The 4th Annual Global Health Scholars Symposium—sponsored by the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and the Gillings School of Global Public Health—opened February 13 recognizing the resilience of UNC’s global health programs and the enduring partnerships that withstand today’s challenging landscape. The event brought together trainees, faculty, and partners to showcase research across the world, spanning HIV prevention, mental health, emerging infectious diseases, and environmental health—demonstrating the breadth and depth of UNC’s global health research portfolio.
Welcome
Dr. Vivian Go, UNC Project-Vietnam country director, and professor of health behavior at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, recognized the symposium as the largest to date.
“We are thrilled to report that we received nearly 60 abstracts from international and US-based trainees who are actively involved in research at UNC international sites. These sites have provided and continue to provide incredible opportunities for our trainees to engage in impactful and rigorous global research.”
A Message of Resilience
Dr. Myron “Mike” Cohen, founding director of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, delivered a message that anchored the morning.
“We have this very unique situation at UNC, with five health science schools all physically together, and this proximity has enabled UNC to evolve from a modest infectious disease community into a robust infectious disease and global health community, now one of the University’s largest research engines.”
Dr. Cohen recognized the Institute’s enduring commitment to collaboration that defines UNC’s global mission.
“For those who are now thinking about going forward…for the next generation…there will be a next generation. We will protect our sites in Asia, Africa and the Americas. We will protect our sites and our faculty almost against all odds. We will live through the current era and continue to recruit students who will have opportunities.”
University-Wide Perspective
Dr. Penny Gordon-Larsen, UNC Vice Chancellor for Research, had the strongest words to underscore just how central global health has become to UNC’s identity.
“Global health is not just a strength of Carolina, it’s a defining pillar of who we are as a university. Our international research portfolio advances discoveries that touch the U.S. and our state. And no matter what global work it is, it always comes back to impact the way people who live here, very locally, to this university.”
She also emphasized the importance of long-term, reciprocal partnerships and the training environment that UNC has built–speaking directly to the Institute’s investigators.
“You all go where the diseases are, you partner with people from across many, many parts of the world. You speak the languages. The commitment is just incredible, and the partnerships are truly inspirational.”
Find Recording
Speaker Spotlights Followed
Zhuoheng Yin — UNC Project China
Talk: Co-creating a User-Centered TelePrEP WeChat Mini-Program for Chinese MSM
Zhuoheng Yin showcased an innovative participatory “designathon” approach to developing a TelePrEP WeChat Mini‑Program tailored for Chinese MSM. His work emphasizes community co‑creation to ensure digital HIV‑prevention tools are intuitive, culturally aligned, and responsive to users’ real needs.
Nefer Batsuli, MPH — UNC IDEEL Lab
Talk: Preventing Vertical Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Nefer Batsuli discussed strategies to reduce mother‑to‑child transmission of hepatitis B in the DRC, highlighting critical opportunities to strengthen screening and treatment within maternal and child health systems.
Omar Zepeda — D43 Nicaragua Doctoral Trainee
Talk: Serological Studies of Zika and Dengue in Nicaraguan Mother–Child Dyads
Omar Zepeda presented new insights into how Zika and dengue exposures shape immunity in mothers and infants in Nicaragua, contributing important evidence to arboviral disease surveillance and prevention.
John Chapola — PhD Student, Health Policy & Management
Talk: Beyond Survival: Health-Related Quality of Life among Breast Cancer and Lymphoma Survivors in Malawi
John Chapola highlighted the lived experiences of cancer survivors in Malawi, demonstrating that quality of life—physical, emotional, and social—is a critical but often overlooked dimension of cancer care.
Claudia Gaither — PhD Student, Epidemiology
Talk: Malaria Prevalence and Proximity to Mineral Processing Pits in Northwestern Tanzania
Claudia Gaither examined environmental drivers of malaria risk, revealing potential links between mining‑related land use and malaria transmission in communities located near mineral processing pits.
Linh Pham, MPH — UNC Project Vietnam
Talk: Fidelity Assessment of the SNaP Intervention for People with HIV Who Inject Drugs
Linh Pham shared lessons from evaluating implementation fidelity during Vietnam’s scale‑up of SNaP, a systems navigation and psychosocial counseling intervention, underscoring what it takes to maintain high‑quality delivery in real‑world settings.
Nana Boakye Agyeman Badu — Neurology Resident, MUSC
Talk: Non‑Traditional Stroke Risk Factors and Mortality in Zambian Adults
Nana Badu presented findings from a prospective cohort study exploring how non‑traditional risk factors contribute to stroke outcomes in Zambia, offering important insights for improving stroke prevention and care.
Ashley Wade, MD Student
Talk: Environmental and Socioeconomic Determinants of Pediatric Malaria Hospitalization in Rural Uganda
Ashley Wade explored how flooding, environmental exposures, and socioeconomic conditions intersect to influence pediatric malaria hospitalization in vulnerable rural Ugandan communities.
Poster Session
A poster session followed the Individual presentations, as well as lightning talk breakouts.
- Ye Liu, MSPH, UNC Project China – “Pay-It-forward gonorrhea testing randomized controlled trial”
- Khar Dieng-Diatta, MD student – “Health systems readiness and quality of inpatient malaria case-management in DRC”
- Wolfgang Bahr, PhD student Health Behavior – “Navigating HIV, Hypertension, and Diabetes Care among Women Sex Workers in the Dominican Republic”
- Luis Zambrana, PhD – “Association between human milk oligosaccharide concentrations and child growth in a Nicaraguan birth cohort”
- Marleny Nolasco – “Regression-based Neuropsychological Testing Norms for Young and Middle-aged Spanish-speaking Peruvians in Lima”
- Cedra Ali, BS student – “Migraines in HIV-Positive Populations”
- Hillary Mortensen – “Acceptability of a nurse-led community-based rehabilitation program to improve the ongoing, post-acute care of people living with psychosis in Malawi”
- Mia Buono, PhD student in Epidemiology – a) “Evaluating the Impact of a Community-Based Rehabilitation Intervention on Quality of Life among People Among People with Psychosis and their Caregivers in Malawi: A Mixed Methods Analysis” and b) “Addressing the goals and needs of people living with psychosis in Malawi through community-based rehabilitation: A mixed methods analysis”
- Alex Zumazuma – “Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Recovery from Psychosis in Blantyre, Malawi: Definitions, Goals, and Interventions”
- Samantha Beck, PhD student in Pathobiology & Translational Sciences – “Alterations of DNA Methylation Profiles in DLBCL due to HIV and ART”
- Lauren Sprouse, PhD student in Environmental Science and Engineering – “Sewer overflows as pathogen vectors in urban Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis of pathogen hazards, influencing factors, and recommendations for policy and practice”
- Evaristo Kunka, MMed – “Accuracy of Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter and Optic Disc Elevation for Discrimination Between Patients with Hemorrhagic and Ischemic Stroke at the Adult Hospital of The University Teaching Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia”
- Yaoska Reyes, PhD – “Targeted interventions to enhance black soldier fly larvae-mediated reduction of antibiotic-resistant genes and zoonotic pathogens in swine manure”
Lightning Talks
1. HIV and Sexual Health
- Laura Limarzi-Klyn, PhD student in Health Behavior (In-person)
“Early Lessons Learned from a Systems Navigation Intervention to improve HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis persistence among men seeking sexually transmitted infection services in Lilongwe, Malawi (HPTN 112: Njira)” - Gomezgani Lukhanda, (Remote)
“Acceptability and Feasibility of Integrating an Enhanced HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Implementation Strategy into a Sexually Transmitted Infection Clinic in Lilongwe, Malawi – a prospective, observational cohort study” - Shamen Chauma, PhD student in Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases (Remote)
“Qualitative Evaluation of a Differentiated Point-of-care Active Case finding & Management (PAC-Man) Model for the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV in Lilongwe and Mangochi, Malawi” - Clara Lemani, Demography Fellow (Remote)
“Assessing the Impact of Covid-19 on Access to Family Planning and HIV Services among Women in Lilongwe, Malawi” - Laika Maganga, PhD student at UNC School of Nursing (Remote)
“Peer Support Preferences Amongst Adolescents Living with HIV, Caregivers, and Healthcare Providers in Lilongwe, Malawi” - Lauryn Ursery, PhD student in Epidemiology (In-person)
“HIV-Associated Viral Acute Respiratory Tract Illness (HAVARTI): The burden and severity of vaccine-preventable respiratory infection in people living with HIV in rural Uganda”
2. Mental Health, Substance Use, and Stigma
- Gladwell Masiye, UNC Project Malawi (Remote)
“Postpartum Depression Among Women Using PrEP During Pregnancy and Postpartum: Preliminary Results from a Cohort Study in Lilongwe, Malawi” - Mia Buono, PhD student in Epidemiology (In-person)
“Predictors and outcomes of internalized stigma among people living with psychosis and their caregivers participating in a community-based rehabilitation intervention in Malawi” - Aydin Bandukwala, UNC Project Malawi (Remote)
“Attitudes of law enforcement personnel towards the criminalization of suicide attempts in Malawi” - Thuy Dao, PhD student in Epidemiology (Remote)
“The longitudinal association between methamphetamine use and depressive symptoms among people in methadone treatment” - Trang Nguyen (Remote)
“Mental health needs of women who use methamphetamine in Vietnam: Preliminary findings from a qualitative study” - Ngan Nguyen, MSc, UNC Project Vietnam (Remote)
“Perspectives on the role of providers in addressing unhealthy alcohol use among people with HIV in Vietnam: a qualitative study”
3. Stroke and Neurological Care Systems and Outcomes
- Theresa Shankanga, MBCHB (Remote)
“Impact of fever on outcomes of stroke patients in Lusaka, Zambia” - Madalitso Nthere, MBBS, Research Fellow (Remote)
“Evaluating the Utility of Echocardiogram in the Diagnostic Work Up of Stroke Patients in Resource-Limited Settings”
“Gaps in Evidence-Based Stroke Care in Zambia: Opportunities For Low-Resource Interventions to Improve Outcomes” - William Tembo, Research Coordinator (Remote)
“Door-to-CT Intervals in Acute Stroke Care in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review Protocol with Preliminary Findings”
“An Evidence-Based Approach to Stroke Unit Development in Zambia” - Diwell Mwansa, BMBS, UNC Project-Zambia Research Coordinator (Remote)
“Patients’ Perceptions of Their Readiness for Hospital Discharge From Zambia’s First Stroke Unit.” - Yohanna Gebreyohanns, Medical Student (Remote)
“Health-Seeking Behaviors and Outcomes Among Hospitalized Adults with Stroke in Lusaka, Zambia”
4. Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health
- Lester Gutiérrez Pérez, PhD student, NEED D43 Training Program (Remotely)
“Natural history and impact of Giardia lamblia on child growth attainment and associated pathway-specific biomarkers in a Nicaraguan birth cohort” - Roberto Herrera, PhD student (Remote)
“Campylobacteriosis and the impact of human milk oligosaccharides on the most common species of campylobacter in infants from a cohort in Nicaragua” - Nadia Hussein, MD, MPH, NIH UJMT Fogarty LAUNCH Global Health Scholar (Remote)
“Standardizing Care, Saving Lives: Reduced Mortality From Gastroschisis in Malawi” - Katalia Alexander, MSW/MPH student (In-person)
“Caregiver attitudes towards HIV testing and contraceptive services for adolescents in Tanzania” - Arantxa Sanchez Boluarte, Fogarty Fellow (Remote)
“Cognitive Health Social Disparities in Shawi Indigenous Communities of the Peruvian Amazon” - Christoper A. Alarcon-Ruiz, MD, MSc, (Remote)
“Clinical and Quality of Life Characteristics of Patients With Inflammatory Myelopathies in a Peruvian Cohort: Preliminary Results”
5. Implementation Science and Health Systems Quality Improvement
- Lan Li, PhD, P UNC Project China Postdoc (Remote)
“Implementing Pay-It-Forward for STI Testing in Community and Clinical Settings: A Qualitative Analysis of RE-AIM framework” - Hue Nguyen, PhD, VISA D43 Postdoc(Remote)
“Translating Contingency Management into Routine Methadone Care: Implementation Lessons from a Resource-Constrained Setting”
“Applying contingency management to improve treatment engagement in the methadone program in Hanoi and Haiphong, Vietnam” - Ryan Mack, PhD, Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowship in Public Health (Remote)
“Vein-to-Vein Tracking of Platelets from Donor to Cancer Patient” - Melissa Issa-Boube, MD, Fogarty Fellow (Remote)
“The Utility of a Noninvasive Hemoglobin Monitoring (SpHb) Device in African Surgical Patients” - Madeleine Squibb, PhD student in Epidemiology, and Emma Aberle-Grasse, MPH candidate in Global Health (In-person)
“Preliminary Insights into the Impacts of the US Government Stop Work Order on HIV Care in Malawi”
6. Health Equity, Social Determinants, and Aging
- Thi Huong Dang, MD, Visiting Scholar (Remote)
“How do online platforms facilitate or inhibit chemsex among key populations: A scoping review” - Malya Sahu, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow (Remote)
“Narrative Inquiry to Explore Delays to Care-Seeking for Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis Among Healthy Individuals in Zambia” - Dhara Buebel, Research Associate, UNC Project Malawi (Remote)
“The Initiation of a One Stop Gender-Based Violence Center in Lilongwe, Malawi” - Zack Stern, Fulbright-Fogarty Fellow (Remote)
“The Prevalence of Multimorbidity and Noncommunicable Diseases among Aging Populations in Southern Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”