Tag: Ross Boyce

“We at the Institute for Global Health and infectious diseases are a large community of multi-disciplinary investigators,” said Sonia Napravnik, PhD, in her webinar welcome message during University Research Week. “And essentially, we all focus on improving health globally and locally, here in North Carolina and across the US.” “Our...

In a recent podcast, The Lone Star Tick & One Patient’s Experience With Ehrlichiosis, Dr. Ron Falk speaks with Dr. Ross Boyce, an expert in tick-borne illnesses, and Dr. Katherine Huffman-Falk, a retired nephrologist who was recently bitten by a tick. This podcast talks about what a tick-borne disease is...

Dr. Ross Boyce challenges learners to see beyond the data, to understand the patient, the family, and the community at the heart of every research question. His latest study in the New England Journal of Medicine has captured the attention of students and colleagues alike, validating a simple intervention for...

Published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, this trial led by Ross Boyce, MD, MSc and colleagues highlights the potential impact of permethrin-treated textiles as a novel tool in the fight against malaria. Malaria remains a major cause of childhood mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, responsible for nearly 600,000...

Members of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases have an important role to play in sharing evidence-based research that can educate policymakers and support public health initiatives. Advocating for legislation can improve healthcare systems and public health, as well as advance the field of infectious diseases. Dr. Ross...

Ross Boyce, MD, was recently interviewed for a Wall Street Journal article that explores evolving medical perspective on chronic Lyme disease. New research and a greater awareness of the long-term effects of infections, similar to those seen in COVID-19 recovery, has led to more acceptance for the concept of “chronic...

Integrated community case management (iCCM) programs leverage lay village health workers (VHWs) to carry out the initial evaluation of children with common conditions, including malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea. Elevated venous lactate levels have been associated with severe illness and adverse health outcomes, including death. However, lactic acidosis may not be...

Many cases of Lyme disease are under-recognized because early symptoms – typically fever, fatigue and achiness, are common in many other illnesses. At the same time, testing is fraught with pitfalls, including poor sensitivity early in the course of disease and complicated algorithms that often are misinterpreted. While historically considered...

In his Carolina office, above a collage of drawings by his three young children, Dr. Ross Boyce displays a 20-year-old photo of himself with 29 other soldiers. The photo captures a proud memory of U.S. Army service for the man who is now a leading epidemiologist and a research expert...

Vector-borne diseases are a growing public health issue in the U.S. with more than 70,000 cases of tick-borne disease reported in 2022 alone. While the majority of these cases are due to bacteria that cause Lyme disease, tick-borne viruses represent an emerging but poorly understood threat. The Bourbon virus (BRBV) is...

Ross Boyce, MD, MSc, a member of the Institute and assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology, working with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, North Carolina State University and the Animal Hospital of Boone, found data collected from pet dogs at routine veterinary checkups can be used...

Globally, the overuse of antibiotics has led to the spread of antimicrobial resistance, and this is a growing threat to child health. Antibiotics are frequently used to treat children with fever and respiratory symptoms, even though most of these illnesses will resolve on their own. The measurement of C-reactive protein...

Ross Boyce, MD, MSc, assistant professor of infectious diseases and epidemiologist with the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, led a study published in Lancet Regional Health that examined the rapid emergence of Lyme Disease in N.C., between 2010 and 2020. Dr. Boyce says the results confirm what he has...

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...

Researchers in the Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Ecology Lab (IDEEL) at UNC are process driven investigators with a unique comradery, working in 20+ countries to improve basic understandings of pathogens. The applied nature of their work has a direct impact on the health and well-being of millions of individuals around...

The NIH has awarded a multi-disciplinary team led by Ross Boyce, MD, MSc, a $4.4 million, five-year (R01) grant to evaluate the effectiveness of a chemoprevention effort designed to prevent malaria outbreaks after flooding, using a combination of interventions. Boyce is a member of the Institute for Global Health and...

The mosquito-borne disease was eliminated here long ago. Now “revenge travel,” global migration, poor public funding—and maybe climate change—could help it come back. At least four people in Florida and one in Texas have been diagnosed with malaria that they must have caught near where they live—because, according to health officials,...

Ross Boyce MD, MSc, partners with Western Carolina University and Mission Hospital to lay the foundation for effective patient care, prevention and public health awareness–funded by the State of North Carolina through the N.C. Collaboratory. In September of 2022, a 10-year-old in Brevard, North Carolina, complained of intense headaches, chills, fever,...

A student research team led by Victor Arahirwa, a 2024 MD Candidate, received the Harold C. Pillsbury, MD Student Research Award for Excellent Poster Presentation (Clinical Science) during the recent John B. Graham Medical Student Research Society’s Annual Student Research Day. From 2004 to 2016, the Centers for Disease Prevention and...