Author Archives: Kim Morris

An antibody drug study by Eli Lilly and Company has shown that the coronavirus antibody LY-CoV555, developed by Indianapolis-based Lilly and the Canadian company AbCellera, prevents mild to moderately ill coronavirus patients from being hospitalized. The antibody is reported to work by recognizing the virus once a person is infected...

Recently updated guidance from the NC Health and Human Services on contact sports and amateur sports programs “strongly recommends only playing sports in which participants can maintain social distancing.”  Those sports are reported to include golf, cycling, disc golf, swimming, singles tennis, running, track and field and dance. “Playing contact...

Neil Shah, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology, has been appointed associate program director for the UNC Gastroenterology & Hepatology fellowship program. Shah earned his medical degree at UNC-Chapel Hill and completed internal medicine residency at the University of Virginia. He returned to UNC...

With Astrazeneca putting its vaccine trials on hold, Cindy Gay, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases and principal investigator of UNC’s COVID-19 Moderna Trial, told WRAL there are measures in place and levels of safety oversight that begin at the individual participant level and...

Emily Sickbert-Bennett, MD, associate professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, was featured in a Popular Science article about exercising during the pandemic. “If you must go to the gym, bring plenty of cleaning wipes with you to scrub down the equipment before and after you use it,...

Marcella Boynton, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the division of general medicine and clinical epidemiology, talked with WRAL about a multi-institution projects that she participated in to test the effectiveness of different messages encouraging coronavirus safety measures such as wearing a mask or social distancing. They found that when...

William Fischer, MD, associate professor of medicine in the division of pulmonary diseases and critical care medicine, was featured on WRAL discussing the progress being made on COVID-19 vaccines and treatment. Fischer recognized that many people are volunteering to take part in clinical trials which will help the development of...

Olafur Palsson, PsyD, professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology, was interviewed by the Greensboro News and Record discussing his study that assessed the emotional and mental impacts of COVID-19 on the US adult population. “Younger people were more affected by it than older individuals, and the...

Lori O’Brien, PhD, a member of the UNC Kidney Center and assistant professor in the department of Cell Biology and Physiology, discusses her research on kidney development and nephron function in an episode of the Finding Genius podcast. The episode summarizes her research as it relates to kidney disease, including:...

David Weber, MD, MPH, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, discussed COVID-19 testing guidance and recommendation with WRAL. In the interview, Weber explained that many people who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 should be tested for the virus even if they don’t have symptoms, because asymptomatic...

The 2020 Whitehead Lecture was presented today by Koyal Jain, MD, MPH, FASN, assistant professor of medicine in the division of nephrology and hypertension. “Be proud of all that you have achieved,” Jain told students. “You’re here during a time when change is needed, and you have the power to...

Three UNC researchers are co-authors of a new international study, published online August 28 in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, that found patients with a liver transplant who are infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, do not face an increased risk of death compared to other patients who were infected with...