The Campbell Faculty Development and Research Committee had the honor of awarding the D. P. Russ, Jr. and Walter S. Jones, Sr. Alumni Award for Research Excellence to Dr. Miranda van Tilburg, professor of clinical research at the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (CPHS) and chair of the institutional research board.
Van Tilburg is an internationally renowned researcher in the areas of gastrointestinal motility disorders, pediatric gastroenterology and behavioral sciences. She has published more than 200 articles, 50 of which have been published since her arrival at Campbell University. She is an active participant in multiple organizations, institutions, and professional societies as well as serving as an advisor to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Van Tilburg has received over $10 million in grant funding, including a prestigious National Institutes of Health grant, and assists with grant funding processes for colleagues. Her work directly benefits children and their families in clinical settings, and she reaches out to the public through television interviews and her very popular Twitter account (with a monthly reach of ~1.5 million).
“If you ever have a discussion with Dr. van Tilburg, you will quickly recognize her conviction that discovery and research must be instilled in our students and fostered within our faculty,” her nomination letter reads. “She is continually mentoring undergraduates, graduate students, professional students, fellows, and junior faculty across Campbell University and beyond.
Van Tilburg has invited faculty of CPHS and CUSOM to be co-investigators, co-author publications, and write grant applications. One of her most recent initiatives is the development of an interprofessional academic course/program in CPHS to improve the scientific writing ability of students. When an accomplished individual sets time aside and takes active efforts to support others, it is impressive and notable.”