Newsroom

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...

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...

Claire Karasek, MHA, will serve as the ID Fellowship coordinator this summer, assisting in the preparation of training grant renewals managed by the Institute’s Fellowship and Training Programs Office. Claire completed her undergraduate B.S. degree in Biology at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2009. After graduation, she performed prenatal genetic testing and was...

The UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases is now enrolling participants in a fast-track trial of an oral COVID-19 treatment known as Bemnifosbuvir (BEM). Currently, Paxlovid is used for treating COVID-19. However, it is known to interact with common drugs that treat cholesterol, blood clots, and other conditions....

The Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases’s Office of Global Health Fellowships and Training is led by Benjamin Chi, MD, MSc, Kristin Reed, MPH, Marla Allen, MPH, and Dzidzai Muyengwa, MPH. This mighty team of four onboards >65 active trainees per academic year and follows 350+ trainees for evaluation...

The 2nd Annual Global Health Scholars Symposium took place Friday, Feb. 16, showcasing the impactful work of 43 trainees in the U.S. and around the world. Near and far, approximately 250+ participants came together to share and learn about global health research. Opening Remarks Suzanne Maman, PhD, the associate dean...

A new study published in Lancet-Global Health introduces the results of a five-year trial in Malawi that tested two implementation strategies for integrating mental health with general medical care. Led by UNC Institute for Global Health members Bradley Gaynes and Brian Pence, the study includes a cost-effectiveness analysis that will help inform scale-up decisions about...

Healthcare providers in North Carolina have limited experience diagnosing and managing Lyme disease because few cases occur annually statewide. Researchers have published a case study that demonstrates the need for greater awareness and professional education. The article outlines the prolonged diagnostic course for a patient with locally acquired Lyme disease...

Researchers with the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases published a tick-borne disease study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases using samples from soldiers stationed at Fort Liberty, North Carolina. In collaboration with the Gillings School of Global Public Health, Womack Army Medical Center and the CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne...

Antiretroviral therapies (ART) stop HIV replication in its tracks, allowing people with HIV to live relatively normal lives. However, despite these treatments, some HIV still lingers inside cells in a dormant state known as “latency.” If ART is discontinued, HIV will awaken from its dormant state, begin to replicate, and...

During Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, Chemtai Mungo, MD, MPH, FACOG, a member of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, was interviewed by Cancer Nursing Today, describing the role nurses can play in prevention and treatment. “Nurses interface with patients—women and men—throughout...

The UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases (IGHID) and the UNC Gilling’s School of Global Public Health (GSGPH), will present a hybrid symposium on Friday, February 16, featuring research from MD/PhD students, doctoral candidates, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty from global sites around the world, starting in Bioinformatics 1131. A...

The 2nd Annual Global Health Scholars Symposium is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 16 from 9:15am-12pm! Presented by the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases (IGHID) and the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health (GSGPH), the symposium will feature global health research from MD/PhD students, doctoral candidates, postdoctoral fellows and...

In this tribute to pioneering ID physician and researcher Adaora Adimora, MD, MPH, FIDSA, who died Jan. 1, 2024, two members of IDSA’s George W. Counts Interest Group, Michelle Floris-Moore, MD, MS, FIDSA, and Celia J. Maxwell, MD, FACP, FIDSA, reflect on her life and legacy. Dr. Adimora was a...

Researchers at the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and the Thurston Arthritis Research Center’s Core Center for Clinical Research, investigated the relationship between knee pain and a red meat allergy, caused by a tick bite known as alpha-gal syndrome. “Tick-borne disease infections and chronic musculoskeletal pain,” published in...

Alena Markmann, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in infectious diseases has received the American Society for Clinical Investigation’s Young Physician-Scientist Award. Markmann focuses her research on using novel sequencing, imaging and viral cloning techniques in order to understand what the neutralizing and protective antibody targets are in polyclonal human sera...

A report published by Lester Gutiérrez, a PhD candidate and IGHID Fellow, provides a new assessment of Giardia lamblia and the pathogenesis of stunting and cognitive growth in children from low- and middle-income countries, published with mentor Luther Bartelt, MD. Giardia is most common during childhood, mainly in low-and-middle income countries. Symptoms...

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations recently recognized UNC for significant contributions to the sustainable development of Vietnam. This is the second year in a row that UNC has received this award. UNC Project-Vietnam’s Director Tran Viet Ha, MD, MSc, accepted the award on December 26, 2023.   The Vietnam Union...

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our esteemed colleague, Ada Adimora, Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor of Medicine and professor of epidemiology. Dr. Adimora, a brilliant and compassionate physician scientist, left an indelible mark on our department and the broader medical community. A true pioneer,...

Joe Tucker, MD, PhD, and Weiming Tang, PhD, co-directors of UNC Project-China announce a new scholarly exchange program that will give early-career researchers from the U.S. the opportunity to train in China. The China Medical Board (CMB) has awarded UNC a $340,000 grant to facilitate the CMB Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. UNC...