Category: News

The annual Phillip and Ruth Hettleman Prizes for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement have been awarded to five promising faculty members who exemplify groundbreaking and innovative research along with future career promise. Among the awardees is MLI member Brian Conlon, PhD. Read the full story here.

From discovery to prevention to treatment, researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill are working to understand and mitigate the global rise of untreatable infections. In this UNC Research article, “Treatment-resistant infections, a ‘slow-moving catastrophe,’” Brian Conlon, PhD, is one of the featured researchers. Read the story here.

Kenneth N. Olivier, MD, MPH, was consulted for an article in the Washington Post focusing on what people should know about pneumonia. The impetus for the article was the announcement that former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton is currently suffering from the illness. The article can be read here.

Ilona Jaspers, PhD, was consulted for an article in The Intercept that investigates toxic waste resulting from the burning of plastics for recycling at a facility in Zebulon, NC. The article, “Garbage In, Toxics Out,” can be read here.

A phase 2 study, led by Thomas W. Ferkol, MD, at the UNC School of Medicine, demonstrates safety and efficacy of idrevloride with hypertonic saline for treatment of primary ciliary dyskinesia, a rare genetic disorder that can lead to permanent lung damage. Read the full story here.

Ilona Jaspers, PhD, has been featured in a UNC Rooted article. As noted on the website, “Rooted is a feature series that recognizes long-standing members of the UNC-Chapel Hill community who have aided in the advancement of research by staying at Carolina. They are crucial to the research enterprise, experts...

Respiratory Health Association (RHA) named M. Bradley Drummond, MD, MHS, the recipient of the 2023 Solovy Award for Advancement in COPD. Dr. Drummond is a distinguished, board-certified pulmonary and critical care physician and associate professor of medicine. Read the full story here.

Ilona Jaspers, PhD, director of the UNC Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma, and Lung Biology, co-authored a study with colleagues from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on possible effects of wildfire smoke in-utero or in the first weeks of life. Read...

A new study by researchers in the UNC School of Medicine, including Meghan Rebuli, PhD, Ilona Jaspers, PhD, and Kevin T. Cao, has found that SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination produces a robust immune response in the nasal cavity. Read the full story here.

WRAL News interviewed David Peden, MD, concerning the lung health effects of wildfire smoke from Canada, as well as what people can do to mitigate the effects of the smoke. The interview, “‘There are more opportunities for fires to get started’: UNC doctor on health effects of wildfires and what...