From the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health More women than ever are choosing to breastfeed with widespread recognition of the benefits. Breastfeeding is recommended as the sole source of nutrition for the first six months in a child’s life, followed by continued breastfeeding with the addition of nutritious complementary foods for at least … Continued

UNC Program for Precision Medicine in Health Care (PPMH), which aims to transform patient care through evidence-based precision medicine, and the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences (NC TraCS) Institute at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) have awarded four pilot grants for project that have direct clinical or human translational impact … Continued

Tracy Manuck, MD, received a $817,905 grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for her five-year project, “Patient-oriented research and mentoring in preterm birth toxicogenomics.” This new grant allows Manuck to leverage her ongoing prospective, longitudinal study of spontaneous preterm birth in a new way, studying how environmental exposures also impact preterm birth. … Continued

The Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine returned from the 40th annual Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine meeting with multiple awards, oral presentations and posters, and led many break-out sessions and courses for attendees. Tracy Manuck, MD, associate professor, won the best concurrent oral presentation for prematurity with “Placental CpG methylation varies by extremely preterm birth (PTB) phenotype,” … Continued

Findings indicate racial disparities persist even among those of high socioeconomic status.   GRAPEVINE, Texas ― Despite significant advances in medical care, preterm birth still remains a major global health issue, including in the United States. Prematurity, defined as a birth that occurs more than three weeks before the estimated due date, is the leading … Continued

Dr. Alison Stuebe, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine expert, has been named co-director of the UNC Center for Maternal and Infant Health (CMIH). She was appointed by UNC School of Medicine Dean Wesley Burks to join Wayne Price, professor of pediatrics and specialist in neonatal medicine, who also serves as co-director. “It … Continued

We extend our many congratulations to the winners of UNC OB-GYN’s 2019 Star Awards and the 2019 Staff Excellence Award. Each year the department recognizes employees who are outstanding, committed, dedicated, dependable, have a positive and supportive attitude, and consistently exceed requirements and go beyond the usual expectation of their job requirements. Kelly Scurlock-Cross, of … Continued

In order to protect patients during the peak of flu season, UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill and UNC REX Hospital in Raleigh will implement new visitor restrictions: Beginning Monday, Jan. 6, children less than 12 years old are prohibited from visiting inpatients at UNC REX Hospital in Raleigh (including patients in the Emergency Department), and … Continued

Congratulations to the 24 physicians from UNC OB-GYN who have been selected to the 2019-2020 Best Doctors in America® List. Founded in 1989 by Harvard Medical School physicians, Best Doctors is a global benefits provider and medical information services company that connects individuals facing difficult medical treatment decisions with the best doctors, selected by impartial … Continued

Medical records show that women of color may experience unequal treatment for pain relief after cesarean childbirth, according to a new retrospective study from researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill. The results highlight the need for continued efforts to undo biases in medical care. Many such efforts – including standardized pain management procedures adopted in 2016 for … Continued