Women's Health
The latest women's health news from UNC Health Care and the UNC School of Medicine.
Study finds treatment inequities for pain following cesarean deliveries
Jasmine Johnson, MD, and Alison Stuebe, MD, MSc, conducted research highlighting the need for continued efforts to undo biases in medical care. Many such efforts have been put in place at the UNC Medical Center, the UNC School of Medicine, and across the UNC Health Care system.
UNC Researchers Join $945 Million NIH HEAL Initiative to Combat Opioid Epidemic
Weili Lin, PhD, is the principal investigator of a research project to improve outcomes for children exposed to opioids, and Susan Gaylord, PhD, is the UNC site PI for a second project to help people with low back pain.
UNC-Chapel Hill awarded $14 million to make childbirth safer for mothers and infants
Led by Jeffrey Stringer, MD, the two grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will support two studies to improve maternal and child health technologies.
FDA Approves ZULRESSO™ (brexanolone) Injection for Postpartum Depression Following Three Clinical Trials Led by UNC Researcher
ZULRESSO, developed by Sage Therapeutics, is the first and only treatment specifically indicated to treat postpartum depression in women. UNC School of Medicine’s Samantha Meltzer-Brody, MD, MPH, was the principal investigator for three clinical trials showing rapid-reduction in depressive symptoms, and says the approval marks a major step forward in women’s healthcare.
UNC School of Medicine Ranked First for Primary Care for Second Straight Year
In the annual rankings of “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” U.S. News & World Report ranked UNC School of Medicine 1st for primary care, 23rd in research, 4th for family medicine, 9th for rehabilitation counseling, 11th for obstetrics and gynecology, 20th for psychiatry, and 26th for internal medicine.
UNC School of Medicine departments rank high in 2018 NIH funding report
All six basic science departments rank in the top 10 in NIH finding, according to a new report by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, and 11 clinical departments rank in the top 30.
UNC-led team awarded $5.1 million for cervical cancer prevention effort in Malawi
Jennifer Tang, MD, and Lameck Chinula, MMED, both in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the UNC School of Medicine, are co-principal investigators for this USAID grant to more effectively combat cervical cancer, the leading cause of death among women in Malawi.
School of Medicine Researchers Make International Highly Cited Research List
Fourteen UNC School of Medicine faculty members were listed by Clarivate Analytics in the company’s 2018 Highly Cited Research list.
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.
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.
Review of scientific evidence on effectiveness of fertility awareness-based methods for contraception underscores need for higher quality studies
The systematic review led by UNC’s Rachel Peragallo Urrutia, MD, was published this week in Obstetrics and Gynecology. It reviewed 53 studies of the effectiveness of fertility awareness-based methods and rated the studies for their quality.
UNC study: Tdap vaccine given during pregnancy reduces occurrence of infant pertussis
A study led by UNC’s Sylvia Becker-Dreps, MD, MPH, reviewed more than 675,000 pregnancies in the U.S. to determine if the Tdap vaccine given to a mother will reduce the chances of her child developing pertussis during the first 18 months of life. The results show a decrease in overall cases of pertussis, and most notably, in pertussis hospitalization in infants whose mothers were immunized during pregnancy.
Bae-Jump’s new research explores the origins of racial disparities in endometrial cancer
Victoria Bae-Jump, MD, PhD, was recently awarded grant funding totaling more than $800,000 to further her research on the underlying biological factors that may influence the development and mortality of endometrial cancer in both Caucasian and African-American women.
Biotin supplements caused misleading test results, almost led to unnecessary procedure
A new case report led by UNC's Maya Styner, MD, describes how a patient's use of a common over-the-counter biotin supplement caused clinically misleading test results and almost resulted in an unnecessary, invasive medical procedure.
UNC researchers present study about family history and postpartum mental health at national APA Conference
Anna Bauer, PhD, and Samantha Meltzer-Brody, MD, MPH, were chosen by the APA to present findings from their recently published study about a new mother’s risk of postpartum psychiatric conditions when she has an immediate family member with a psychiatric disorder.
Pope Foundation donates $10 million to UNC-Chapel Hill
Carolina received a $10-million commitment from the John William Pope Foundation to provide support for the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, UNC Horizons, the track and field program, and the Philosophy, Politics and Economics Program.
Lyerly co-authors article in Science about ethics of Zika human challenge trial
The policy forum piece co-authored by Anne Drapkin Lyerly, MD, explores the question of whether a Zika human challenge trial (intentionally infecting people with Zika to address the science and vaccine development process) could be ethically justified.
Three SOM faculty named TBJ Health Care Heroes
At the annual Triangle Business Journal Health Care Heroes awards dinner, three UNC School of Medicine faculty were honored, as well as four other UNC Health Care employees.
UNC SOM lands 16 departments in top 25 for NIH funding
The UNC School of Medicine ranks 16th overall in NIH funding; 6th among public universities. The department of cell biology and physiology is the highest ranked at 2nd overall.
Hormone therapy could effectively prevent depression for some women in the menopause transition
Research conducted by Susan Girdler, PhD, and David Rubinow, MD, and published in JAMA Psychiatry, is the first to conclude that a year of hormone therapy can effectively prevent the onset of depressive symptoms for women during the menopause transition.