News - Department of Family Medicine

Standard Black Doula Program Awarded Duke Endowment

According to the Centers for Disease Control, in the United States, childbirth mortality rates for Black pregnant persons are 3-4 times greater than their white counterparts, no matter their socioeconomic or education status. Given this alarming disparity, Family Medicine assistant professor Venus Standard, MSN, CNM, founded the Alliance for Black Doulas for Black Mamas (ABDBM), which … Continued

Family Medicine Faculty Secure $5 Million HRSA Grant for Residency Training Technical Assistance Center, Boosting Health Workforce Funding to Nearly $13 Million

Just prior to Thanksgiving break, UNC was awarded a 3-year $5 million HRSA grant to create a Teaching Health Center Planning and Development Technical Assistance Center (THCPD-TAC). The new funding is in addition to $4.3 million awarded in August 2021 and $3.6 million awarded from 2018 through 2020 from the HRSA Federal Office of Rural Health Policy … Continued

Thomas named “Community Star” for NC by National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health

UNC Family Medicine Associate Professor Gayle Thomas, MD, has been named North Carolina’s 2021 Community Star by The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) for her vital work as Medical Director of the NCDHHS Office of Rural Health’s NC Farmworker Health Program. From the NOSORH Community Stars publication: “Gayle Thomas has been a Community Star Her whole … Continued

Coe Named to AAMC Board of Directors

Family Medicine Assistant Professor Catherine Coe, MD, has been named to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Board of Directors. The AAMC made changes to the board structure for its 2021-2022 contingent, expanding from 17 to 19 voting members with the intent to create a more “diverse and flexible board structure.” The recently approved additions … Continued

Ranney, team receive $1.2 million NIH grant to study cigar warnings for adolescents

Family Medicine assistant professor Leah Ranney, PhD, Director for the Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program (TPEP), and Jennifer Cornacchione-Ross, PhD, Assistant Professor at Wake Forest School of Medicine, received an NIH (R01) three-year award in the amount of $1.2 million for the research study Strengthening Cigar Warnings to Prevent Adolescent Use. The study seeks to improve … Continued

Tate Named UNC Family Medicine Vice Chair for Administration

It is with great pleasure that UNC Family Medicine announces Kevin Tate, MHA, as our department’s new Vice Chair for Administration, beginning on July 12, 2021. He is well-prepared for the role and is committed to serving the department in our multiple missions. Kevin has been with the Department of Family Medicine for 16 years, … Continued

Alliance for Black Doulas for Black Mamas Graduates First Class of Black Doulas

The Alliance for Black Doulas for Black Mamas (ABDBM) graduated its first class of Black Doulas on July 10. Founded by UNC Family Medicine’s Venus Standard, MSN, CNM, FACNM, LCCE, ABDBM offers an enhanced Doula training program whose goal is to increase access of Doula training to Black women, while improving Black women’s birth outcomes by expanding … Continued

Congratulations to the Class of 2021 – Our First 100% Virtual Fellowship Class!

Congratulations to the first 100% virtual fellowship class! COVID gave the fellowship the opportunity to demonstrate its flexibility and innovation in curriculum design and adaptive leadership and the 15 fellows of the Class of 2021 taught us as much as we taught them. Pictured below is our last day of class where you can see each … Continued

Carolina Care Excellence Awards

Congratulations to our 15 faculty members honored with this award in 2020.

Founding class of FIRST Residents graduates program

The members of the inaugural class of the FIRST (Fully Integrated Readiness for Service Training) Program, Thane Campbell, MD, and Kyle Melvin, MD, will graduate this June.

Family Medicine faculty pilot “Prevent COVID-U” study at UNC

Sylvia Becker-Dreps, MD, MPH and Nadja Vielot, PhD are principal investigators for an exciting and cutting-edge research study occurring at campuses across the country to help end the COVID-19 pandemic.

Myerholtz named President-Elect of STFM

Linda Myerholtz, PhD, has been elected as the next president of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM). Myerholtz will serve as president-elect for the 2021-2022 term, followed by her term as president.

Margaret Helton named Chair of UNC Department of Family Medicine

Margaret Helton, MD, has been named Chair of the UNC School of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine.

Goldstein, Ranney find daily emails about chemicals in tobacco lead some smokers to consider quitting

Family Medicine researchers Adam Goldstein and Leah Ranney recently published their findings in JAMA Network Open.

Standard receives C. Felix Harvey Award

Venus Standard, MSN, CNM, was recently approved to receive the C. Felix Harvey Award for her proposal titled “Perinatal Doulas for the Black Community.”

UNC School of Medicine Announces 6th Class of FIRST Students

The UNC School of Medicine announced the acceptance of eight students into the sixth class of the Fully Integrated Readiness for Service Training (FIRST) Program.

UNC medical student publishes article on telehealth in Annals of Family Medicine

Ben Kaplan, MPH, recently published a paper in the Annals of Family Medicine titled “Access, Equity, and Neutral Space: Telehealth Beyond the Pandemic.”

Medical Students: Join the Healer’s Art Course!

We invite you to join us for 2021 The Healer’s Art Course.

November 2020 Patient Newsletter

Information on Respiratory Testing At this time, we are taking precautions to make sure the Family Medicine Center is safe for patients, staff and providers. Because of this, if it is determined you need a throat swab, flu test or COVID test we will arrange for you to get this at the Respiratory Diagnostic Center. … Continued

The Healer’s Art Course Virtual Information Session for Medical Students and Faculty

Please join Dr. Sue Slatkoff, other course faculty, and student alumni on zoom to learn about The Healer’s Art course on Monday, November 9 from 12:00 noon to 1:00 PM. Zoom link below: https://zoom.us/j/94422011616?pwd=U1RvY1Rwd0pyT085YnhBajF1Sy9Ldz09 The Healer’s Art course, designed by Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen MD, http://www.rishiprograms.org/healers-art/, will be offered in two formats this year, safe … Continued