Trainings focused on pain coping skills may also reduce depression linked with perceived discrimination among Black patients

February 16, 2021
Black patients are more likely than members of any other racial group to experience discrimination in health care settings — and discrimination has negative effects on mental health. A new study shows that over-the-phone training sessions focused on skills for coping with pain may reduce the association between discrimination experiences and depressive symptoms.

Messaging on COVID-19, smoking and vaping link may discourage cigarette use

January 20, 2021
Messages that link COVID-19 to smoking may be effective in discouraging cigarette use, according to a study from health behavior researchers at UNC.

Positive messaging could play a key role in increasing COVID-19 mask compliance

January 13, 2021
Experts from the Gillings School and the Hussman School at UNC have published a new study suggesting that positive messages could be critical to increasing the use of face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gillings professor studies alcohol and HIV, leads NIH grant site in Vietnam

January 5, 2021
Dr. Vivian Go is a social epidemiologist who designs, implements and evaluates HIV interventions among marginalized populations in Asia. She has worked for more than 15 years in Vietnam, and both a recent scientific publication and large grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) represent the continuation of her efforts to prevent HIV infection.

Structural and systemic racism in health care system affects HIV care for Black women

November 19, 2020
For Black women in the southern United States, mistrust of the health care system that is grounded in structural and systemic racism is a key factor affecting participation in HIV prevention and treatment services, according to a recent study that includes research from Dr. Carol Golin.

Viewpoint: Unhealthy food needs prominent warning labels

October 14, 2020
The United States should require prominent warning labels on front-of-product packaging to alert consumers when food products contain high levels of unhealthy nutrients, according to a recent JAMA Viewpoint article co-authored by Gillings School faculty member Marissa Hall.

UNC faculty support new public campaign urging North Carolinians to “Get Behind the Mask”

September 11, 2020
The “Whatever Your Reason” campaign, a new statewide public effort to encourage every North Carolinian to wear a mask in the collective fight against COVID-19, was launched recently by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Two Gillings School researchers advised on the campaign.

Study finds source of COVID-19 messaging impacts effectiveness

September 1, 2020
According to new research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, COVID-19 prevention messaging is more effective when attributed to a health organization rather than the president of the United States.

Peer support helps people cope — from police to veterans to those affected by COVID-19

August 18, 2020
In a recent journal article, Dr. Edwin B. Fisher shares findings on how telephone-based peer support can provide emotional and tangible resources for people at high risk for mental health problems. In an accompanying editorial, he discusses the additional problems callers are facing now due to the novel coronavirus.

‘Missing Mayberry’: Graduate student explores how whiteness shapes perceptions of health in the rural South

July 21, 2020
Nationwide, communities are embroiled in conversations and protests around structural racism, including inequities in the qualities and outcomes of health care for people of color. Also mirroring the national situation, however, white people in rural North Carolina are experiencing increases in early death at greater levels than any other racial group in the state.