UNC Gillings alumna named CEO of EngenderHealth
September 12, 2018 Gillings School alumna Traci L. Baird (MPH, 1995, health behavior) has been named president and CEO of EngenderHealth, a leading global women’s health and sexual and reproductive rights organization. She will step into the role Oct. 1.
UNC Gillings faculty build community relations as Thorp Scholars
Sept. 5, 2018 Recently, assistant professor Dr. Alexandra Lightfoot graduated. Instead of gaining another degree, however, she was honored for completing the 2016-2018 Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholars program and conducting research that involves and benefits other communities.
Study demonstrates benefits among people living with HIV who inject drugs
September 5, 2018 Gillings School researchers are part of an international team reporting promising findings related to the prevention of HIV transmission among people who are HIV-positive and use injectable drugs and their partners. The key findings of HPTN 074, part of the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN), were published Aug. 30 in The Lancet.
Study finds menthol cigarette marketing targets African-Americans
August 31, 2018 It may seem surprising that more than 80 percent of African-American smokers use menthol cigarettes – compared to just 29 percent of white smokers – until you learn more about how cigarette companies market their products. A new study led by UNC researchers has reported that the leading menthol brand has a unique pattern of targeting their marketing to African-Americans.
Low-cost convenience samples are surprisingly good for estimating association in tobacco studies
August 14, 2018 Drs. Michelle Jeong and Noel Brewer found that data collected from low-cost convenience sampling in research experiments was comparable to that collected from state-of-the-art and costly probability sampling. The finding is useful for behavior scientists interested in gathering timely data on a budget. Photo by Patrick G. Kelley.
New study finds fake, low-quality medicines prevalent in the developing world
August 12, 2018 A new study by Drs. Sachiko Ozawa and James Herrington, and colleagues, found that substandard and falsified medicines, including medicines to treat malaria, are a serious problem in much of the world. In low- and middle-income countries, more than 13 percent of the essential medicines that satisfy the priority health care needs of the population fall in this category. Map design by UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
Chen selected for AAUW award focused on ‘expanding women’s potential’
August 7, 2018 Elizabeth Chen, doctoral student in health behavior, was awarded an AAUW American Dissertation Fellowship by the American Association of University Women. Chen is developing a scale to measure the acceptability of mobile health (mHealth) interventions among teens.
A new threat to immigrants’ health: The ‘public charge’ rule
August 3, 2018 Drs. Krista Perreira and Jonathan Oberlander are co-authors of an article about a proposed federal plan that could have major life and health consequences for millions of immigrant families. Photo by Rutgers School of Nursing.
UNC, RTI International researchers assess US travelers’ knowledge of Zika virus, willingness to take hypothetical vaccine
July 2, 2018 A collaboration between researchers at the Gillings School, RTI International and UNC's School of Medicine has resulted in the first study to assess and compare United States travelers’ knowledge levels about the Zika virus across three regions, as well as their willingness to take a prophylactic Zika vaccine that currently is in development.
Barrington and team win research award for HIV/AIDS project in Guatemala
June 25, 2018 Central America’s first study to critically document the process of creating a community-based clinic for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for gay men has been selected to receive the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations’ (ICASO) 2018 Robert Carr Research Award. Dr. Clare Barrington is the leader of the UNC research team on the collaborative project.
