April 21, 2015

Three faculty members at the UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health have been awarded Explorations in Global Health faculty research grants through the UNC Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Ralph Baric

Dr. Ralph Baric

Ralph Baric, PhD, professor of epidemiology at the Gillings School, is the co-principal investigator on a project to explore innovative laboratory techniques for evaluating norovirus transmission in Nicaragua.

Norovirus is the most commonly detected enteropathogen in children with gastroenteritis, which is one of the most common causes of child mortality worldwide. In Nicaragua, norovirus was detected in more than one in five cases of gastroenteritis.

A better understanding of risk factors for norovirus diarrhea and norovirus transmission patterns is crucial to develop effective control strategies, especially as candidate norovirus vaccines are now entering clinical trials. (Baric recently co-authored a paper that found a vaccine may be on the horizon.) This study, in turn, may inform targeted immunization approaches to avoid the spread of norovirus within households.

“Noroviruses are a major cause of severe diarrhea and death in the developing world,” said Baric. “This funding allows us to begin to identify novel strategies to ameliorate the disease burden, especially in the most vulnerable populations.”

Christina Shay

Dr. Christina Shay

Christina Shay, PhD, research assistant professor of nutrition at the Gillings School, will work with collaborators in Tanzania to better understand the burden of Type 1 diabetes in the Sub-Saharan region of Africa.

The incidence of Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is growing around the world, and these trends are also evident in Sub-Saharan Africa. Few population-based estimates exist for the prevalence, incidence or clinical characteristics of T1D in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the majority of available reports were published several decades ago. This lack of knowledge has contributed to limited resources for T1D detection and treatment in the region.

Consequently, the limited nature of health care resources for individuals with T1D in Sub-Saharan Africa has led to significantly higher rates of diabetes-related complications and premature mortality in this area compared to Western regions. Understanding the epidemiology and natural history of T1D in Sub-Saharan Africa is essential to improve patient care in this part of the world.

“The clinicians on the ground see the growing number of Type 1 diabetes cases,” Shay explained. “Unless we have accurate methods in place to document these trends, however, patients will not receive the health care resources they need.”

Dr. Lindsey P. Smith

Dr. Lindsey P. Smith

Lindsey P. Smith, PhD, research assistant professor of nutrition at the Gillings School, plans to investigate obesity in Mexico via an evaluation of the sugar-sweetened beverage and non-essential food tax.

Currently, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Mexico is more than 33 percent for children 1 through 18 years old, and about 70 percent for adults. In 2006, the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in adults was 14.4 percent. In an effort to prevent continued increases in obesity and diabetes, the Mexican government has implemented a one-peso-per-liter excise tax on nonalcoholic beverages with added sugar, and an 8 percent ad valorem tax on nonessential foods high in added sugars or solid fats (e.g. chips, snacks and candy). Together, these taxes cover about 20 to 25 percent of daily caloric intake in Mexico across age groups.

Preliminary analysis of the SSB tax shows it reduced SSB purchases by five percent three months after the tax went into effect. It is unclear how the two taxes will impact purchases over the long-term. The overarching goal of Smith’s project is to examine how Mexico’s SSB and “junk food” taxes jointly affect the nutritional profile and patterns of food and beverage purchases of the Mexican population, including low socio-economic subpopulations.


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Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu.
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