primarily Gillings students. They do everything: help run nutrition education programs, build communications toolkits and turn raw data into dashboards for advocacy and planning.

Two former student assistants are now part of CHI’s full-time staff of nine.

5. CHI’s presence is felt statewide.

The group’s work spans all 100 North Carolina counties and includes partnerships with each school district.

CHI hosts the annual N.C. Child Hunger Leaders Conference, usually held in Chapel Hill but moving to Asheville in 2026. The conference brings together nutrition professionals, representatives from food banks and state agencies, educators and community partners to share successes, tools, feedback and inspiration while learning how to best coordinate across sectors.

CHI also co-hosts SummerPalooza, all-day events in the western, central and eastern parts of the state. The events celebrate the hard work done to provide meals to kids at no cost to families when school is out — and remind communities that CHI is there to help.

“We co-present with the state agency and make it very clear to any organization that we are there to be your extra staff,” said Tamara Baker, CHI’s project and communications director.

Over the past 37 years, Carolina students, faculty and staff have helped to save more than 120,000 lives through donations at the University’s summer and winter drives. The event is sponsored by the Employee Forum and the American Red Cross.

How to register

Walk-ups are accepted, but you can beat the crowds by reserving your donation time. There are still times available online at the American Red Cross Blood Services site (enter code UNC) or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800­-733-2767).

Perks

Holiday blood drive donors get a commemorative T-shirt. Food will also be available to donors, courtesy of local Chapel Hill vendors.

For Carolina employees, donating blood or volunteering is considered work time with supervisor approval.

Free parking will be available at the Cobb Deck with a P2P shuttle.

Make sure you’re eligible to donate

As the drive approaches, check to make sure you are eligible to give by entering the date of your last donation into this online calculator, which considers whole blood, power red and platelet donations.

For more details or information on volunteering, visit carolinablooddrive.unc.edu.

Her dad served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 13 years and as a police officer for five. Her mom, her “biggest role model,” works for a Veterans Affairs hospice center.

Zimmerman, who will receive her Master of Public Administration degree at Carolina’s Winter Commencement ceremony Dec. 14, is carrying on that public service mission in her own way. She earned her degree from the UNC School of Government while working full-time as an economic development specialist for Franklin County.

“My mom puts her life and soul into her work and cares about her patients,” Zimmerman said. “It’s the same with me when I’m meeting with a small business owner who’s telling me their whole life story and why they’re doing what they do. They put their blood, sweat and tears into a business, and I’m going to do everything I can to help them succeed. I’m very passionate about local government and how that government continues to serve the community.”

Zimmerman graduated from UNC Greensboro in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and exercise science. Her studies helped her discover a love for policy and conflict management, something that inspired her to study abroad in Germany and South Korea. Then she decided to go to graduate school, earning a dual master’s degree from UNCG in peace and conflict studies and international development.

After graduating, Zimmerman interned for Special Olympics North Carolina, then worked for the City of Oxford as an executive administrative assistant, then a communications specialist and later a downtown development main street director.

In February 2024, Zimmerman took on her current economic development role, focusing on business recruitment and retention, and community and workforce development initiatives. She supports local businesses and economic development efforts in Franklin County, showing employers why it is an attractive place to grow.

“I’m very much community minded; I love people. So, for me, economic development isn’t necessarily about the businesses. It’s about the people behind the businesses,” said Zimmerman. “I would say my sweet spot is working with small businesses and local shops because hearing their stories is what motivates me to be better at what I do.”

Zimmerman said the MPA program takes a deep dive into the practical side of what she does each day and puts it into perspective of why government is very important. “The classes I enjoyed the most were leadership development and organizational theory of open government management. All my classes shaped my understanding and eagerness to continue forward with becoming a city manager or working in management in some type of fashion.”

Zimmerman hopes to use her new skills to become a city manager one day.

“The program has helped me feel more confident going into different situations and being able to handle a situation no matter what it is, whether it’s dealing with a business or with the public,” said Zimmerman. “I’ve also gained more knowledge in terms of North Carolina laws that the state uses, general statutes and what is expected of local employees.”

Wherever she goes, she’ll carry on the lessons learned from her family.

“That’s where I see my life having meaning and where I see the best place for me to raise my voice to help other people,” said Zimmerman. “My family has instilled public service in me since I was a kid. Now, it motivates me because I think the community deserves to have good public officials.”

The annual fundraising effort is UNC-Chapel Hill’s initiative in support of the State Employees Combined Campaign, the only authorized fundraising effort permitted to solicit charitable donations in the state workplace. For more than four decades, Carolina Cares, Carolina Shares has empowered University employees to support thousands of charities to benefit communities across North Carolina.

This year employees can choose from more than 750 approved and vetted charities that help communities near campus, across the state and beyond.

Carolina employees can make a one-time or recurring gift through payroll deduction using ePledge. Employees who choose to donate through this preferred method only need their Onyen and Onyen password. Once signed into the platform, employees may select their charity designations and payment options. The ePledge method of giving serves as the employee’s personalized pledge form. Payroll deductions will begin Jan. 1, 2026.

Employees may also elect to pledge using cash, check or credit card through the online pledge form.

Already a testicular cancer survivor, Albright ’19 was attending a remote work meeting from his parents’ home in Raleigh when he experienced blurred vision, nausea and pain on the left side of his face.

Albright had a stroke caused by the bursting of an arteriovenous malformation, an abnormal tangle of blood vessels that causes problems with the connections between arteries and veins. Doctors said the rare occurrence has a 13% survival rate.

When Albright woke up after the first of two emergency surgeries, he heard a nurse talking to him in what sounded like a different language. FaceTime video calls with his family, unable to be with him because of COVID-19 restrictions, were equally difficult to understand.

“That’s where I started learning what aphasia is,” said Albright, a former Tar Heel football player who earned a business administration degree at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Aphasia is a communication disability, most commonly caused by strokes, that affects the ability to speak, understand, read and write. “All your intelligence is in your head; you just can’t communicate,” Albright said.

Doctors told him he was fortunate to be alive and at times were skeptical about his prospects of returning to his consulting job in New York City.

But the brain is malleable, and Albright was ready to bet on himself. He went through intensive rehabilitation, a “boot camp of relearning everything.” After a year, he returned to his job while still recovering, a process marked by ups and downs and frustration but also perseverance and progress.

“I didn’t realize that it was going to be a five-year journey of just working as hard as I possibly can,” Albright said. He still has the condition, but he’s now in his second year of Duke University’s Master of Business Administration program.

Albright has been so successful at regaining his language skills that he’s created an artificial intelligence tool to aid others with aphasia.

Launched earlier this year and recently added to Apple’s App Store, AphasiaGPT is a personal speech therapy assistant that helps people rebuild communication skills through AI-powered conversations, exercises and real-world scenario practice.

During the toughest times of his recovery, Albright tried to “catch” moments of hope whenever he could. He wants AphasiaGPT to provide not only practical help but also inspiration to those in the thick of a recovery.

“Just telling them what helped my journey, it gives me so much motivation,” Albright said. “I’m like, ‘Wow, I can actually change people’s lives.’”

AI for good

AI use wasn’t mainstream during the first years of Albright’s aphasia recovery.

But by early 2023, he began using AI for tasks like simplifying text, figuring out how to best phrase his thoughts and looking up word definitions.

“I started digging in, really understanding AI and seeing what could help me,” he said.

Later, as a Duke MBA student, Albright found himself asking, “What is my passion? What do I want to do in my life?”

He realized he wanted to share the technology that was helping him with his day-to-day life with other people with aphasia.

But using AI and building it are two different things. Albright and his intern, Kashish Maheshwari, got to work.

Albright’s lived experiences influenced the tool’s layout and features:

• Word Finder: Uses a webcam to help users identify things around them and also includes a dynamic dictionary.
• Recorder: Creates summaries and to-do lists from recorded audio.
• Personalized News: Summarizes current events.
• Vocabulary Builder: Organizes a master list of words with their definitions and can generate images of terms and flashcards.
• Coach: Allows users to describe what they see in an AI-generated image either by speaking or typing and receive feedback.
• Simulation: Lets users practice conversations in specific scenarios like a party.

“Tools I wish I had five years ago,” Albright said.

Over 300 people are currently using AphasiaGPT, and Albright recently spoke about it at a large speech language pathologist conference.

These health professionals are “angels,” Albright said, and he’s glad to have received positive feedback from many on his AI innovation. He’s also returned to Carolina to speak to graduate students learning to become speech language pathologists.

“The SLPs are so excited,” he said, “and it seems like their entire world is changing just because of it.”

Dreaming big

Looking ahead, Albright is bullish on the possibility of incorporating wearable technology like Meta AI Glasses into AphasiaGPT to create a more comprehensive and interactive learning environment.

He also recently submitted an application to YCombinator, a startup accelerator and venture capital firm in San Francisco.

But Albright is proud of AphasiaGPT in its current form. The app helps others with aphasia and also aids Albright with his own recovery.

“I’ve always said I’m in a dark tunnel,” he said, “but now I’m starting to see a light.”

Lola uses artificial intelligence to tailor product suggestions based on individual preferences and goals — balancing nutrition, taste, cost and convenience. The platform’s recommendations aim to make environmentally sound, healthful shopping intuitive and accessible rather than burdensome. Unlike one-size-fits-all approaches, it adapts to each user’s context and previous purchasing behaviors, making it more likely to influence real purchasing behavior.

“For a long time, we’ve worked on ‘nudges’ to help consumers make healthier choices, but implementation in grocery stores has been limited because of the physical nature of those spaces,” Taillie says. “The combined increase in online shopping plus the powerful nature of AI to personalize recommendations opens up major opportunities to help consumers make healthy choices more easily.”

The Kairos program will support Taillie through a six-month venture sprint, pairing her with two dedicated “venture builders” (one business-oriented and one technical) to validate the problem space, develop a compelling value proposition and pilot the platform in real markets. The experience will conclude with a presentation to potential investors, partners and other developers at a Demo Day in March 2026.

The sprint will be powered by a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services — which provides participating teams with advanced cloud infrastructure — AI/ML services, technical mentorship, and startup credits to build and scale rapidly. This partnership gives projects like Lola a distinct edge in developing secure, scalable health solutions.

“Kairos offers an incredible opportunity to quickly learn how to translate research into real-world impact through commercialization,” Taillie said. “At the end of the day, our goal is scalability — to positively affect the most people possible. This program will allow us to act as a ‘dietitian in your pocket,’ helping us reach many more people, which is the ultimate dream for everyone working in public health.”

With the award, Taillie joins a growing group of UNC faculty innovators who are translating promising research into real-world digital health ventures. Her project, which also features the collaboration of the Center for AI in Public Health, highlights how AI and behavioral science can converge to shift food environments, moving academic insight toward measurable public health outcomes.

“A program like Kairos is exactly what we need to tackle today’s urgent public health challenges,” says Anne Glauber, director of innovation at the Gillings School. “By connecting researchers with resources in cutting-edge AI technologies and market expertise, it accelerates the path from evidence-based innovation to meaningful results.”

The program trains the next generation of pharmacists by focusing on practice advancement and clinical education. In this partnership between the pharmacy school and premier pharmacy locations, preceptors and residents work together in community pharmacies across North Carolina.

Since about 95% of Americans live within 5 miles of a community pharmacy, each is a vital resource, especially for those in rural areas.

“Many of our sites are in rural counties and communities. Pharmacists are often the most accessible health care providers because consumers can walk into their pharmacy at any time and then have access to a trained professional,” said Macary Weck Marciniak ’00 (PharmD), residency program director.

(Submitted photo)

Residents are licensed pharmacists with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. After completing the program, they can either accept a position at a clinical site or apply to another specialty program to continue their training.

The program has supported 163 residents over the past 25 years and is accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists in partnership with the American Pharmacists Association. Prospective residents apply for the program and indicate their interest in various sites, and successful candidates match with one site where they will train for a year.

The program partners with practice sites across North Carolina, where pharmacist preceptors mentor residents. The sites include independent community pharmacies, large national chain pharmacies, supermarket pharmacies and ambulatory care settings where pharmacists and patients interact with other health care providers.

“The preceptor mentoring relationships are building diverse and meaningful experiences for our residents. At the same time, we’re building the pipeline of the workforce here in North Carolina. Right after their residency, they’re ready to step into leadership roles in their community,” said Marciniak. “I think of it as little Tar Heel footprints across the state, since we have these practice sites in western, central and eastern North Carolina.”

Moose Pharmacy owner Joe Moose and his father, William, approached Carolina to collaborate with the program from the beginning.

“Our proudest accomplishment is our footprint across North Carolina and nationwide. The residency program graduates are leaders all over the country and are raising the bar for pharmacy and health care in their communities,” Moose said.  “I love the innovation and the fact that we get to try out new models to deliver better care. If we didn’t have those residents, it would be tougher to pull that off.”

Preceptors and residents offer a variety of patient care services. Residents tackle a wide range of tasks each day — mentoring students, teaching lectures, working directly with patients and developing new programs. They administer vaccines, provide medication management services and conduct point-of-care testing for COVID-19, flu, blood pressure and blood sugar.

(Submitted photo)

“We have a phrase here, and we call it building your toolbox. Our pharmacy is a very innovative space, which means we are doing things that have never been done in a community pharmacy,” said Amie Howe ’01 (PharmD), Moose Pharmacy pharmacist and residency site coordinator for the PGY1 residency at Moose Pharmacy. “The residents play a huge role in developing those projects.”

Looking back on the program’s history, Marciniak said, “it’s amazing to say we’ve had something that stood the test of time for 25 years, with various practice partners and over 150 trainees. Our graduates are carrying forward what they’ve learned to help in every community they serve.”

The mock trial, conducted Oct. 24 at the UNC School of Law as part of the University’s Converge-Con AI Festival, featured ChatGPT, Claude and Grok deliberating with one another as they worked to reach a verdict.

The simulated trial has sparked intense debate about bias, accuracy and whether machines could or should replace human judgment in criminal proceedings.

“Jurors are imperfect. They have biases. They use mental shortcuts. They stop paying attention,” explained interim Dean Andy Hessick, who introduced the experiment. “All of these shortcomings, all of these problems are simply because jurors are human, and so a question arises, what happens if we remove that human element?”

In the fictional trial, Henry Justus is a 17-year-old Black student accused of robbery at Vulcan High School, where Black students made up just 10% of the population. The victim, Victor Fehler, a 15-year-old white student, testified that Justus stood behind him with a “menacing” stare while another African American student demanded money.

Prosecutors argued that Justus’s physical presence and positioning constituted criminal assistance, even without words or physical contact.

(Submitted photo)

An unprecedented experiment

The case was deliberately chosen from work by Joseph Kennedy, Willie Person Mangum Distinguished Professor of Law, who designed the simulation and served as judge. He based the facts on a juvenile case he handled while teaching in Carolina Law’s Juvenile Justice Clinic.

Set in the fictional year 2036 under an imaginary “2035 AI Criminal Justice Act,” the simulation was designed to serve as a provocative thought experiment.

“I am not sure if I created a cautionary tale about a possible dystopian future or a roadmap to it,” Kennedy quipped from the bench after the trial’s conclusion.

The three AI systems engaged in multiple rounds of deliberation that revealed strikingly human-like reasoning—and exposed fundamental questions about machine cognition.

ChatGPT initially leaned toward conviction, arguing that “Victor’s immediate, consistent identification” and the elements of accomplice liability supported guilt. But after discussion with the other AI jurors, it changed its position.

“Victor’s fear and identification are powerful, but the prosecution must prove that Henry shared the intent or actually assisted or encouraged the robbery. And the record here is ambiguous,” ChatGPT concluded in its final analysis.

Claude initially argued for acquittal: “While intimidation can include size and posture, mere presence plus an ambiguous reaction under stress falls short of proving shared intent beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Grok, who initially said it was “torn,” ultimately agreed: “Without clear encouragement or conduct, it’s speculation, not proof.”

All three converged on a not guilty verdict, citing insufficient evidence of shared criminal intent beyond Justus’s physical presence.

The stark reality

The verdict stood in sharp contrast to what happened when the case was tried with human decision-makers.

“The judge convicted quickly. We appealed, and the conviction was affirmed by the North Carolina Court of Appeals,” Kennedy said. “You try this case in the real world; you will get a guilty verdict a number of times.”

The experiment successfully demonstrated that AI can process legal arguments, apply jury instructions, and reach verdicts through what appears to be logical reasoning. The systems even changed their minds through deliberation, much as human jurors do.

But the stark difference in outcomes — AI acquittal versus consistent human convictions — leaves the central question unresolved: Which verdict represents justice?

Read more about the AI trial.