The topic of arthritis is more complicated than it might seem, with over 100 forms of this sometimes debilitating disease affecting people of all ages. To help shed light on the subject, leading rheumatologist Beth Jonas, MD, recently joined Joe and Terry Graedon to answer listener’s questions on The People’s Pharmacy.
Osteoarthritis (OA) of the hand is a common condition that causes serious limitations in the daily activities of millions of Americans. The scientific community has statistics on the lifetime risk of developing symptomatic OA of the knee and hip. Now, thanks to the work of leading researchers, it is has data illuminating the risk of symptomatic hand OA.
In February, three UNC interventional cardiologists and a team of dedicated health care professionals travelled to Nicaragua to perform a life-saving, minimally invasive procedure on as many patients as they could, and to bring the best in cardiac care to a country without heart surgeons.
UNC Lineberger researchers led by Daniel S. Reuland, MD, MPH, report in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine that providing one-on-one support and customized tools for decision-making increased screening rates for patients at two community health centers in North Carolina and New Mexico.
Researchers in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases have learned the HIV virus persists in macrophages, large white blood cells found in tissues throughout the body. The discovery has significant implications for HIV cure research.
Researchers at UNC are working across departmental lines to answer questions about the Zika Virus. The Department of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Disease, the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases in collaboration with Duke University, have received a federal grant of $3M to develop a better diagnostic test for Zika.
We are saddened to announce that Dr. David A. Ontjes, Department of Medicine Chair from 1981 to 1989, died on May 7, 2017. Dr. Ontjes specialized in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1964.
Dr. Cynthia Denu-Ciocca, an Associate Professor of Medicine in UNC’s Division of Nephrology, has been selected to serve on the editorial board of the American Society of Nephrology’s (ASN) Education Program.
Three internal medicine residents have been inducted into the medical honor society, Alpha Omega Alpha.
The Department of Medicine’s Annual Research Day was held on April 18, 2017. Research Day is an opportunity for residents to present research projects to colleagues within the UNC community, celebrating accomplishments and fostering new collaborations.
Dr. Matthew Cavender, Improving Outcomes Through Cardiovascular Research: “We wanted to determine what therapies are cardiovascular specific that can improve outcomes with patients with diabetes. On the flip side, we considered drugs primarily geared toward treating diabetes that could be effective in patients with coronary disease.”
Dr. Amy Shaheen, Medicine Professor for the Division of General Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, has received the Charles H. Griffith, III MD, Educational Research Award.