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UNC Researchers Demonstrate Drug’s Effectiveness in Drawing Out Dormant HIV from Immune Cells

April 16, 2026
A new study led by Guochun Jiang, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the UNC School of Medicine, and researcher with the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and UNC HIV Cure Center, has found that a drug named citarinostat is effective at disrupting...

Rewriting the Heart Risk Equation for People With HIV

April 7, 2026
A new project led by Thibaut Davy-Mendez, PhD, MSPH, at the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, funded by the Gilead Research Scholars Program, is taking aim at a longstanding gap in HIV care: accurately predicting who is at highest risk for cardiovascular disease. Backed by a two-year award from Gilead, the study will...

Protection at the Prison Gate: A Long‑Acting HIV Prevention Study at Release

April 7, 2026
When people leave prison, they enter one of the highest-risk periods for acquiring HIV—often with the least support, the fewest resources, and the greatest uncertainty about where to turn for care. It’s this critical gap that Lina Rosengren, MD, MPH, an infectious diseases physician and researcher with the Institute for Global...

Fogarty Fellow Returns to Her Roots in Malawi

April 5, 2026
Laika Maganga, a PhD candidate at the School of Nursing and UJMT Fogarty Fellow, is doing her dissertation research in Malawi, drawing on her family roots while centering the lived experiences of young women to take on HIV stigma and support healthier futures.   How has your training and clinical work...

Socioeconomic and Environmental Drivers of Pediatric Malaria

March 30, 2026
Ashley Wade is a medical student at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and is mentored by Ross Boyce, MD, MSc. In many parts of Sub‑Saharan Africa, malaria is still one of the main reasons children are hospitalized. In a recent study, Wade and Annika Gunderson, a UNC Epidemiology...

Courage, Conviction, Resolve: The Story of Dr. Gui Xi’en

March 30, 2026
“What struck me most about Dr. Gui wasn’t just what he accomplished, but how quietly he did it. He never framed his work as heroic. He saw suffering, understood the science, and felt responsible to act. Writing this essay was my way of preserving a story that could have been...

Tracking Respiratory Infections in People Living With HIV in Rural Uganda

March 19, 2026
Lauryn Ursery is a PhD student in epidemiology studying at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, mentored by Dr. Ross Boyce. In rural Western Uganda, people living with HIV face unique health risks, including viral acute respiratory infections (ARIs) such as the flu. Ursery presented a study led by...

Tracking Zika and Dengue: Insights into Maternal and Infant Immunity in Nicaragua

March 12, 2026
Omar Zepeda is a PhD student studying at the University of Costa Rica and a fellow of the Nicaraguan Emerging and Endemic Diseases (NEED) program. He is mentored by Filemon Bucardo, PhD. At the recent 4th Annual Global Health Symposium Zepeda presented his findings on the Zika and Dengue viruses...

China Scholars Highlight Advances in Digital Innovation and Sexual Health Research

March 11, 2026
At the Fourth Annual Global Health Scholars Symposium, three student researchers working in China showcased a forward‑looking portfolio of studies focused on digital health, HIV prevention, and community‑engaged sexual health interventions. Their work showed how technology, behavioral insights, and innovative service models can transform the landscape of HIV and STI...

Zambia Scholars Drive New Insights in Neurological Health

March 11, 2026
At this year’s Global Health Scholars Symposium, students and early‑career researchers showcased a powerful range of studies addressing urgent neurological and health systems challenges in Zambia. The event was sponsored by the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and the Gillings School of Global Public Health. Neurologist Monica Diaz,...

Vietnam Scholars Take Center Stage

March 11, 2026
A cohort of emerging global health research scholars are advancing HIV prevention, substance use, mental health, and implementation science. Presented at the 4th Annual Global Health Scholars Symposium on Feb. 13, their projects shed new light on how Vietnam’s health system is addressing intertwined epidemics—HIV, methamphetamine use, depression, alcohol‑related harm—and...

Exploring the Link Between Gold Mining and Malaria in Tanzania

March 11, 2026
Claudia Gaither is a PhD student in Epidemiology studying at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, mentored by Michael Emch, PhD. At the 4th Annual Global Health Scholars Symposium, Gaither talked about the relationship between malaria prevalence and proximity to mineral processing pits in northwestern Tanzania, where gold mining...