Category: Training-Education-News

When Alexia Dayan Lecaros Zavalla, a 23-year-old medical student from Lima, Peru, arrived in Chapel Hill in October, she was greeted with an opportunity that would help to shape her future. In her sixth year at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, one of Peru’s most prestigious private medical schools, Lecaros was...

The UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases (IGHID) provides learners at all levels the opportunity to do global health research. This includes Master of Public Health (MPH) students at the Gillings School of Global Public Health. Many of these students are mentored by IGHID investigators leading research in...

Talha Khan spent the summer in Munich at LMU German Hospital, gaining firsthand insight into Germany’s healthcare system while observing radiology practice and conducting cost‑effective research at one of Europe’s premier medical centers. Independently, he found his mentor who was willing to sponsor his research experience at LMU German Hospital...

Noor Alghanem completed a clinical externship at American Hospital Dubai, a leading private health care provider in the Middle East. She observed advanced surgical care and reflected on the value of learning from innovative, high‑resource health systems as part of a global medical education. “I know a lot of global...

Through the Office of Global Health Education, students traveled to Africa to engage in immersive hands‑on clinical learning and support research in malaria surveillance, offering a deep look at patient care, public health challenges, and the adaptability required to work in low‑resource settings. Accra, Ghana Toritseju Kpenosen went to Accra,...

Two medical students traveled to South America last summer, through the Office of Global Health Education, gaining firsthand experience with clinical care and public health in Peru and Bolivia. Their time in Cusco and Sucre deepened their understanding of local health systems, strengthened their Spanish skills, and offered meaningful exposure...

Through the Office of Global Health Education, medical students traveled to the Asia‑Pacific region over the summer to engage in rich clinical and community‑based learning experiences, deepening their understanding of health care delivery across diverse cultural and resource settings. Time in the Philippines and Japan offered a blend of hands‑on...

Students participating in global health electives through the Office of Global Health Education have the opportunity to engage in immersive learning experiences across the world. Last summer several went to South Asia, including India, Nepal and Pakistan. These placements offered hands‑on clinical exposure, rich cultural exchange, and the chance to...

The Institute’s UJMT LAUNCH Fogarty Global Health Fellowship program celebrates two outstanding alumni whose NIH‑supported research is advancing global health science and strengthening the next generation of international investigators. Alex Kayongo Awarded NIH K43 Emerging Global Leader Award Alex Kayongo, MBChB, MSc–a Fogarty-trained immunologist (2016-2017/UJMT Fellow) and global health researcher...

Ciniso Shabangu shares how his scientific journey—from early hepatitis and cancer research in Taiwan to advanced NeuroHIV studies at the UNC HIV Cure Center—has shaped his commitment to understanding how viruses persist in the body. His work now focuses on uncovering how HIV hides in the brain and the technologies driving those discoveries. ...

Nzia Hall has felt drawn to adult neurology for quite some time. As president of the Student Interest Group in Neurology, she helped revive the organization’s UNC chapter and now finds herself in the midst of applying to multiple neurology residency programs.  During her neurology acting internship, Hall met Dr. Deanna...

The ID Interest Group empowers medical students to prepare for the next step, exploring careers in infectious diseases that start with an ID fellowship. The effort will soon be bolstered by a grant award from the Infectious Diseases Society of America.   Sarah Rutstein, MD, PhD, is the faculty advisor...

The UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and Division of Infectious Diseases is pleased to announce new ID fellows for the 2026-2027 academic year. (Click on their names to learn more).

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 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...

Esther Kip, PhD, is a WARMHEART Fellow in Malawi, a postdoc training program named for the “warm heart of Malawi.” In the following interview, she explains her interest in adolescent mental health, how her research is building momentum, and a UNICEF experience remains a driving force behind her work.  What...

UNC at the STI & HIV 2025 World Congress in Montreal UNC Chapel Hill was well represented at the STI & HIV 2025 World Congress. Centered on the theme “Sexual Health for All,” the congress took place in Montreal, Canada, from July 27 to 30, 2025. This biannual congress, organized by...

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...

As a child, Jesus Viña Moreno spent countless hours at Hospital General Regional Dr. Marcelino Velez Santana in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. His mother completed her residency there, often bringing him along.  This past summer, Viña Moreno returned to those same halls, not as a visitor, but as a medical...

The Office of Global Health Education (OGHE) gave 14 medical students the opportunity to share their summer experiences on September 3. The program highlighted different opportunities for global health electives, typically arranged for the summer between MS1 and MS2 years. The recorded program can be found here. Altogether students visited...