James Coghill

James Coghill, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, specializing in Hematology within the Department of Medicine. He is a practicing physician in the Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma Program as well as the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at UNC Health.

Dr. Coghill completed his medical education at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2001, followed by an Internal Medicine residency at Duke University (2004), and a Hematology/Oncology fellowship at University of North Carolina Hospitals (2007). He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Medical Oncology.

His primary research focus centers on understanding the immune mechanisms driving graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a critical autoimmune-like complication following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Dr. Coghill's laboratory investigates how conventional and regulatory donor T cells traffic to their sites of action within recipients, with particular emphasis on CC-Chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) biology. His work has demonstrated that in the absence of CCR7, donor T cells induce attenuated GVHD responses while maintaining graft-versus-leukemia effects. This research has led to collaborative efforts with the UNC Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery to develop CCR7 antagonists for clinical trials.

Analysis of Dr. Coghill's publication record reveals a strong focus on immunology, transplantation, and cancer therapy, with recent work emphasizing CAR T-cell therapies, GVHD mechanisms, and novel approaches to managing transplant complications. His research demonstrates a clear trajectory from basic immunological mechanisms to translational applications.

• Phi Kappa Phi Medical Honor Society, 2000
• 1st place in the Medical Student Research Symposium, 2000
• Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor society, 1999
• Sydney Barnam Scholarship for USMLE excellence, 1999
• Negus Biochemistry Prize, 1997
• Pathology Prize, 1997

Dr. Coghill maintains an active clinical practice seeing patients at the UNC Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Clinic. His research program collaborates with multiple institutions and has led to several clinical trials, including work on CCR7 antagonists for GVHD prevention. Patient feedback indicates exceptional communication skills and clinical expertise, with a 4.9/5.0 rating based on 76 patient reviews.