Saving mothers more effectively: With $13M, UNC faculty will build a national learning network to prevent deaths from pregnancy and childbirth
October 8, 2019 In the United States, mothers are dying. A recent America’s Health Rankings report listed the U.S. as having the highest maternal mortality rate in the world among developed countries. Now, with a total of $13 million in funding, three faculty members in the Gillings School will implement the Supporting Maternal Health Innovation Program.
Provider perspectives are vital to solving widespread absenteeism in Kenyan health care clinics
October 8, 2019 “Our recent and very preliminary data suggest that between 25 and 50 percent of public sector health care providers in western Kenya are absent at any given time,” says Dr. Katherine Tumlinson.
Can a screening for social determinants of health effectively inform children's health care?
October 7, 2019 A study by students and faculty at the UNC Gillings School explored whether screening tools that examine social determinants of health in children can accurately identify early indicators of risk. Based on the researchers' comprehensive review of existing literature, it remains unclear whether such screenings — which aim to consider risk factors outside traditional medical information — inform better care for children.
Health warning labels reduce purchases of sugary beverages
October 2, 2019 A randomized controlled trial from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health finds that even brief exposure to health warnings on sugar-sweetened beverages reduced purchases of those beverages, providing evidence that such warnings promote healthier drink choices.
With ~$52M in funding from NIH HEAL Initiative, Gillings School researchers join fight against national opioid crisis
October 1, 2019 To reverse the opioid crisis that continues to grip the United States, the National Institutes of Health has awarded $945 million in funding across 41 states through the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative. Researchers at the Gillings School are leading one of the 375 grant awards, which focuses on back pain.
Lock-in programs connect patients to drug treatment, but don’t reduce risk of opioid overdose
September 17, 2019 Lock-in programs for individuals at risk for opioid misuse appear to have little effect on overdoses — a finding that points to a need for improved program design.
Hursting moves into 16th year of Breast Cancer Research Foundation grant
September 13, 2019 “Our work has evolved from asking Is obesity increasing cancer risk? and What are the mechanisms linking obesity and cancer?” Dr. Hursting says. “We have largely answered the first question and are still working on the second, but our focus really has turned to What are we going to do about it?”
New peanut allergy treatment is effective and safe, study finds
September 4, 2019 UNC researchers show that tiny under-the-tongue doses of peanut protein can offer safe and substantial protection against a peanut allergy.
Sharing breast milk is increasingly common, but its impact on infant nutrition is understudied
September 4, 2019 Though many families worldwide turn to various methods of human milk exchange to feed and nourish their infants, researchers have done little to explore the impact of sharing breast milk on infant health outcomes and malnutrition.
UNC Gillings community mourns Professor Emeritus John Anderson
August 29, 2019 Dr. John Joseph Baxter Anderson, 85, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, passed away August 21 at UNC Hospitals. "Beloved by faculty, staff and students throughout the School, John was an esteemed colleague, mentor and friend."
