“We at the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases are a large community of multi-disciplinary investigators,” said Sonia Napravnik, PhD, during her welcome message. “And essentially, we all focus on improving health globally and locally, here in North Carolina and across the US.”
During University Research Week, the UNC Institute for Global Health hosted Global Threats, Local Actions — a thought-provoking webinar connecting global research to health challenges in North Carolina. As the Clinical Core Associate Director for the Center for AIDS Research and Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology,
Dr. Napravnik introduced the Institute’s mission: to put learning into practice through research, training, and service to communities both local and global.
Panelists examined the intersection of global health threats and local public health responses. Issues raised included:
- Emerging and respiratory diseases (e.g., avian flu)
- Healthcare access and insurance barriers
- Vector-borne diseases like West Nile virus
- Climate change impacts on disease spread
- Substance use and overdose mortality
- Rising congenital syphilis and HIV/AIDS rates
Dr. Napravnik emphasized that global health research informs local action — from preparedness to prevention — ensuring that discoveries abroad strengthen North Carolina’s communities. Other speakers from the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) included;
- Dr. Vivian Go, Director of the CFAR’s Social, Behavioral, and Implementation Sciences who highlighted the opioid epidemic and overdose mortality, pointing to the gap between evidence-based interventions and real-world implementation due to systemic barriers.
- Dr. Sarah Rutstein, CFAR Member addressed rising congenital syphilis and HIV rates, underscoring policy and access failures, especially in rural and underserved areas.