Author Archives: Morgan Duerden

Stanley M. Lemon, MD, professor of medicine in the UNC Division of Infectious Diseases and a member of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Membership is a widely accepted mark of excellence in science and is considered one of the...

The clickable links below navigate directly to outside media articles which featured Department of Medicine faculty throughout the month of April. Richard Loeser, MD, was quoted in an article about the benefits and challenges of working out with videorthritis. Joseph D. Tucker’s, MD, PhD, 23-year career at Carolina and work...

Chris Caulfield, MD, a hospitalist in the UNC Division of Hospital Medicine, and Edward Hu, MD, an internist with UNC Health Rex, presented at the National Physician Advisor Conference (NPAC) on the process for filing member appeals of Medicare Advantage denials.  Drs. Caulfield and Hu presented “Medicare Advantage Member Appeals...

May Day (May 1st): An International Worker’s Day that honors the contributions of workers around the world. Cinco de Mayo (May 5th): A holiday to celebrate Mexico’s victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Mother’s Day (May 12th): A day to honor mothers and...

Daniel Song, MD, majored in chemistry, biochemistry and music at the University of Virginia. Dr. Song has examined the use of music to explore death and dying. He has also reviewed literature supporting music’s impact on healthcare and medical education. In his free time, you guessed it, Dr. Song enjoys...

As health care shifts from reimbursement based on numbers of patients seen or procedures performed, to reimbursement based on quality of care, the infectious diseases specialty is challenged to accurately reflect the complex, expert care that ID physicians provide. One way could be outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy, or OPAT, which monitors...

Becky Sawchak, RN, MSN, AGPCNP-C, cares for patients with Myeloproliferative Neoplasms, but also chronic leukemias and Myelodysplastic Syndrome. Professionally, Becky is most proud of the clinical trial she opened here at UNC. Outside of work Becky often finds herself baking French Macarons— "they’re difficult to make, but just like medicine,...

The UNC Sickle Cell Program proudly hosted its first fundraiser, the ‘Full Court Press for Sickle Cell’ basketball tournament, in 2023. With over 250 attendees and 90 players competing for the championship, the event successfully raised $10,000. This year, the fundraiser is returning with even more excitement! Mark your calendars...

As this year’s medical students look towards graduation, faculty members continue to inspire and set them up for success. During Pearls Day, students gathered to listen to educators speak on topics or issues they may face. Being selected as a Pearls Day speaker is an honor as they are nominated...

Christine Hill, MHA, CRA, business officer for the UNC Blood Research Center received a $3,300 School of Medicine Staff Development Grant. The grant covers professional education and training and can be used for credit and non-credit courses, conferences, certificate programs or similar instructional opportunities. In total, 133 grants were issued...

April is Minority Health Month, a month to raise awareness about the need to reduce health disparities and improve the health of minority communities. The UNC Health Center for Transplant Care team and UNC Health nephrologists recently increased equitable access for the Black community by addressing and fixing a disparity...

John P. Vavalle, MD, MHS, FACC, and Matthew A. Cavender, MD, MPH, FACC, interventional cardiologists and their collaborative team in the Structural Heart Disease Program at UNC, have performed their first transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement in the clinical setting, a revolutionary treatment for patients living with a common type of...