Latest News
Tilson named Director of NC AHEC
Hugh Tilson, Jr., JD, MPH, has been named Director of the North Carolina Health Education Centers (NC AHEC). Tilson has extensive experience in health care, including particular expertise in hospital and provider issues, health policy development, and NC’s Medicaid Transformation.
Putting Service FIRST
The FIRST Program provides participants the opportunity to complete their MD in three years and, subject to academic and performance standards, includes the opportunity for placement with a Family Medicine Residency program of North Carolina, after which scholars will take part in three years of service in an underserved area of North Carolina. In this video, hear from Cristy Page, MD, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine, and FIRST Scholars, Kyle Melvin, and Thane Campbell about what makes the program special.
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant health and fitness apps actually have little to do with health
UNC researchers led by Arlene Chung, MD, MHA, reviewed more than 300 apps in the health and fitness categories of app stores for hands-free, voice-activated assistants, including Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant; they found very few had a clear health focus.
Bradley Allf Wins Brain Awareness Video Contest
BrainFacts.org, a public information initiative, selected Bradley Allf’s video “I Think, Therefore I Sleep” as the 2018 winner of its Brain Awareness Video Context. Allf created the video as a technician in the lab of Graham Diering, PhD, assistant professor of cell biology and physiology.
Breaking the link between obesity, gastrointestinal cancers
In an article in the journal Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, UNC Lineberger’s Stephen Hursting, PhD, MPH, and his colleagues reviewed findings from research looking at the biological links between obesity and cancers of the colon, rectum, pancreas, liver, esophagus, gallbladder and stomach, as well as published studies on how diet, exercise, weight loss surgery, and other weight-related interventions may help reverse this connection.
UNC Researchers Find Racial Disparities in Treatment for Heart Attack Patients
Sameer Arora, MD, a UNC School of Medicine cardiology fellow, led a study reviewing hospitalizations for a certain type of heart attack that occurred over a 15-year period and found consistent differences in the treatment of black and white patients.
UNC School of Medicine Study Shows Surprise Low-level Ozone Impact on Asthma Patients
Michelle Hernandez, MD, associate medical director of the N.C. Children’s Allergy & Asthma Center, led a study that followed 23 asthma patients in North Carolina to show that even with optimized treatment for persistent asthma, patients experienced respiratory and systemic effects from exposure to low levels of ozone.
UNC Researchers Awarded Emerging Challenges Grants
UNC School of Medicine, UNC Medical Center, and NC TraCS Institute awarded $50,000 to two teams of researchers led by Jill Bates, PharmD, Alison Stuebe, MD, and Ana Whitney, MS, to study pharmacogenomics and social determinants of maternal health.
Anti-inflammatory Protein Promotes Healthy Gut Bacteria to Curb Obesity
UNC School of Medicine researchers led by Jenny Ting, PhD, and colleagues, publish a new approach to weight loss and diabetes prevention.
UNC Health Care Extends Free Access Period to Virtual Care Service for Hurricane Victims
Fees Waived through September 23rd
Scientists Create Method to Map Vast Unknown Territory of Long Non-coding RNA
UNC School of Medicine researchers led by Mauro Calabrese, PhD, have developed a way to categorize mysterious RNA molecules by their likely function, a big first step toward quickening the discovery of their roles in human health and diseases, such as cancers.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) associated with shorter hospital stay, more frequent discharge to home
In a new study, John Vavalle, MD, and colleagues, found that TAVR may lead to improved patient outcomes and lower health care costs.
Findings could improve treatment for challenging acute leukemia in children
There is no consensus on the best way to treat mixed phenotype acute leukemia, a rare blood cancer with survival rates of between 47 and 75 percent for children. Researchers from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, led by Thomas Alexander, MD, MPH, have made important discoveries about the genetics of this disease that could lead to better treatments.
UNC School of Medicine Hosts Annual White Coat Ceremony
The UNC School of Medicine’s Class of 2022 received their white coats at the annual event.
UNC Health Care Providing Free Access to UNC Urgent Care 24/7 for Hurricane Victims
Hurricane Florence victims in North Carolina can access medical care around-the-clock
Johnson Honored with Battle Distinguished Cancer Research Award
Gary Johnson, PhD, the Kenan Distinguished Professor in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Pharmacology, and co-director of UNC Lineberger’s Molecular Therapeutics Program was awarded the 2017-2018 Hyman L. Battle Distinguished Cancer Research Award.
Smith awarded $8.5 million to compare treatments for recurrent bladder cancer
UNC Lineberger’s Angela B. Smith, MD, MS, an associate professor in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Urology and director of urologic oncology, and her collaborators were awarded a contract from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to compare bladder removal with medical therapy in bladder cancer patients.
For her father, Morgan runs to support cancer research
Katie Morgan, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist working with neuro-oncology and genitourinary-oncology patients at the N.C. Cancer Hospital, found her calling during her father's four-year battle with glioblastoma. To honor him and others fighting brain cancer, Morgan is running in the Head for the Cure 5K, which will be held Sept. 8 in Chapel Hill to raise money for brain cancer research.
Preliminary Data from Groundbreaking Genome Editing Clinical Trial Encouraging
As part of the phase 1 clinical trial for patients with Hunter syndrome, Joseph Muenzer, MD, PhD, performed the UNC Clinical Translational and Research Center's first-ever in vivo genome editing therapy, achieving a milestone in his own career.
Investigational Treatment for Postpartum Depression Consistently Reduced Symptoms Across Three Trials, Supporting Submission for FDA Approval
The findings of the integrated analysis from one phase 2 and two phase 3 pivotal trials were published today in The Lancet. Lead author Samantha Meltzer-Brody, MD, MPH, of the UNC School of Medicine said the promising results mark a major step forward in women’s health care.