UNC Department of Medicine

09/08/2026

David Weber, MD, MPH, recently spoke with WRAL about a rare "brain-eating amoeba" after a reported case in North Carolina.

Naegleria fowleri is a microscopic organism that is found in freshwater and causes a severe brain infection.

The amoeba typically enters the body through the nose when jumping into fresh water quarries or ponds.

Dr. Weber stressed that the disease is very rare, with typically fewer than 10 reported cases in the United States per year.

While the amoeba can be present in all freshwater systems, Dr. Weber said that it is eliminated in properly chlorinated and maintained pools or water parks.

Read the full story here: https://ow.ly/Zrv550ZIShi

09/04/2026

A study led by Donna Evon, PhD, has been awarded $13 million from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) over five years to study innovative symptom management interventions for patients with rare cholestatic liver diseases.

In collaboration with co-PI Puneeta Tandon, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Alberta, and other UNC faculty, the researchers will compare a mind-body symptom management digital health program used alone versus the same program combined with clinician-guided virtual group therapy.

The project, titled TRANSFORM-EMPOWER, will examine how these approaches affect mental health, fatigue, and other symptoms in people with cholestatic liver disease.

It will randomize 600 adults with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) from 17 liver centers across the U.S. and Canada.

The findings could improve symptom management not only for people with rare liver diseases, but also for patients with other rare or chronic conditions who face similar barriers to behavioral health care.

Read the full story here: https://ow.ly/uMgw50ZHkUM

09/03/2026

Passing the phone: UNC Internal Medicine Residency edition

08/27/2026

Ross Boyce, MD, MSc, was the author of a CDC study finding that Lyme and other tick-borne diseases have migrated south.

The research focused on the small mountain town of Biltmore Forest. There, they collected 373 ticks across 22 household lawns.

Dr. Boyce and his team found that more than a third, 39.6%, of the adult blacklegged ticks they collected tested positive for the bacteria known to cause Lyme disease. Dr. Boyce said a number that high is typical in a place like Pennsylvania or New York, where Lyme disease is more common.

These findings stress the importance for healthcare providers to begin considering Lyme and other tick-borne diseases in patients with otherwise inexplicable symptoms, even in places where they may not be as common.

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

08/26/2026

⭐Featured Physician: Dami Aladesanmi, MD, MPH⭐

Dr. Aladesanmi is a cardiologist who has recently joined the UNC Division of Cardiology as an assistant professor! Dr. Aladesanmi's interest in UNC started when he received his MPH from the Gillings School of Public Health during medical school.

It was here where he was struck by the incredibly impressive medical students, as well as the incredibly warm and knowledgeable faculty. This inspired him to attend UNC for his residency and now return as a physician after a brief time away for fellowship training.

Dr. Aladesanmi chose cardiology because it combines all of his favorite things about medicine: the chance to develop relationships with patients, gratification in solving a problem and helping a patient feel better, and the chance to integrate both prevention and public health measures into clinical medicine.

Read the full feature here: https://www.med.unc.edu/medicine/news/featured-physician-dami-aladesanmi-md-mph/

08/24/2026

A first for North Carolina. A new option for patients. 🫀

The UNC Heart Valve Team has completed the state’s first commercial transcatheter mitral valve replacement, expanding what’s possible for patients with complex heart valve disease.

With expertise spanning medical, surgical and transcatheter care, our team can focus on what matters most: finding the right approach for each individual patient.

Read more about the procedure and UNC's heart valve care:

On July 29, the University of North Carolina Heart Valve team performed North Carolina’s first commercial fully percutaneous transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR). The milestone makes UNC the first hospital in the state to provide the treatment and the only hospital in North Carolina that ...

08/21/2026

Congratulations to the UNC Department of Medicine faculty and staff who received awards at this year's UNC School of Medicine Student Government Fall Convocation and Awards Ceremony!

We would like to recognize the following award recipients for their excellence in medical education:

- Kaiser Permanente excellence in teaching award: IM Resident: Brian Wood, MD

- Kaiser Permanente excellence in teaching award: IM Intern: Jason Lee, MD

- Best Foundation Phase Teaching Course award: Body Regulation: Animesh Jain, MD, and Morgan Jones, MD

- Foundation Phase Outstanding Director Teaching award: Koyal Jain, MD, MPH

- Foundation Phase Outstanding Faculty Teaching award: Ana Felix, MBBCh, FAAN

08/20/2026

Our UNC Internal Medicine Residency leadership may be different, but they all have one thing in common 🩵

08/17/2026

Seth Berkowitz, MD, MPH, was recently a corresponding author on a paper that examined whether Medicare Advantage (MA) coverage is associated with better type 2 diabetes (T2D) outcomes than original Medicare (OM).

The study monitored a cohort of adults aged 18 years or older receiving OM or MA with T2D. Dr. Berkowitz and his fellow researchers found that MA was not associated with better T2D outcomes or fewer health-related needs than OM. Given the more expensive price of MA, the team suggests that the results show a need to ensure extra spending is being used effectively to improve health.

Find the full paper here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2852477

08/14/2026

⭐UME Faculty Spotlight: Diya Jost, MD⭐

Dr. Jost is a meds-peds hospitalist and the site director for the Internal Medicine Clerkship at the WakeMed AHEC.

She got into medical education during her time at UNC as a med-peds resident. Here, she participated in the Academy of Educator's TARHEEL (Teaching as a Resident) curriculum which spurred her interest in developing didactics that engage learners.

Dr. Jost says the best part of her work as an educator is the ability to learn from the unique life experiences of UNC students.

The department would like to recognize Dr. Jost for her invaluable contributions to the Academy of Educators. We look forward to how she continues to help shape medical education at UNC.

Read the full article here: https://www.med.unc.edu/medicine/news/ume-faculty-spotlight-diya-jost-md/