About

Dr. Parr studies the molecular epidemiology of infectious diseases. He is broadly interested in applying cutting-edge molecular and genomic tools to solve problems faced by marginalized populations across the globe. His work has focused on malaria in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and other sites, but he also conducts translational studies of viral hepatitis and syphilis. Dr. Parr is a founding member of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Ecology Lab at UNC (IDEEL, www.ideelresearch.org)  and an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He has collaborated with the World Health Organization on efforts to improve malaria diagnosis and treatment and served as an Associate Editor for Healthcare: The Journal of Delivery Science and Innovation. During the pandemic, he served as co-director of UNC infectious diseases’ inpatient COVID-19 services. Dr. Parr and his work have been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, and other media outlets.

In the news

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  From Kinshasa to Chapel Hill: An Entomologist Is Working to Understand Transmission of Drug-Resistant Malaria Parasites

  Fabien Vulu, MD, PhD, is a postdoctoral researcher from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) specializing in mosquito vectors of malaria parasites and viruses. He joined the IDEEL Lab at the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases to study under the mentorship of Dr. Jonathan Parr, MD, MPH, training in malaria parasite sequencing for the PaluSeq (séquençage du paludisme) project, a state-of-the art surveillance program for … Read more

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  Institute, Gillings School Host 3rd Annual Global Health Scholars Symposium

  (Following is a look back at the 3rd Annual Global Health Scholars Symposium. Links to recordings are provided throughout.)   Myron Cohen, MD, director of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases welcomed faculty, students and fellows to the 3rd Annual Global Health Scholars Symposium Friday, Feb. 14, recognizing the event’s growing success along … Read more

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  2024 Review: Office of Fellowships & Training

  The Office of Fellowships and Training at the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases ensures educational and mentored research training and field experience for eligible masters, doctoral or post-doctoral candidates. Managed by Kristin Reed, MPH; Marla Allen, MPH; Dzidzai Muyengwa, MPH; and Benjamin Chi, MD, MSc, following is a monthly look back at … Read more

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  Syphilis Researchers Receive $1.6M to Expand LMIC Genomic Data and Advance Vaccine Development

  Syphilis vaccine development remains a high priority with a rising number of congenital syphilis cases worldwide. Unfortunately, vaccine development is still in a pre-clinical phase, and ongoing translational work is needed to identify vaccine candidates targeting highly conserved surface-exposed antigens expressed by geographically diverse strains of Treponema pallidum (TPA). But most TPA genomic sequences originated … Read more

Education