UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

09/09/2026

We are SO back.

And we hope your semester is off to the greatest start.

Be sure to check out the link in our bio to see the Gillings School’s multimedia library — and download photos!📸


Tar Heels Carolina College Campus .Targram

09/09/2026

AI can recognize patterns, make predictions and generate answers at remarkable speed.

But in public health, the harder questions are often statistical ones: Is the pattern real? Who is missing from the data? What caused what? And how certain should we be?

A new Gillings story explores how faculty in the Department of Biostatistics are helping address some of AI’s biggest challenges, including bias, uncertainty, reliability and determining cause and effect.

As Dr. Hongtu Zhu puts it: “Making machines honest about what they do not know is one of the great statistical problems of this decade.”

September 1, 2026 Gillings biostatisticians are helping tackle some of AI’s biggest challenges, including bias, uncertainty, reliability, and determining cause and effect.

09/08/2026

Medicine taught Gillings alum Dr. Tosan Omaghomi how to care for the patient in front of him. Public health helped him ask a bigger question: Why are so many patients facing the same barriers, and what can we change at the system level?

In the latest installment of The Pivot, Dr. Omaghomi shares his path from family medicine physician to health systems leader, including his experience working in hospital and community health settings in Nigeria, training with the National Health Service in the United Kingdom and earning his MHA at the Gillings School.

For him, the move from clinical care to health systems administration was in no way an abandonment of medicine. It was an expansion of it. 🩵

From carrying a stethoscope to thinking about big-picture strategy, Dr. Tosan Omaghomi hopes to improve health outcomes at the population level. What’s your role in public health? As a bit... Read more »

09/07/2026

Everyday Health reports that the FDA has approved updated -19 vaccines for the 2026-27 respiratory virus season, with new shots expected to become available soon.

The article highlights what people should know about eligibility, timing and risk as they consider whether to get an updated vaccine this fall. Public health experts continue to emphasize vaccination as an important tool for reducing severe illness, especially for older adults and people with underlying health conditions.

All new shots target the XFG variant, and are approved for adults 65 and older. Younger people in high-risk groups are also eligible, depending on the shot.

09/06/2026

New research published by the CDC underscores how the ticks that cause Lyme disease have gained a foothold in unexpected parts of the United States.

“It was always thought that Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which is caused by different bacteria, was our major tick-borne disease [in the South],” says Dr. Ross Boyce, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Gillings School and a study co-author.

He notes that the new research proves Lyme disease is now a threat to North Carolinians, and the need for education and prevention efforts is high.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/ticks-lyme-fever-diseases-north-carolina-threat-south-cdc-rcna592307

New research from the CDC finds that ticks that cause diseases keep marching into new areas.

09/05/2026

A recent New England Journal of Medicine analysis, co-authored by Gillings doctoral candidate Brenda Amezquita-Castro, brings together evidence on Latino contributions across the US workforce, health care, civic life and economy. It also documents how discriminatory narratives and policies can harm the health of Latino communities.

The authors argue that Latino health is not separate from broader US population health, but central to the country’s shared well-being and stability. Their article calls on policymakers, health systems and civic leaders to challenge harmful assumptions, strengthen culturally and linguistically appropriate care, and invest in conditions that support Latino communities’ health.

Learn more at www.clafh.org.

09/04/2026

A definition may sound technical but, in food policy, it can be a key first step toward change. Very recently, a federal definition of ultra-processed foods appeared to be within reach — then, it stalled.

Ultra-processed foods make up more than half of the American diet, and they are linked to Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and dementia. A clear, science-based definition could lay the groundwork for policies such as front-of-package labeling, restrictions on marketing to children and healthier food environments in schools.

In a New York Times opinion essay, Dr. Lindsey Smith Taillie of the Gillings School explains how industry pressure could slow meaningful progress toward food guidelines that support healthier families.

Read the full (gift) essay:

The federal government was supposed to release a definition of ultraprocessed foods. What happened?

09/03/2026

North Carolina’s street drug supply is changing quickly.

In North Carolina Health News, Dr. Nabarun Dasgupta of UNC’s Street Drug Lab discusses , a veterinary tranquilizer increasingly found in the illicit drug supply.

The substance is often mixed with fentanyl and can cause prolonged sedation and severe withdrawal, creating new challenges for people who use drugs as well as for clinicians, outreach workers and harm reduction organizations.

Read more:

Medetomidine is a veterinary tranquilizer increasingly found in the illicit drug supply, where it is often mixed with fentanyl and can cause dangerous sedation and withdrawal.

09/02/2026

Trusted community relationships *are* public health infrastructure.

With that in mind, representatives from the Gillings School of Global Public Health recently attended the Interfaith America Leadership Summit in Chicago as part of the Faith and Health Educators Track.

The group included Dr. Makala Carrington, director of the Gillings Public Health and Faith Communities Initiative; Dr. Kim Ramsey White, the School's associate dean for well-being; and Mackenzie Christensen, a Master of Public Health candidate in health behavior. They are pictured here with Dr. Melissa Haithcox-Dennis, a Public Health and Faith collaborator and faculty member at Fayetteville State University.

Their participation builds on Gillings’ work, supported by Interfaith America, to strengthen collaboration between public health and faith communities. The goal is practical: Help future public health leaders understand how trusted local institutions can support health education, meaningful connection and greater well-being for all.

Learn more about this initiative: https://sph.unc.edu/sph-news/gillings-school-researchers-awarded-60000-interfaith-america-grant-to-strengthen-faith-and-public-health-partnerships/

09/01/2026

Rare infections caused by the freshwater amoeba Naegleria fowleri are devastating. They also raise difficult questions about water safety, testing and public awareness.

In WRAL, Dr. Joe Brown of the Gillings School of Global Public Health discusses why testing for the amoeba is currently complex, expensive and not part of routine water surveillance.

Dr. Brown and other researchers are working toward faster, more affordable testing that could help public health agencies better understand when and where the organism is present. For now, health officials emphasize practical prevention when swimming in warm freshwater: keep water out of the nose, avoid jumping or diving during periods of high water temperatures and low water levels, and avoid stirring up sediment in shallow areas.

Read more:

A day after announcing the case, North Carolina hasn't said where a critically ill teen may have encountered a rare amoeba. WRAL examines the unanswered questions and what can actually be done to reduce the risk.