COVID-19, a communicable disease caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a relatively new pandemic in the public’s eye, but it is only one of the many infectious diseases that epidemiologists like David J. Weber, MD, MPH, are continually facing. “I was at UNC for the onset of the HIV pandemic, 2001 … Continued

  Tessa Andermann, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the division of infectious diseases, has received a pilot award from the Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease (CGBD) for the study “Investigating the role of secondary bile acid derivatives in Th17-mediated disease: A pilot study of multiple myeloma and treatment response.” Dr. Andermann presented the proposed … Continued

Nancie Archin, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, recently received a mentoring award from the Office of Graduate Education’s Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP). Former MD/PhD student Shane Falcinelli nominated Archin for the award. “Nancie is the kind of mentor whose door is always open…. and encourages the hearts … Continued

On September 20, 2021, a federal judge in Texas dismissed all claims against the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) brought by a group of patients with Lyme disease. The lawsuit alleged that the IDSA and other defendants had “engaged in a decades-long conspiracy to deny the existence and prevent treatment of chronic Lyme disease.” … Continued

People with HIV have a high rate of ending up behind bars, but even though the diagnosis is common among people in county jails, it’s hard to know the kind of care these patients receive while they’re detained due to a lack of research. David Rosen, PhD, MD, MPH, authored a recent study that attempts to … Continued

A study by Thibaut Davy-Mendez, PhD, MSPH, and Asher Schranz, MD, MPH, assistant professors of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, looked at access to medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) for people with HIV and recognized how the harms associated with OUD have intensified in recent years, particularly for people who inject drugs. … Continued

The Food and Drug Administration said in a statement May 28 that at least 17 people in the U.S. had been infected with hepatitis A, likely because of the strawberries. Twelve of those people were hospitalized. Dr. Stanley M. Lemon, MD, a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, weighed in on the rarity of hepatitis … Continued

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has selected 11 infectious diseases (ID) programs for the first Joint ID/CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service Fellowship. With funding from the CDC, IDSA launched this joint pilot program for ID physicians who are interested in the CDC’s EIS. … Continued

Sarah Rutstein, MD, PhD, a physician scientist and senior clinical fellow in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine, has been accepted to the HIV Infectious Disease and Global Health Implementation Research Institute (HIGH IRI) through the Center for Dissemination and Implementation at the Institute for Public Health at Washington University in … Continued

Tick-borne diseases (TBD) including Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis (SFGR), ehrlichiosis, and increasingly Lyme disease, represent a substantial public health concern throughout much of the Southeastern United States. North Carolina experiences some of the highest rates of SFGR and ehrlichiosis in the United States, often accounting for more than of 10% and 5% of cases reported to the … Continued

During April, STD Awareness provides an opportunity to talk about STIs and encourage individuals to be proactive about their sexual health and promotes regular STI/HIV screening and testing. Although research in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has evolved rapidly on multiple fronts, a critical remaining challenge is the development of safe and effective vaccines for diseases that pose … Continued

UNC-Chapel Hill infectious disease specialist Dr. David Wohl talked about the risks involved with dropping the mask mandate on public transit, in response to a federal judge’s decision. “When people are eating and drinking, I don’t even drink. I wait,” he said. “I’ll wait till everyone’s done. And then I will take off my mask … Continued