UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

06/02/2026

What if electric vehicles could do more than reduce transportation emissions?

For Gillings alum Halle Evans, the next question was whether shared EV fleets could also help strengthen the electric grid.

As a student in environmental sciences and engineering at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Evans studied whether shared EV fleets could serve as mobile batteries — storing energy when demand is low and sending it back to the grid during peak hours.

Her research points to a future where transportation, energy and public health systems work together more efficiently, especially as communities seek cleaner, more resilient infrastructure.

Read more:

May 6, 2026 Electric vehicles reduce pollution emitted from transportation, but they can also contribute to the stability and efficiency of local electric grids. Halle Evans, MS ’25 (environmental sciences and engineering), conducted a research project that explored whether shared EV fleets could ...

06/01/2026

A new month, the unofficial start of summer — and a good time to spend a little longer with stories that ask what it means to take care.

Our spring issue of Carolina Public Health has been live for a few weeks, and we’ll be sharing stories from it throughout the summer.

The theme is simple, but expansive: Take care.

In public health, “take care” is more than a sign-off. It is a shared responsibility to rebuild trust, expand access, strengthen systems, and create the conditions where people and communities can thrive.

This issue explores care across many dimensions: street medicine in rural North Carolina, caring for elders, cancer prevention and treatment, AI in public health, student and alumni support amid federal funding cuts, and the people across Gillings whose work helps communities navigate complexity with compassion.

We hope you’ll spend some time with the full magazine here:
https://gillings-projects.unc.edu/cph-issue/2026-spring

Huge thanks to editor Meg Palmer and the many communicators who helped bring this issue to life. 🩵

The Spring 2026 issue of Carolina Public Health explores what it means to “take care” in public health: rebuilding trust, taking street medicine to rural communities, supporting an aging population, talking about AI responsibly, and lifting up the people who carry that mission forward.

05/31/2026

“I create the contexts in which people — whether that means students or parents — can be their best selves.”

Meet Dr. Meghan Shanahan, associate professor and vice chair for academic affairs in the Department of Maternal and Child Health at Gillings.

As an educator, mentor and researcher, Dr. Shanahan works to support the next generation of maternal, child and family health leaders, while also studying how policies and resources can help children and families thrive.

Her path to public health started with a love of kids, science and the bigger picture. Today, she says her work is about creating the conditions that promote healthy childhoods, support families and strengthen communities.

Read her full interview with The Pivot:

Dr. Meghan Shanahan, an educator, mentor and researcher, creates spaces for students and parents to be their best selves. What’s your role in public health? I see myself as a... Read more »

05/30/2026

Focus is not a side issue in education. It is central to learning.

Dr. Karl Johnson, assistant professor of public health leadership and practice at UNC Gillings, recently joined a North Carolina State Board of Education panel on educational technology, student attention and mental health.

Citing survey data from the Winston Center on Technology and Brain Development, he noted that many middle school teachers report educational technology creates more distractions and challenges to focus — and urged leaders to treat distraction as a core part of the conversation.

As he put it: “It’s hard to overstate the importance of focus in education.”

Johnson’s work helps frame school technology decisions not as a simple question of more or less screen time, but as a public health question about the environments young people learn in every day.

Read more from EdNC:

Board members heard updates on the survey results, discussed educational technology, and added schools to the Golden LEAF initiative.

05/29/2026

“Replication without proofreading is like a game of telephone where what you begin with can be quite different than what you end with.”

That’s how Dr. Tim Sheahan explains a newly identified vulnerability in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

A new study led by researchers at the Gillings School of Global Public Health takes a close look at a coronavirus protein called nsp14 — and specifically the ExoN proofreading function that helps coronaviruses copy their genetic material accurately.

When researchers damaged that proofreading system, the virus was still able to survive, but it was much weaker. It had a harder time copying itself, made more mistakes and caused less severe infection in lab and mouse models.

For Sheahan, senior author of the study, the finding points to an “Achilles heel” in one of the most studied viruses in history.

The takeaway is not that this immediately leads to a new treatment or vaccine. It is that careful virology can reveal where dangerous viruses are vulnerable — helping scientists prepare before the next epidemic begins.

Read more:

May 7, 2026 “For one of the most studied viruses ever, we have identified an Achilles heel,” says Dr. Tim Sheahan. “Replication without proofreading is like a game of telephone where what you begin with can be quite different than what you end with. For a coronavirus, the effect can range from...

05/28/2026

What tools do people need to prevent an overdose before it happens?

For Dr. Nabarun “Nab” Dasgupta, a Gillings Innovation Fellow and director of the UNC Opioid Data Lab, the answer includes access to real-time information about an increasingly unpredictable drug supply.

Dasgupta is quoted in The Guardian on the role of drug-checking tools, including fentanyl test strips, in overdose prevention. These tools can help people identify dangerous substances, make safer decisions and reduce risk before an emergency occurs.

His perspective is grounded in a simple public health idea: Better information can save lives.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/10/trump-administration-overdose-prevention-policies

05/27/2026

Emerging pathogens don’t wait for perfect systems.

In a new North Carolina Health News Q&A, Dr. David Wohl explains what the current outbreak reveals about global health preparedness — and why surveillance, collaboration and trusted relationships matter before a crisis reaches our doorstep.

This outbreak involves a different Ebola strain than the one that drove the massive 2014 epidemic, a fact that is complicating early detection and response. Dr. Wohl also points to a changed global health landscape, with fewer experienced people and fewer opportunities for shared response than in previous outbreaks.

At the same time, he notes that domestic preparedness remains strong through federally funded regional emerging pathogen response centers, including the UNC-led center he co-leads with Dr. William Fischer.

Read more:

UNC infectious disease expert David Wohl says the Ebola outbreak in the DRC highlights growing gaps in global disease surveillance, response coordination and public health preparedness.

05/27/2026

What can improvisation teach public health scientists about leadership? Quite a lot.

Join Innovation at Gillings on June 4 for a hands-on, two-hour workshop: "Applied Improvisation for Public Health Scientists."

Led by Dr. Richard Zink, adjunct professor at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, this interactive session will use improv-based exercises to help participants strengthen skills that matter in public health work every day: listening, adapting, communicating clearly, building trust and leading through uncertainty.

Dr. Zink brings deep experience in biostatistics, clinical research and interactive teaching, making this a practical and engaging opportunity for anyone looking to build leadership skills in a fresh way.

Register now: https://go.unc.edu/improv

05/26/2026

🌟Research Spotlight🌟

Could sand help power a more sustainable future?🏖️🔥

In this week’s Research Spotlight, Professor Noah Kittner and first author alum Gregory Mink explore sand as a low-cost option for thermal energy storage. This technology could help industries and heating networks store energy more efficiently and support climate goals.

The project also brought together other Carolina undergraduate students, James “Cef” Killebrew, Ava S. Deibert, Emma Handy and Madison Haller.

🔗Read more about the research at the link in our bio!

05/26/2026

What if malaria protection could be built into something mothers already use every day?

Dr. Ross Boyce, associate professor of epidemiology at the Gillings School, will lead a three-year study in Uganda testing permethrin-treated baby wraps as a malaria prevention tool for refugee infants.

The approach builds on a caregiving practice already used by many mothers: carrying infants on their backs in cloth wraps. By treating those wraps with insect repellent, researchers hope to reduce mosquito exposure for children who may not have access to stable housing, reliable health care or a place to hang a bed net.

In a previous randomized trial in western Uganda, infants carried in treated wraps had about a 65% reduction in clinical malaria incidence. The new study will test whether the strategy can work in humanitarian settings, including the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in western Uganda.

As Dr. Boyce puts it: “By building protection into something mothers already use every day, we can reach infants at the moments and places they’re most exposed.”

A practical innovation, rooted in real life — and designed for the children and families who need it most.

Read more:

Malaria remains a threat to young children in refugee settlements, where displacement, temporary housing, and limited access to healthcare reduce the effectiveness of conventional prevention tools.