The Malawi Government has a strong commitment to caring for its citizens, often sending patients abroad, to countries such as India, for cardiac procedures that aren’t available at home. But these opportunities are limited, compared to the needs of the country’s population of 21 million, and follow a process much like a lottery. As a … Read more

Chemtai Mungo, MD, MPH, and Lisa Rahangdale, MD, MPH, presented at the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) meeting on May 4, focusing on the latest advancements in topical therapies for cervical precancer treatment in the U.S. and around the world. Dr. Mungo and Dr. Rahangdale, both obstetricians/gynecologists and clinical researchers, provided a … Read more

Clinical Trials Day honors all that has been accomplished through clinical trials, as well as the people behind them. The UNC Global Clinical Trials Unit at the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases (IGHID) facilitates high-quality research, with investigators and research coordinators working to address the challenging questions that need answers, that impact the lives … Read more

Antimicrobial Resistant (AMR) research at the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases brings together collaborators from schools and departments across UNC. Following is an interview with David van Duin, MD, PhD, Brian Conlon, PhD, Luther Bartelt, MD, Tessa Andermann, MD, MPH, and Jonathan Juliano, MD, MSPH, DTM&H. Why is antimicrobial resistance an important issue? … Read more

A nationwide analysis of a large, geographically diverse cohort of adults in the U.S. suggests there is an increased risk for hospital-acquired carbapenem-resistant enterobacterales (CRE) bloodstream infections among racial and ethnic minorities. Felicia Ruffin, PhD, is a researcher at Duke University School of Medicine in the research group of Vance Fowler, MD, MHS. For this … Read more

UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Dean Angela Kashuba, Pharm.D., a member of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Disease, was selected for the 2024 Carolina Alumni Faculty Service Award. Established in 1990, the award “honors faculty members who have performed outstanding service for the University or the alumni association.”  “This award is a true … Read more

Matthew Burns, age 33, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as a child, and for years experienced repeated lung infections. When the need for intravenous therapy and oxygen became more frequent, he received a lung transplant, a lifesaving opportunity for hope and healing. But a transplant surgery that might typically require a one-month hospital stay, turned … Read more

David Rosen, PhD, MD, and Asher Schranz, MD, MPH, members of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, found people with drug use-associated infective endocarditis are at high risk of mortality and future hospitalization for bacterial infections, including endocarditis, skin and soft tissue infections and bacteremia. The study, a collaboration with the North Carolina … Read more

Stanley M. Lemon, MD, a member of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and professor of medicine in infectious diseases and microbiology and immunology, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Membership is a widely accepted mark of excellence in science and is considered one of the highest honors that a scientist … Read more

The Institute for Global Health and Infectious Disease’s Global Clinical Trials Unit attracts leading trials from national feeder networks to study treatment innovations that can advance health. A new HIV study with the ACTG will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and antiviral effect of a novel combination regimen that includes therapeutic T-cell vaccines, two broadly neutralizing … Read more

Despite a decline in HIV incidence in women in the U.S., approximately 18% of new HIV diagnoses in 2021 were among women. Meanwhile, many cisgender women have not considered HIV PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) as an option for themselves when it comes to HIV prevention. Historically, studies of interventions to prevent sexually transmitted infections have excluded … Read more

April is sexually transmitted infections (STI) awareness month, and Arlene Seña, MD, MPH, a researcher with the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, is sounding the alarm about the importance of syphilis prevention, testing, and treatment. U.S. syphilis cases have increased nearly 80% since 2018,  a level not seen since 1950, while babies born … Read more

UNC Research recently featured Joe Tucker, MD, PhD, in a “Rooted” profile. He is a professor of medicine in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases and director of UNC Project-China with the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases. In this feature, Tucker explains how the pay-it-forward approach to infectious disease testing is a wonderful … Read more

The Lancet ID has published a tribute to Ada Adimora and her life, describing her as a “tireless and compassionate champion for the global HIV community.”  Myron Cohen, MD, director of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, and Joe Eron, MD, chief of the division of infectious diseases were interviewed for the article. Read here. … Read more

Globally, mental health disorders rank as the greatest cause of disability and a leading contributor to the burden of disease. While the U.S. may struggle to meet the need for quality mental healthcare, treatment in most low- and middle-income (LMIC) countries – where 80% of those with mental illness live – is extremely limited. The … Read more

Linda Van Le, MD, the Leonard Palumbo Distinguished Professor in the Division of Gyn Oncology, served as moderator for the Consortium of Universities for Global Health’s Annual Conference in Los Angeles, March 7-10. Van Le gave two presentations, focused on elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem and the need for cancer treatment worldwide. “Global Health Without … Read more

March is Long COVID Awareness Month, marking four years since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. But while much of society has moved on from masking, quarantining, and isolating, there are many who are managing health problems long after having COVID-19.  Researchers at the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases are participating in the NIH Phase 2 Recover-Vital trial to … Read more

UNC researchers in cervical cancer prevention, members of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, filled the agenda at a recent scientific session for the EUROGIN International Multidisciplinary HPV Conference in Stockholm, Sweden.       EUROGIN’s U.S. Chair Jennifer S. Smith, PhD, professor of epidemiology at the UNC Gillings … Read more

In November 2020, Amy James Loftis was hyper-focused on keeping the Carolina community safe, building UNC’s COVID Surveillance Lab in three short months before the return of students. But there were many years leading up to that moment. Often described as the Institute’s secret weapon in the fight against global health disease, Amy travels around … Read more

As the World Health Organization pushes to eradicate the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) by 2030, preventing vertical transmission is key, says Peyton Thompson, MD, MSCR, Assistant Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. But despite widespread availability of effective childhood vaccines, HBV remains endemic throughout sub-Saharan Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “Many of the … Read more