Dr. John Parks, former UNC Family Medicine resident, has a passion for spreading Family Medicine across the globe. He is now teaching medical students and postgraduate registrars (residents) at the University of Malawi School of Medicine in southeast Africa. The family medicine department established its residency program just last year, and Parks has helped develop … Read more

UNC Family Medicine awarded FITTEST company award for employee participation in the Tar Heel 10 Miler for the second year in a row! The Tar Heel 10 Miler Corporate Challenge is a competition designed to honor the companies or organizations that best exemplify a commitment to health & wellness. The FITTEST company award goes to … Read more

A patient shares her experience with our own Dr. Bryson Greenwood and Carol Ripley-Moffitt. A meaningful member and former resident of our practice, Dr. Greenwood currently sees patients at a free clinic in Athens, GA, with plans to set up a private practice for low income and uninsured people in Comer, GA. Ms. Ripley-Moffitt directs … Read more

Carole Battaglia tried everything she could to stop smoking. And then she found the Nicotine Dependence Program at UNC Family Medicine. Smoking on and off since I was thirteen, I tried every trick in the book to stop. Every attempt ended in failure. I became, as the old joke goes, an expert on quitting. After … Read more

In 2010, Jeanine Simmons was preparing to give birth to her first child – a baby girl. She and her husband, Justin, came to the Family Medicine Center with the belief that we could provide them with something that other medical facilities could not. Options. “I was terrified. I’m grateful to so many people for … Read more

Dr. Joan Huntley supports an annual visiting professorship in memory of her husband, Dr. Robert Huntley. “The Huntley Lecture and visiting professorship represent everything Bob believed in – continuous learning and innovation in primary care. I am thrilled to honor his memory this way.” “It has been a joy to work with Joan over the … Read more

UNC Family Medicine is again ranked 2nd in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. “We are humbled by this news and appreciate the recognition,” said Dr. Warren Newton, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine. How does UNC Family Medicine do it year after year? By constantly searching for innovative ways to improve … Read more

We’ve all watched the scene play out on television or at the movies – a character collapses in a public place, and immediately someone calls out, “Is there a doctor in the house?” Always, a daring physician dashes to aid. A new study released this week by UNC Family Medicine researchers proves this may be … Read more

Spiritual care has long been an important part of health care, but now health care experts are beginning to measure it with the goal of being able to interpret the impact of spiritual care on health outcomes. Dr. Tim Daaleman is part of a panel who recently developed the first evidence-based measures for quality spiritual … Read more

Smoke-free policies at North Carolina hospitals help protect patient health while promoting the denormalization of smoking in society. But could that progress be undone by the rise in popularity of e-cigarettes? CHAPEL HILL, NC – In the first systematic survey of electronic cigarette use (e-cigarettes) in hospitals, researchers have found that the great majority of … Read more

January 26, 2016 will be two years since Matt Englund has been tobacco free. This wasn’t Matt’s first attempt at quitting, but he says it’s his last. Four years prior, he quit for a year without using any medication. He used the “Delay” method. (When you crave a cigarette, delay, delay, delay.) That worked until the stress of school, work, and a new baby made him feel like he wanted to smoke again. This most recent period of smoking lasted about 18 months. It was then that he went to his primary care physician at Family Medicine, who asked him if he smoked. When he responded “yes,” the physician asked if he wanted help in quitting. When Matt responded “yes” again, he referred Matt to the UNC Tobacco Free Tar Heels Program. Since his wife was a UNC Health Care employee, and Matt was a dependent on her insurance, he was able to enter the free program.

UNC Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program Finds Poly-Tobacco Use Among Teenagers Is on the Rise CHAPEL HILL – Researchers at the Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program (TPEP) at the University of North Carolina have published a paper in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health discussing the use of multiple tobacco products, or … Read more

A new study from the UNC Family Medicine Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program (TPEP) finds that where an individual lives may impact their access to cheap or improperly marketed tobacco. Published in the Center for Disease Control’s Preventing Chronic Disease journal, the study by Joseph G.L. Lee, PhD, MPH; Hannah M Baker, MPH; Leah M. … Read more

The study found no reduction in state-level rates of abusive head trauma (AHT) or “shaken baby syndrome.” Dr. Adam Zolotor from UNC Family Medicine is lead author of the article published on October 26, 2015 in JAMA Pediatrics. A new evaluation of a statewide shaken baby prevention effort found that the number of calls to … Read more