Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellows
Laura Rachel, MD, MS (Year 3)
Laura Rachal, MD, MS completed her Medicine – Pediatrics residency at Tulane and is currently in her third year of a combined Medicine – Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellowship at UNC. Her clinical experiences this past year have
provided broad education and experience, but the COVID-19 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to gain expertise in aspects of clinical management of a new pandemic. Dr. Rachal is currently working on further development of a QI project, and the goal of her initial clinical research project is to evaluate and define HIV PrEP access preferences/barriers and PrEP medication choice preferences/barriers in Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA).
Select Publications:
Tahlil K, Rachal L , Nwaozuru U , Ahmed N , Beima-Sofie K , Denison j , Roberts S, Gbajabiamila T, Obiezu-Umeh C , Rosenberg N, Iwelunmor J , Ezechi O, Tucker J. Measuring engagement of adolescents and young adults (AYA) in HIV research: A mixed-methods analysis of an African crowdsourcing open call and typology of AYA engagement. AIDS & Behavior (Under Review).
Fellow Scholarship
Fellow scholarship for the division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine at UNC Chapel Hill
Select Presentations:
Tahlil K, Rachal L , Nwaozuru U , Ahmed N , Beima-Sofie K , Denison j , Roberts S, Gbajabiamila T, Obiezu-Umeh C , Rosenberg N, Iwelunmor J , Ezechi O, Tucker J: Measuring youth engagement in African HIV research: a mixed-methods analysis of a crowdsourcing open call. Poster Presented at International AIDS Society Meeting 2021, July 18-21. Virtual Meeting.
Rachal L, Belhorn T, Wilson W: A “Cereus” case of Endocarditis in an Infant with Congenital Heart Disease. Poster Presented at UNC Pediatric Day of Scholarship. 14 May 2021.
Rachal L, Mavrogiorgos N, Daniels L: Antimicrobial Stewarship in UTIs—The Geriatric Dilemna. Presentation for Geriatric Medicine Grand Rounds. 21 Jan 2020.
Rachal L, Jose J: Hold That Buzz: Timely Malaria Medication Access in New Orleans, LA. Poster Presented at ID Week. 7 October 2018
Rachal L: HIV and the Young Adult. Louisiana AAP Potpourri Oral Presentation Session. 18 August 2018
Fellowship Alumni
Peyton Thompson, M.D.
Insight from a previous fellow:
“Having trained at UNC for my residency in Pediatrics, the decision to stay on for fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases was a no-brainer. The collegial environment at UNC – in both the clinical and research realms – is beyond compare; it’s what initially drew me to UNC and has kept me here since. From a clinical standpoint, my fellowship training was comprehensive, from the bread-and-butter cases of hospital-acquired infections to the “zebra” cases of fevers in returned travelers and rare immunodeficiencies. My colleagues in the division were approachable throughout my training (at all hours of the day and night, I might add) and remain fully accessible to me as a junior faculty member. From a research standpoint, I have been supported by a web of unbeatable mentors and colleagues within and outside of the division; thanks to their mentorship, I am now NIH-funded through a career development award to study hepatitis B transmission in Congolese children. I am a PI and integral member of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Ecology Laboratory (IDEEL), a group of investigators who work collaboratively to tackle infectious diseases that affect the most vulnerable populations across the globe. The Gillings School of Global Public Health, where I received a Masters of Science in Clinical Research during my fellowship, is the top public health school in the nation (U.S. News and World Report 2022) and provides a wealth of resources and opportunities for collaboration. I am grateful to have completed my fellowship training in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UNC, and honored to be part of the faculty here.”
Peyton Thompson, MD, MSCR; 2019 Graduate of UNC’s Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellowship Program