UNC team awarded $3.25M grant to study role of placenta in children’s later-life health
September 13, 2017 Researchers from the Departments of Epidemiology, Maternal and Child Health, and Biostatistics have been awarded a large grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to investigate the role of the placenta as a driver of children’s later-life health.
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.
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.
Study findings suggest some individuals are genetically more vulnerable to harm from air pollution
June 9, 2017 Findings from a study led by a doctoral student of epidemiology suggest that some individuals are genetically susceptible to experiencing especially negative effects from air pollution, even when pollution levels fall below current U.S. accepted standards.
Obese adults experience increased influenza risk despite being vaccinated, study finds
June 6, 2017 Melinda A. Beck, PhD, of the UNC Gillings Department of Nutrition, is the corresponding author of a new study in the International Journal of Obesity. The study found that, compared to adults of healthy weight, obese adults are twice as likely to contract the flu or a flu-like illness despite being vaccinated.
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.
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.
New study explores timing of changes in blood pressure health that lead to larger disparities
April 20, 2017 African Americans and men are more likely to transition from ideal levels of blood pressure in childhood or early adulthood compared to white Americans and women, which puts them at increased risk of developing hypertension earlier in life.
Gillings School is top public health school at public university for NIH funding
February 16, 2017 The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced that the Gillings School was the top public health school at a public university in receiving NIH funding during fiscal year 2016. The School received 107 awards, for a total of $65,454,312 in funding.
Maps in new UNC-led study show each state’s stroke risk factors at a glance
February 8, 2017 A new study led by Dr. Matthew Loop has produced data-rich maps of the United States that show the geographic distribution of key stroke-causing factors. On the maps, the Southeast, especially the states of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, display some of the highest prevalence of hypertension and diabetes among whites and blacks.
