New findings on genes, hypertension highlight importance of studying populations with African ancestry
May 17, 2017 A recent study identified three novel genomic regions related to hypertension susceptibility in individuals with African ancestry.
Gillings School celebrates 77th commencement
May 13, 2017 Families and friends of 329 new Gillings School alumni gathered on May 13 to celebrate the School's 77th commencement. Aaron Williams, executive vice president for government relations and corporate communications at RTI International, delivered the commencement address.
Two master’s students awarded Winston Health Policy Fellowship
May 12, 2017 Master's students Jessica Broadus and Margot Schein were awarded funding from the David A. Winston Health Policy Fellowship. The award recognizes those students who have demonstrated potential to succeed in health policy at the state or federal level.
Study evaluates the CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers campaign, finds it an effective smoking cessation program
May 12, 2017 A new study assesses the impact of Tips From Former Smokers (Tips), the first federally funded tobacco education campaign in the U.S., which has been aired annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since 2012. Doctoral student Paul Shafer, also a research economist at RTI International, is co-author of the study, published May 12 in Health Education and Behavior.
Study documents trends in food and beverage consumption by infants and toddlers
May 9, 2017 A new study by doctoral candidate Gandarvaka Miles calls for policy guidance and caretaker education to help infants and toddlers achieve healthy diets.
Statins may reduce inflammation related to advanced prostate cancer risk
May 9, 2017 A study led by Dr. Emma Allott explores the relationship between statin use, inflammation and prostate cancer. Allott's findings were published May 9 in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.
Dietary calcium-phosphorus ratio does not influence bone health in older Americans, study finds
May 8, 2017 A study by Dr. John Anderson and Gillings School colleagues, published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, examines whether a low ratio of dietary calcium to phosphorus has an impact upon bone health of older adults in the U.S.
Physical activity helps to counteract weight gain from obesity-causing gene variant, study finds
May 4, 2017 To determine how physical activity and genetic variants related to obesity interact to affect weight gain, Dr. Misa Graff and colleagues performed genome-wide interaction meta-analyses using more than 200,000 individuals. The international study was published in PLOS Genetics.
Study identifies novel gene loci for traits related to obesity
May 3, 2017 Drs. Anne Justice and Kari North are part of an international collaboration that explored whether and how smoking tobacco may alter one’s genetic susceptibility to obesity and distribution of body fat. Their study was published in Nature Communications.
Study reveals limitations of maternal health services for deaf women in Cape Town
May 2, 2017 A recent study of the experiences of deaf women seeking maternity health-care services in Cape Town, South Africa found reports of linguistic barriers and mistreatment.
