Latest News
Griffith Wins Photographic Society of America’s Progress Award
Jack Griffith, PhD, Kenan Distinguished Professor in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, has received the Progress in Photography Award from the Photographic Society of America for his work using photo-microscopy with the electron microscope to reveal details of DNA mechanics and organization.
First-in-Kind Study Reveals Genetic Markers of Type 2 Diabetes in East Asians
An international team of researchers co-led by UNC School of Medicine’s Karen Mohlke, PhD, conducted the largest-ever genome-wide study of people from across East Asia to uncover the genetic roots of type 2 diabetes.
Now More Than Ever, Global is Local
The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on the value of UNC's Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and its work around the world, from Chapel Hill to Central America, Africa, and Asia.
UNC Health Hospitals Earn Top ‘A’ Safety Scores from Leapfrog Group
UNC Medical Center, UNC REX, Johnston Health, Pardee and Lenoir receive top grades.
Scientists Reveal Host- SARS-CoV-2 Protein Targets for Drug Repurposing
The lab of Bryan Roth, MD, PhD, was part of a large research project led by the University of California-San Francisco to identify viral proteins and virus-host protein interactions that could become important drug targets to treat people with COVID-19.
Researchers Publish Clinical Data on Remdesivir Treatment for COVID-19
The nation’s coronavirus task force announced clinical trial results for remdesivir, a treatment from Gilead Sciences that emerged as a possible coronavirus treatment in the lab of Ralph Baric, PhD.
UNC Health Alliance, Blue Cross NC Collaborate to Ease Burden on Practices During COVID-19 Pandemic
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina working with UNC Health Alliance to advance performance bonuses to network primary care practices across the state as part of its Blue Premier program. Bonuses will be paid several months early to help practices struggling financially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gillings, School of Medicine Researchers Team with State, Local Agencies to Study COVID-19 Cases with Mild or No Symptoms
This COVID-19 testing project will be led by Ross Boyce, MD, MSc, at the UNC School of Medicine, Allison Aiello, PhD, MS, professor of epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, and Aaron Fleischauer, PhD, MSPH, at NC Department of Health and Human Services, along with coordination by John Wallace, PhD, senior data advisor at NC Institute of Public Health.
Damania Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Blossom Damania, PhD, vice dean for research at the UNC School of Medicine, was the only member of the UNC-Chapel Hill community selected as one of 276 new members to the oldest honorary society in the United States.
Cell Types Underlying Parkinson’s Disease and Other Brain Disorders Identified
Patrick Sullivan, MD, FRANZCP, Yeargan Distinguished Professor in the departments of genetics and psychiatry, is a co-lead author of the study.
UNC Students, Biomedical Engineers, Designers Create Masks to Protect Pediatric Patients
To help address shortages of pediatric PPE due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UNC/NC State Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering created task forces of students, faculty, and designers to make more than 1,000 pediatric masks for UNC Health in just over a week.
UNC Begins Plasma Collection for Treating COVID-19 Patients
The UNC Medical Center is now collecting convalescent plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients to help current UNC Health COVID-19 patients, under FDA guidelines. UNC School of Medicine researchers are planning a clinical trial to analyze coronavirus antibody responses in patients who receive convalescent plasma.
Whole Genome Sequencing Reveals Genetic Structural Secrets of Schizophrenia
A study co-led by Jin Szatkiewicz, PhD, Patrick Sullivan, MD, and colleagues at UNC-Chapel Hill and four Swedish universities found that extremely rare variants affect the boundaries of a 3D genome structure called topologically associated domains in people with schizophrenia much more than they affect people without the condition.
UNC Receives NIH Diabetes Research Center Grant with Partner Institutions
John Buse, MD, PhD, will lead the UNC site in a $5.7 million diabetes research collaboration with Duke, Wake Forest, and NC A&T, funded through the National Institutes of Health.
UNC Health Workers Called to Join National PCORnet® Study to Fight COVID-19
The HeroesResearch.org clinical research registry is designed to answer crucial questions about the impact of novel coronavirus on health care workers’ lives, and includes a multi-site clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine led at UNC by Ross Boyce, MD, assistant professor of medicine.
ERNIE BOVIO & JANET HADAR: A message of gratitude from UNC hospitals
This piece by Ernio Bovio, President of UNC REX Healthcare, and Janet Hadar, President of UNC Hospitals, was originally published at WRAL.com on Sunday, April 12.
Researchers Identify Strategies to Ensure, Sustain Health Workforce During Pandemic
Health Workforce Research Center Directors, including Erin Fraher, PhD, MPP, in the UNC Department of Family Medicine, highlight strategies to sustain the healthcare workforce to meet the needs of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Open Science Drug Discovery Partnership, READDI, Aims to Invest $125 Million to Prevent Future Pandemics
The Rapidly Emerging Antiviral Drug Development Initiative (READDI) involves researchers from the UNC School of Medicine, the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
New Antiviral Drug Heading into Clinical Trials Offers Hope as COVID-19 Treatment, Could be Taken as a Pill
A study co-led by the lab of Ralph Baric, PhD, found that a compound called EIDD-2801 can prevent severe lung injury in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Berkowitz Proposes Innovative Methodological Approach to Studies that Address Health-Related Social Needs
Seth Berkowitz, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine, proposes the use of cash benchmarking to better study programs aimed at addressing health-related social needs in a new article published in Health Affairs.