Author Archives: Kim Morris

Lara A. Valerio, MS, RD, LDN, is a clinical dietitian at the UNC Eastowne Infectious Diseases Clinic where she provides medical nutrition therapy, nutritional counseling, and education to HIV-positive patients with various health needs. She recently received a professional development grant that will help her pursue board certification in “Obesity...

Every community has unsung heroes, and in the HIV-care community there are many. Cassandra Durham is a fierce advocate for the HIV workforce whose dedication is reshaping what it means to care for people with HIV. A personal experience supporting a friend with HIV in the early 1990s—seeing his food...

Every month of every year, the Institute’s Office of Global Health Fellowships and Training is buzzing with activity—supporting trainees who are doing research, publishing their work, and sharing discoveries at conferences and seminars. What follows is a month‑by‑month reflection on 2025—including milestones that lay the foundation for global impact.  ...

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene’s (ASTMH) Annual Meeting, Nov. 9-13 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, drew approximately 4,900 global health professionals from around the world. Investigators from the IDEEL Lab contributed new insights to the global conversation, drawing attention to a defining crossroads in East Africa’s malaria response....

Chemtai Mungo, MD, MPH, FACOG, a member of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology has been selected for the “Robert A. Winn Excellence in Clinical Trials: Career Development Award” (Winn CDA), a prestigious two-year national program that trains early-career physicians to...

In a commentary published by Nature Medicine, Dr. Myron Cohen and Dr. Joe Eron, leaders of the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, identify numerous medical advances originating from U.S. federally funded HIV research. They say the future of HIV research and the U.S.’s scientific leadership depends on...

CHAPEL HILL, NC — (November 24, 2025) A multi-disciplinary team of researchers led by Jonathan Parr, MD, MPH, at UNC Chapel Hill’s Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, with partners at North Carolina State University, Emory University, Accelint’s SoarTech, and a network of international collaborators has received  $2.2 million...

High neighborhood deprivation is linked to both greater antimicrobial resistance and higher short‑term mortality in Enterobacterales infections. For North Carolina, the implications are clear. Tackling AMR requires not only new drugs and diagnostics but also addressing healthcare disparities that leave vulnerable populations at greater risk. Chapel Hill, NC — A...

The Malawi HIV Implementation Research Scientist Training (M-HIRST) program, competitively renewed with partners at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), will continue to strengthen Malawi’s capacity for mentored HIV and implementation research training. Funded by the Fogarty International Center at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the renewal builds...

Landmark research led by William Fischer II, MD, director of emerging pathogens for the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, describes the successful delivery of advanced care to patients with Marburg virus disease during Rwanda’s third largest outbreak on record, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseasesand The New...

Investigators with the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases participated in the Shanghai International Syphilis Symposium (SISS 2025), October 20-22, an invitation-only forum convening global leaders in syphilis research, clinical practice, and public health policy. Approximately 80 preeminent experts from academia, healthcare institutions, and global health organizations came together...

Deanna Saylor, MD, MHS, received the Osuntokun Award, a prestigious honor named for Professor Benjamin Oluwakayode Osuntokun, an influential African neuroepidemiologist known for his pioneering stroke research in Africa. This annual award established by the African Stroke Organization (ASO) recognizes a scientist’s lifetime contributions to stroke research on the continent. Saylor delivered...

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) for viral suppression in people living with HIV (PWH) improves life expectancy and interrupts transmission. And new long-acting ART injectables have become a convenient treatment, helping overcome the burden of pills and the stigma associated with taking daily medication. But while there has been a 68% reduction...

“We at the Institute for Global Health and infectious diseases are a large community of multi-disciplinary investigators,” said Sonia Napravnik, PhD, in her webinar welcome message during University Research Week. “And essentially, we all focus on improving health globally and locally, here in North Carolina and across the US.” “Our...

Dr. Luther Bartelt and Dr. Heather Henderson, members of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases were interviewed as recipients of a new Seed Funding Program in the College of Arts and Science’s Office of Research and Innovation.  They are working on the project “Fishy Remedies: A Mixed-Methods Study...

The UNC IGHID Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) participated in the “Vision for Change: Empowering Communities in NC through Community Engagement” event on Saturday, August 30 at the Community Family Life & Recreation Center at Lyon Park in Durham. Our team (Miriam, Ann, and Tia) joined Alicia Diggs with UNC CFAR,...

Jonathan Juliano, MD, MSPH, has been awarded a $3.2 million R01 grant to use deep learning surrogates to predict the spread of antimalarial drug resistance. With co-PI Robert Verity, PhD, MSc at Imperial College London, the research team includes Jonathan Parr, MD, MPH, and partner Varun Goel, PhD, at the...

The competitive five-year renewal of Fogarty’s Malawian Program for Mental Health Research Training (WARMHEART), submitted by the Institute’s training partners at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), signals a bright outlook for mental health. Building on the strong track record of its first funding cycle, WARMHEART will continue to strengthen...

Talent and ambition are universal, but opportunity, not always. When eight youth from Ascent Soccer visited UNC Project Malawi’s Lab for a day of science, it wasn’t just about microscopes and lab coats—it was a reminder that sport can be a gateway to new opportunities. The event was also a...

Dr. Ross Boyce challenges learners to see beyond the data, to understand the patient, the family, and the community at the heart of every research question. His latest study in the New England Journal of Medicine has captured the attention of students and colleagues alike, validating a simple intervention for...