The UNC Kenan-Flagler Distinguished Alumni in Healthcare is given out each year at the annual UNC Kenan-Flagler Healthcare Conference to recognize a KFBS alumnus with extraordinary career accomplishments in the healthcare industry.  On November 14^th, 2013 the 3^rd award was given to Kenneth B. Lee, Jr., a partner at Hatteras Venture Partners, a leading early stage life science venture capital firm located in Durham, North Carolina.  Previous to Hatteras, Ken spent 29 years advising biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies throughout the world at Ernst & Young, where he was the co-head of International Life Sciences and instrumental in the inception of biotech.

Ken directly shaped the history of biotech and life science, including a deep relationship with Herb Boyer and Genentech.  Other companies he advised in his illustrious career include Affymax, Affymetrix, Applied ImmuneSciences, Chiron, Circadian, Heartport, Systemix, ALZA, and Collagen.  Ken currently serves on the Board of Directors of Clinverse, and is Chairman of the Board of Clinipace.  He is a nationally-recognized financial matters expert and serves on the boards of Maxygen, Inc. (MAXY), Pozen, Inc. (POZN) and Biocryst. He was formerly Chairman of the Board of Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ISPH), prior to the sale of the company. Until April 2009, Ken was also on the board of CV Therapeutics, which was acquired by Gilead Sciences, Inc.  He earned his BA from Lenoir-Rhyne College and graduated from The University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School in 1970.

Previous UNC Kenan-Flagler Distinguished Alumni in Healthcare Award recipients include Jack Bailey, Senior Vice President, Policy, Payers & Vaccines at GlaxoSmithKline, and Bill Starling, co-founder and CEO of Synecor LLC.