Author Archives: Morgan Duerden

Jaime Foster plays a large role in making sure the Department of Medicine runs smoothly and after 13 years she is still met with new tasks to take on every day. Jaime is also a traveler at heart and often likes to adventure without a specific destination planned. Soon she...

A FDA approved cardiac monitoring device may be able to drastically improve the life of a patient living with heart failure. The CardioMEMS Heart Failure (HF) system, a paperclip sized device, collects a patient’s pulmonary artery pressure (the flow of deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs which reflects...

Trailblazing Women of the Department More than 17,000 women are enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill today, making up more than half of the student body. But that wasn’t always the case. It wasn’t until 1877 that women began first enrolling at Carolina for summer sessions. It...

Tamari Papidze, MD, is currently an IM resident and originally from Tchiatura, Georgia. She graduated high school as an exchange student in the U.S. and returned during medical school to rotate as an Acting Intern. Dr. Papidze enjoys Latin dance, playing the piano, fashion design, photography, and ice skating. 

Pulmonologist Kunal Jakharia, MD, has always been passionate about a career in medicine. He grew up in India where his father is a family physician. Dr. Jakharia enjoys gardening, traveling and trying new cuisine, and cooking. He also speaks English, Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute renewed the Jensen Lab’s R01 funding for 5-years at $2.48 million for its project, “Metabolic mechanisms of cardioprotection through alpha-1A adrenergic receptor activation.” The grant will support ongoing investigation of the adaptive effects of alpha-1A adrenergic receptors on mitochondrial function in the heart. The...

Cassi Frank, MMSc, PA-C, works with the benign hematology group at UNC Eastowne as a physician assistant. She is also a graduate student and mother who enjoys reading, playing the piano and all things chocolate! 

Drs. Janet Rubin and Maya Styner were among the women scientists recognized in a thematic issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine for their paper, "The Skeleton in a Physical World." Both women were acknowledged as leaders dedicated to advancing the scientific knowledge of their field and inspiring the next generation...

Watch an interview with Dr. Shakira Grant and Jiona Mills on Barriers to Participation in Hematology Trials at the 2022 ASH conference.

Kenichi Okuda, MD, PhD, has been awarded a $2.83M, five year, grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) for his project, “Mucociliary innate defense mechanism in the human distal airway.” “Airway mucociliary clearance is a regionally coordinated critical innate defense system for maintenance of lung health, with...

David J. Weber, MD, MPH, has been appointed to the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). As a member, Dr. Weber will provide advice and guidance to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A total of 14 non-federal employee voting...

Todd H. Baron, MD, MASGE, has been honored with the Rudolf Schindler Award, the most prestigious award from the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). “The Schindler award is the most prestigious award from the ASGE, and I have been fortunate enough to have worked directly with – and been...