Research News

Wellness champion Amy Weil, MD, invites colleagues to submit questions and share perspectives on institutional well-being, to inspire actionable insights. Wellness Expo Week kicks off this Monday, November 18, sponsored by the Office of Faculty Affairs & Leadership Development and the UNC School of Medicine Well-Being Committee. Amy Weil, MD, professor of general medicine and … Read more

New Research in ANCA Vasculitis This research is a successful collaboration between basic and translational scientists, epidemiologists, geneticists, and nephropathologists. The themes of the projects mirror questions that patients frequently ask: what causes their disease, what will make their disease better or worse, and what will assure that their disease goes into remission and even … Read more

Physician-scientists are uniquely positioned to transfer clinical insights to research discoveries, to return a better understanding of human disease to the clinic. A new initiative led by Laura Loehr, MD, PhD, MS, associate professor in general medicine and clinical epidemiology, and Susan Hogan, PhD, MPH, associate professor in nephrology, will help junior faculty in the … Read more

The Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and its affiliated Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease, is a national leader in gastrointestinal and liver disease research. In 2018, the Division received more than $23 million in research awards, one of the largest funding bases in UNC’s School of Medicine, including both basic and clinical departments. Remarkably, … Read more

Seth A. Berkowitz investigates ways to address food insecurity in vulnerable patients. Seth A. Berkowitz, MD, MPH, is investigating programs that address food insecurity, for patients with limited or uncertain access to nutritious food because of cost, to consider how they might improve health and healthcare utilization. In one project, Berkowitz is working with Community … Read more

Hospitalist medicine is the fastest growing medicine specialty and it continues to lead the way in transforming healthcare and revolutionizing patient care.  UNC faculty physicians from the division of hospital medicine had a strong presence at the national meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) in March, held in Washington, DC, representing the UNC … Read more

(Republished from the UNC Health Care and UNC School of Medicine Newsroom.) The UNC School of Medicine has selected Joe Eron, MD, professor of medicine and vice chief for the division of infectious diseases, and Brian Kuhlman, PhD, professor of biochemistry and biophysics, as Oliver Smithies Investigators, an annual award to honor senior faculty members … Read more

UNC School of Medicine doctors enlisted a network of health care professionals from small primary care practices and used data analytics to help identify North Carolinians at risk for cardiovascular disease. Primary care doctors could use this approach to dramatically reduce heart disease risk for tens of thousands of people across the state.

Examining the role of dietary fatty acids – Eric Klett, MD Dr. Eric Klett is a physician-scientist whose research interest is in the role of dietary fatty acids, specifically polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and their effects on the development of diabetes mellitus. The Klett lab, using pancreatic beta-cell and animal models, examines the role of … Read more

Handing Off the Older Patients: Improved Documentation of Geriatrics Assessment in Transitions of Care – Maureen C. Dale, MD Older adults, particularly frail elders, are at an increased risk for poor health outcomes and avoidable re-hospitalization during transitions of care. Nearly one of five older adults are re-hospitalized within 30 days of hospital discharge, and … Read more

Complex Care Committee Develops Individualized Care Plans – Beth Ann Brubaker, MD   Individualized care plans (ICPs) have been created for patients who are high utilizers of inpatient resources. In some cases this high utilization has been due to fractioned/inefficient medical care and in other cases due to social/addiction issues. Most of these patients have … Read more

Medicine hospitalists have recognized unnecessary practices for low-risk chest pain in an article recently published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.