Category: Infectious Diseases
Boyce Leads Longitudinal COVID-19 Study in Chatham County
Ross Boyce, MD, MSc Ross Boyce, MD, MSc, assistant professor in the division of infectious diseases, is currently leading a longitudinal study in Chatham County to understand how and why SARS-CoV-2 is spreading through this population — data that are direly needed since most of the current data rely on “imperfect disease markers,” or information about the disease that’s easier to … Read more
Herce Answers Common Questions About COVID-19 Clinical Trials in Spanish Language Video
Michael Herce, MD, MPH Michael Herce, MD, MPH, MSc, assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, participated in a Q&A video, in Spanish, in an effort to reach Latino communities and encourage participation in COVID-19 clinical trials. The Latino communities in North Carolina and across the U.S. have been disproportionally affected by the coronaviru … Read more
Sickbert-Bennett Tells Parents How To Safely Visit Museums During Pandemic
Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, MS Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, MS, told WRAL’s Go Ask Mom that while museums may be open, that doesn’t mean everyone can go back to visiting them like they did in the past. “Whatever the activity — playing sports, going to the beach or visiting a museum — there is risk during the pandemic,” said Sickbert-Bennett, associate professor of medicine in th … Read more
Adimora Receives UNC’s Thomas Jefferson Award
Adaora A. Adimora, MD, MPH The annual Thomas Jefferson Award recognizes a UNC faculty member who, through personal influence and performance of duty in teaching, writing and scholarship, has best exemplified the ideals and objectives of Thomas Jefferson. UNC faculty members nominate candidates for the honor, which carries a cash prize; a faculty committee chooses the recipient. C … Read more
Sickbert-Bennett Discusses Contact Sports and Risks of COVID-19 With New Guidance
Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, MS 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 s … Read more
Gay Comments On COVID-19 Trials and Levels of Safety Oversight
Cindy Gay, MD, MPH 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 extend to a broader review of data and … Read more
Sickbert-Bennett Suggests Ways To Be Safe At the Gym
Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, MS 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, Sickbert-Bennett said. “Also be sure to wash … Read more
Weber Explains Testing Recommendations For COVID After Exposure
David Weber, MD, guest on WRAL. 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 people or pre-sy … Read more
Department of Medicine Grants & Funding: August 1 – August 31, 2020
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism Laura Young, MD, PhD, and Katrina Donahue, MD, MPH, received a PCORI grant to study the impact of COVID-19 on glucose monitoring in diabetes patients. Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Silvia Kreda, PhD, was awarded an NIH SBIR Phase II grant to study molecules that enhance delivery of therapeutic oligonucleotides to correct … Read more
Second Episode of ‘Confronting the HIV Epidemic’ Launched
From left: Lisa Hightow-Weidman, Kate Muessig, and Lina Rosengren-Hovee A new video series from Medscape includes compelling stories of people living with HIV and interviews with UNC School of Medicine’s Lisa Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH, Kate Muessig, PhD, and Lina Rosengren-Hovee, MD, MPH, MS, of the UNC Behavior and Technology Lab in the division of infectious diseases. Learn more … Read more
UNC Researchers Launch Clinical Trial for COVID-19 Treatments
David Wohl, MD (Credit: TPAN) UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases researchers have begun phase 2 and phase 3 evaluations of promising treatments for COVID-19. The UNC School of Medicine joins more than 25 initial sites participating in the clinical trials through ACTIV-2, a public-private partnership sponsored by the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Inf … Read more
Herce, Barzin Describe the Need For Testing Events In Lee County
Michael Herce, MD, MPH Michael Herce, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, and Amir Barzin, DO, assistant professor in the department of family medicine, were interviewed by the News & Observer while providing drive through testing in Lee County. The article reported the testing event was the fifth that UNC has held in Sanford with … Read more