Balfour Sartor, MD, and Shehzad Sheikh, MD, PhD, are co-principal investigators of a large grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust to conduct translational research that will predict recurrence after surgery for Crohn’s disease. The Helmsley grant, “Genomic and Microbial Signatures Predict Post-Operative Disease Outcomes in Crohn’s Disease,” provides $2,334,750 over three years to enable researchers … Read more

Amy Mottl, MD, MPH, associate professor in the division of nephrology and hypertension, is receiving a five-year NIH Multi PI R01 grant award for “The Impact of Diabetes on Patients with Glomerular Disease: CureGN-Diabetes.” IgA nephropathy (IgAN), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), minimal change disease (MCD), and membranous nephropathy (MN) are rare glomerular diseases that cause … Read more

Meghan Free, PhD, assistant professor in nephrology and hypertension, explains autoimmune diseases, how they work, and how they can be treated in a new podcast. She also discusses the risk factors and predispositions for these diseases.

Gerald Hladik, MD, and Abhi Kshirsagar, MD, explain how changes in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are expected to increase the proportion of patients using home dialysis and receiving transplants in the New York Times.  The article also features UNC Health patient Mary Prochaska, 73, a retired dialysis and transplant social worker in … Read more

Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, assistant professor in infectious diseases and medical director of UNC Medical Center Infection Prevention, participated in the UNC Health Media Briefing “COVID Precautions During the Holidays.”

As North Carolina’s COVID-19 case counts rise steadily, the tightening grip of the coronavirus is having a disparate impact on the state’s rural counties. In a North Carolina Health News report, Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, associate professor of infectious diseases, told reporters college students could begin preparing for visits home now by isolating themselves as much … Read more

Early in the pandemic, anti-il-6 drugs became a standard of care for treating COVID patients at many hospitals, widely believed to quell the immune system response. Now, evidence mounts that they are not effective. Jonathan Parr, MD, MPH, in infectious diseases, and William Fischer, MD, in pulmonary medicine, were interviewed by the New York Times.

A long-acting injectable drug, cabotegravir, is safe and more effective than a daily pill in preventing HIV acquisition, according to results from a study of 3,127 cisgender women in sub-Saharan Africa. “New HIV prevention agents that address the many needs of all individuals at risk for acquiring HIV are essential pillars of our strategy to end the HIV epidemic,” says Myron Cohen, MD, HPTN co-principal investigator and director of UNC’s Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases. “If approved, this innovative new injectable option administered once every two months will expand the way we approach HIV prevention.”

Healio reports on three studies recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine that evaluated the effects of tocilizumab against COVID-19, as well as an editorial by Jonathan Parr, MD, MPH, associate professor in infectious diseases. “Newly released randomized trials suggest a potential role for tocilizumab in COVID-19 but do not show clear evidence of efficacy, in contrast to observational studies,” Parr said.

David Wohl, MD, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, said Pfizer’s advancements on the COVID-19 vaccine are promising. However, as virus cases spike in North Carolina, he encourages people to keep their guard up and continue to take the same precautions that were recommended in March.

One month into Phase 3, coronavirus cases continue to climb in North Carolina. In a new WRAL report, Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, associate professor in infectious diseases, says contact tracing shows the majority of cases are connected through close contact where people are not wearing a mask or practicing social distancing.

Long-standing health and social inequalities based on race and ethnicity have put many people at risk of contracting COVID-19. Keisha Gibson, MD, MPH, FASN, vice chair for diversity and inclusion in the department of medicine, explains why she joined a COVID-19 clinical trial and why she’s urging others to consider joining the fight.