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Visiting scholars make important contributions to the UNC community enriching the research and educational experience for everyone. On April 13, the UNC Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases (IGHID) and Carolina Asia Center (CAC) hosted scholars from the Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, and the Hanoi Medical University in Hanoi, Vietnam.

CAC_China-Vietnam scholars symposium 4-13-2022
First Row L-R: Kathryn Salisbury, Vivian Go, Qing Dan, Wenqiao He, Irving Hoffman, Weiming Tang and Teerada Sripaipan. Second Row L-R: Jonathan Parr, Shuo Han, Shuqin Gu, Trang Nguyen, Van Hoang, Xingqi Zhao and Kevin Fogg.

“The Global Health Visiting Scholar Symposium showcased the incredible work of Vietnamese and Chinese scholars, and highlighted the importance of training programs like the D43 and the China Scholars Program,” said Vivian Go, PhD, director of the IGHID’s UNC Project-Vietnam. “These experiences provide opportunities for in-depth training for researchers in their areas of interest, working with mentors from UNC and their home institutions.”

From Guangzhou, China

Following is a list of postdoctoral fellows and doctoral scholars, and research topics they presented.

  • Xingqi Zhao, PhD – Understanding the Treg and T cell function in autoimmunity, immunological aging, and inflammation
  • Wenqiao He – Plasmodium ovale spp. selective whole genome amplification
  • Qing Dan – The development and evaluation of novel radiosensitizers for lung cancer treatment
  • Shuo Han – The functional lncRNA exploration in fuso infected colorectal cancer cells secreted exosomes
  • Shuqin Gu – Identification and mapping of B-cell epitopes in HBV infection

From Hanoi, Vietnam

Following is a list of faculty and the research topics they presented.

  • Van Hoang, MD, PhD – Quality of Life and Stigma Among People Living With HIV/AIDS in a province in Vietnam: a cross-sectional study
  • Trang Nguyen, PhD – Exploring implementation strategies to reduce methamphetamine use and promote the mental health of female sex workers in Vietnam

“These 7 scholars demonstrated incredible research progress and the strong mentorship of UNC mentors,” said Joe Tucker, MD, PhD, MA, director, IGHID’s UNC Project-China. “I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about their progress and look forward to the next iteration of this symposium.”

Carolina Asia Center Visiting Scholars are primarily foreign nationals requiring a visa to travel to the USA as a visiting scholar. The CAC provides administrative support to obtain the visa, sets up the initial meeting with the faculty adviser and provides reporting for funding agencies as necessary.

“Their performance was so great and beyond my expectations,” said Weiming Tang, PhD, MS, co-director of IGHID’s UNC Project-China. “This opportunity strengthens their ability to summarize and present research findings, which will in turn increase their research capability.”

About the Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases

Established in 2007, the Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases (IGHID) brings transformative solutions to the most important global health issues of our time, through research, training and service. The IGHID has saved millions of lives and shaped policy worldwide through cutting-edge research, especially in the areas of HIV, Malaria and now COVID, where UNC is the most cited university in the nation for coronavirus research. Working in over 50 countries around the globe, the IGHID provides a unique pan-university framework for collaboration and facilitating global health science and practice. It is this framework that continues to catalyze a global health community committed to improving health worldwide while building the capacity of thousands of scientists and health professionals globally.