Author Archives: Morgan Duerden

Kenichi Okuda, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary Diseases & Critical Care Medicine, has been awarded a grant from the Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute (CFRI) for his project, “Pathways Maintaining Basal Mucin and CFTR-mediated Fluid Secretion in the Human Distal Airway.” As the principal investigator,...

May recognizes the centuries of historical and cultural contributions various ethnic groups have made in the United States. From medical discoveries to work done on the first transcontinental railroad, these communities have helped shape America. Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders have enriched...

Dr. Scott Commins, MD, PhD, in the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, is an Alpha-gal Syndrome (red meat allergy) expert. He explains how a bite from a Lone Star Tick could impact your health. There’s the more subtle presentation. “They have terrible abdominal cramping and pain and diarrhea, maybe...

Are astronauts more likely to develop blood clots during space missions due to zero gravity? That’s the question NASA is trying to answer with help from UNC School of Medicine’s Stephan Moll, MD, professor in the Division of Hematology within the UNC Department of Medicine. A new publication in Vascular Medicine...

As an assistant professor in the Divisions of Hematology and Geriatric Medicine, and a board-certified Geriatric-Hematologist, Dr. Shakira J. Grant, MBBS, is no stranger to success, but she has had to overcome many challenges along the way. Now, selected for the 2022 Programs to Increase Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in...

Dr. Laura Young, MD, PhD, an associate professor in the Division of Endocrinology, has received a grant from the National Institute of Health to increase uptake of diabetes self-management education. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 37.3 million people live with diabetes. The challenges, costs, and complications of...

The Department of Medicine would like to welcome two new communication specialists to the family. Kendall Daniels and Morgan Duerden will be providing a number of roles and services for the Department and its Divisions. Their focus will be telling patient and physician stories, highlighting clinical research and supporting internal...

When Betsy Crais was a graduate student, she started having abdominal pain and other gastrointestinal symptoms and went to her doctor to find out what was wrong. “He showed me the X-rays—I had black holes all over my kidneys,” she says. Those “black holes” were cysts from polycystic kidney disease....

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...

For medical students, “Match Day” is one of the most thrilling and unforgettable moments of their lives. As they open their envelopes, decorative boxes, and other means of message delivery, students are imbued with the knowledge of where the next steps of their medical education will be. On March 18th,...