Robert E. Bryan Public Service Award

The Robert E. Bryan Public Service Award honors the memory and accomplishments of alumnus Robert E. Bryan ’26 of Newton Grove, North Carolina, who worked his way through the University to become a successful businessman, entrepreneur and public servant.

At least five Bryan Awards are given each year for a specific effort (rather than an overall record) exemplifying outstanding engagement and service to the state of North Carolina that is characterized by:

• Working in partnership with community members,
• Inspiring and involving others, and/or helping others to serve,
• Responding to a practical problem, issue or concern of the state and
• Working to assure the impact in the community is lasting.

Bryan awards will be given to recognize at minimum an outstanding

• Undergraduate student
• Graduate student
• Faculty member
• Staff member and
• Officially recognized student organization.

Recipients receive a $500 award and recognition at the annual Public Service Awards ceremony. Previous recipients of Public Service Awards are not eligible. To view a list of past recipients, click the “Previous Award Recipients” button at the bottom of this page.

Nominations for the 2025 Robert E. Bryan Public Service Awards are now closed and winners will be announced in mid-April 2025. Please email ccps@unc.edu with any questions. 

2024 Robert E. Bryan Public Service Award Recipients

Undergraduate

Lydia Rowen, a ‘24 Robertson Scholar with a major in environmental science and a GIS minor, received the award in recognition of her work with the ReCYCLEry, a nonprofit community bicycle shop serving the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Community. After joining the ReCYCLEry as an intern her first year at UNC, Rowen has become a vital member of the organization. As a MacDonald Fellow, she partnered with the ReCYCLEry to increase the shop’s Spanish-language accessibility. She also works with the WTF Wrench nights, workshops for women, trans, femme, non-binary and gender non-conforming community members. One of her nominators, Richard Giorgi, wrote, “Lydia came to us as an intern and immediately stepped into the role and took responsibility for many aspects of our community workshop. She stepped up in many instances for the community, assuming leadership and opening our services to people who may not feel comfortable in a larger workshop setting. Having this opening is vital for helping serve all community members.”

Graduate

Margarett McBride is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of Developmental Psychology at UNC. McBride was recognized for her work with Cities United, an organization dedicated to “reducing gun violence and creating better lives for young Black men and boys, their families, and their communities”. As a mentor for the Young Leader Fellowship, McBride has mentored more than 30 young leaders, and she aided Cities United in developing their storytelling and narrative change initiatives—a vital aspect of the violence prevention movement to create lasting change in how individuals see Black men and boys. As a member of the UNC community, McBride has also provided leadership through several graduate school initiatives, including groups such as Diversity Student Success, Institute of Minority Excellence and the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association.

Staff

Roy Zwahlen received the award in recognition of his service and leadership at the Eshelman Innovation Institute. As Chief Strategy Officer, Roy focuses on expanding the efforts of the institute across the campus, beyond the School of Pharmacy, and directing innovations towards the most impactful science for patients in need across NC and beyond – in particular, the development of a “Therapeutic Accelerator” developing new drugs and a “Digital Health Venture Studio,” launching new digital health startup companies across the state. One of his nominators, John Bamforth wrote, “Roy was instrumental in re-designing the drug development process within the Institute. He and his team not only built an extremely robust diligence process to identify projects with high therapeutic potential but also a team of project managers to manage the work. … The accelerator now has an extensive portfolio of new drugs across oncology, neuroscience and infectious disease.”

Faculty

Dr. Evan Ashkin was presented the award for his work in improving the health of incarcerated individuals. Dr. Ashkin founded the North Carolina Formerly Incarcerated Transition (FIT) Program in 2017 to connect formerly incarcerated individuals with healthcare and other reentry services. The program is now partnered with several health centers across the state and serves six counties in North Carolina. One of his nominators, Theodore Zarzar, wrote, “NC FIT is now an integral part of aftercare planning for hundreds of people released from incarceration. I cannot overstate the impact NC FIT has had on the lives of people returning to North Carolina communities from jails and prisons. People whose transitions to the community have historically been fraught with poor continuity of care and a lack of access to essential health services … have been able to work with peer navigators to get connected to potentially lifesaving treatment. Dr. Ashkin is a mentor to many, both at UNC and with his community partners, who advocate for the health of incarcerated individuals.”

Organization

The Middle East Refugee Aid (MERA) Organization received the award in recognition of their continued work of providing equitable access to medical and dental aid for Middle Eastern refugees. UNC seniors Bilal Azzam and Tala Jazairi established MERA as a nonprofit in 2022, and MERA provides health services for Middle Eastern refugees, both locally and globally. They recently held a health fair in Durham, North Carolina, and provided translation and healthcare services to everyone in attendance. They have also distributed dental health resources to refugee camps in Palestine and Jordan and are coordinating efforts to distribute humanitarian aid in Sudan and Gaza.

For more information, contact CCPS.