Home test for HPV may be lifesaving for women who do not receive regular cervical cancer screenings
July 25, 2017 A new study, led by Dr. Jennifer Smith and published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases, finds a convenient at-home test for human papillomavirus (HPV) to be a promising tool for preventing cervical cancer in underscreened women in the United States.
Too few pre-teens receive recommended vaccinations, especially for HPV
July 24, 2017 A new study led by recent alumna Dr. Nadja Vielot finds that too few adolescents in the U.S. are obtaining recommended prophylactic vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV), a known and preventable cause of cervical and other cancers in females and males.
NIH renews UNC Gillings environmental health sciences training grant for ninth time
July 19, 2017 The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has renewed a major training grant that the Gillings School has led since 1971. The program supports scholars in biostatistics, epidemiology and environmental sciences and engineering, many of whom have gone on to affect national environmental policy.
Stillo to investigate communicating health risk to private well owners
July 17, 2017 Frank Stillo, a graduate student at UNC Gillings, has received a prestigious grant award to research public health communications related to clean water access in North Carolina.
Largest study of Hispanics/Latinos in US presents new findings about lung capacity in people of Dominican, Puerto Rican ethnicity
July 14, 2017 A new study led by Gillings School researchers has determined reference parameters for measuring lung capacity in non-Mexican American Hispanics. Accurate reference values for such measures are important for diagnosing common chronic lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and predicting mortality.
Paper records recommendations to improve safety of drinking-water wells in NC
July 13, 2017 A new paper by Dr. Jackie MacDonald Gibson offers recommendations that could improve the health of North Carolinians who rely on private drinking-water wells. The paper summarizes recommendations made by the Research Triangle (N.C.) Environmental Health Collaborative at a two-day well-water summit.
MacDonald Gibson honored with ‘Best Presentation’ award at conference
July 7, 2017 Dr. Jackie MacDonald Gibson received a “Best Presentation” award at the conference of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), held June 20-22 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
NIH-funded study to investigate pregnancy outcomes in young cancer survivors
July 5, 2017 Dr. Hazel Nichols has received NIH funding to help young women with cancer make difficult decisions about their future childbearing intentions. Annually, more than 45,000 women ages 15 to 39 are given a cancer diagnosis. Survivors need to know more about the impact of cancer treatment upon their future reproductive outcomes. Photo by Jerry Lai.
Symposium gathers research teams to address opioid addiction, overdose
June 30, 2017 Drug overdoses are among the few causes of death on the rise in the United States, and more than half of these deaths are attributed to opioids. At a recent symposium, Dr. Steve Marshall urged researchers from diverse backgrounds to work together to solve what many call the worst drug crisis in American history.
New drug holds potential to defeat coronaviruses
June 28, 2017 Scientists at the Gillings School have confirmed that an experimental antiviral treatment prevents the development of SARS coronavirus disease in mice. The drug, GS-5734, also inhibits MERS-CoV and multiple other coronaviruses (CoV), suggesting that the treatment may inhibit all CoV.
