Author Archives: Morgan Duerden

Justin McCallen, MD, worked as an HIV counselor in Durham before attending medical school. He also spent a year at the NIH where he found his passion for research and hopes to purse a career in GI Medicine. Justin enjoys listing to podcasts, skiing and playing Settlers of Catan.

Vikki Metheny, BSN, MSN, ANP, is a Chapel Hill native and has been a nurse practitioner with the UNC Liver Center for over 11 years. Each visit she works to ensure the patient has an understanding of their disease. Outside of work, Vikki is a proud mom of two sons, frequents...

The American Thoracic Society (ATS) conference was well attended by our pulmonary and critical care faculty and fellows. The event, held in Washington, DC, gathers world-renowned and early career experts to present the latest information on clinical, basic and translational science in the field. Throughout the six-day, international conference, UNC...

Founded as a part of UNC School of Medicine’s strategic plan, the Academy of Educators (AOE) has been enhancing research and scholarship towards excellence in teaching since 2006. The Mission of the Academy is also to promote and fund curricular innovation, evidence-based curricular change and a scholarly approach to the education...

It’s a rare day when an infectious disease story is not in the news–particularly since COVID-19 turned the world upside down and showed the vulnerability of the human condition to emerging pathogens. The field of infectious diseases is dynamic, often characterized by innovation and heroism. Christopher Sellers, MD, MPH (UNC...

Kathy James has been with the Division of Infectious Diseases for nearly 28 years and is known for her reliability and willingness to help. She says her colleagues feel like her extended family. Before life in North Carolina, Kathy used to be a singer, and cancan dancer in a western variety show...

The Department is honored to welcome two vibrant leaders to the administrative team, Taylor Herndon and Brandon Grant.  

The University of North Carolina’s Hypertension Clinic has been reaccredited as a Comprehensive Hypertension Center by the American Heart Association (AHA). The certification recognizes the practice’s commitment to following proven, research-based treatment guidelines to care for people with routine as well as complex or difficult-to-treat hypertension. The clinic, located in...

The paper was recently published in Biomolecules Journal. This innovative research investigated whether genetic osteoblast-specific inactivation of the chemokine receptor Ccr2 at different times during post-traumatic osteoarthritis (OA) progression improves joint structures, bone parameters and pain. You can access the article, titled “CC-Chemokine Receptor-2 Expression in Osteoblasts Contributes to Cartilage and Bone...

The UNC School of Medicine Academy of Educators (AOE) has established a number of teaching awards to recognize the importance of excellence in medical teaching, increase the prestige of great educators, and make teaching a more viable part of a faculty member’s academic career path.

At this month’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, Healio honored nine Disruptive Innovators who are changing the face of hematology/oncology. At this second annual award ceremony, Dr. Shakira Grant received the 2023 Healio NextGen Disruptor award. This award goes to an up-and-coming physician who is...

John Buse, MD, PhD, co-authored a study showing that the common diabetes drug metformin substantially decreased the risk of developing long COVID after infection from SARS-CoV-2. The clinical trial was led by researchers at the University of Minnesota. In a new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, University of...