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As I reflect on the breadth of activities highlighted in this newsletter, I am struck by the depth of commitment demonstrated across our Sheps Center community. From improving blood pressure across the State through the Heart2Heart Study to transforming data science applications, our collective work continues to illuminate pathways toward better health outcomes for all.
We are entering turbulent, uncertain times in health policy and research. As we navigate a shifting federal landscape, opportunities and challenges alike will require us to adapt thoughtfully, drawing on the insights and expertise that define our work. While specifics remain to unfold, it is clear that the research and innovations emanating from Sheps will remain central to addressing the complexities ahead.
Change can often feel overwhelming, but I am reminded daily of the resilience and dedication that permeate our community. To our students, staff, faculty, and partners, know that your contributions are valued and impactful. Whether tackling urgent workforce challenges, exploring new frontiers in behavioral health, advancing dementia care, or strengthening rural healthcare systems, your work is making a difference.
Finally, I encourage you to join us for the Gordon H. DeFriese Lecture on Health Services Research and Health Policy on November 20. Dr. Deidra Crews will deliver a timely and thought-provoking presentation on addressing unmet social needs to achieve kidney health equity. The reception that follows will be a wonderful opportunity to connect with colleagues and recharge our shared commitment to advancing public health and honor Gordon’s legacy in building a Center dedicated to conducting evidence-based research making a difference in the health of all populations.
Thank you for your continued dedication and collaboration. Be well.
-Mark
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AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting 2024 | Current and former AHRQ NRSA Trainees Amanda Collins, MSPH, Andi Goodwin, MA, Hannah Friedman, PhD, and Mustafa Abid, MD at a poster session. | |
UNC and the Sheps Center had a significant presence at AcademyHealth's Annual Research Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, this summer. The meeting provided a platform for our faculty, staff, and students to highlight groundbreaking research findings, collaborative projects, and policy insights. Presentation topics included maternal health, health workforce, equity in health services research, mental health services, racial discrimination in healthcare, chronic illness and disabilities, and rural healthcare.
The Sheps Center and UNC's Department of Health Policy and Management co-hosted a reception one evening during the conference for UNC alumni and friends which was well-attended and as always, a great opportunity for colleagues to catch up and also make new connections.
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UNC colleagues catching up at the Alumni reception held on July 1st at Section 771. | |
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DART Data Science Days
The Data Analytics and Research Team (DART) 🎯, part of Sheps IT, had an amazing time hosting the DART Data Science Days October 1 & 2. Over the past two years DART has experienced a tremendous transformation into a team of incredibly talented Data Scientists, Biostatisticians, and Data Engineers, adding valuable skills in study design, methods, statistical analysis, AI / Machine Learning, and modern data pipeline management techniques and tools. The two-day event featured presentations showcasing the knowledge and skills of the team, how these are applied to collaborative research projects, and offered learning opportunities of emerging techniques. The event was attended by fellow data professionals both from Sheps and collaborating institutions, as well as graduate students and investigators from the School of Medicine and School of Public Health.
For more information about DART please see the DART flyer here or for collaboration opportunities please reach out to shepscentral@unc.edu.
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H2H Study Launches Newsletter to Support Hypertension Patient-Participants and Promote Heart Health | |
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The Heart2Heart: Blood Pressure Control Study (H2H) just began Year 3 and has created a patient-participant newsletter to communicate directly with the participants about heart health and ways to lower one's blood pressure. The study, led by Jacquie Halladay, MD, MPH and Skip Cummings, PharmD (East Carolina University/ECU), aims to determine effective ways to improve care for adult patients with uncontrolled hypertension across North Carolina.
There is a dedicated group of advisors, named the H2H Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC), that guides the larger H2H team of investigators, clinicians, clinical pharmacists, research coordinators, and others on multiple aspects of the study. The SAC wanted to have a voice with the H2H study patient-participants which led to the idea of a newsletter. SAC members have lived experience dealing with uncontrolled high blood pressure and other cardiovascular conditions, so they are well-positioned to support people with such conditions and continue to engage people and communities in working towards health equity in cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment.
HPM student, Vinitha Panchikarla, serves as a research coordinator with the H2H team. Vinitha helped the SAC and the study's nutrition expert, Lauren R. Sastre PhD, RDN, LDN (ECU), iteratively design and finalize the study's first patient-participant facing newsletter. The SAC aims to continue this outreach to patient-participants once or twice a year. The images and messages in the newsletter have been copyrighted, to ensure this educational material is properly acknowledged when referenced.
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Hawes receives $11 million HRSA award to expand THCGME support | |
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A significant $11 million funding award from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) was recently awarded to Carolina researchers, aimed at enhancing physician and dental training programs in underserved areas. A key focus is the establishment of a new Technical Assistance Center (TAC) led by Dr. Emily Hawes, professor of family medicine and Sheps Center investigator. The TAC will support Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) grantees by providing centralized expertise on residency program operations and sustainability, ultimately improving healthcare access in rural and underserved communities.
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Sheps Behavioral Health Services Research Team Awarded Contract to Enhance NC Mental Health Systems Evaluation | |
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Director of the Sheps Behavioral Health Services Research Program, Paul Lanier, PhD, MSW (School of Social Work), along with Sheps Research Fellow Helen Newton, PhD, MPH (Department of Family Medicine), have recently been awarded a significant contract with the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services (DMHDDSUS). This contract is for an evaluation project titled Building Evaluation Capacity for NC Mental Health Systems. The project is focused on assessing the impact of recent investments in the North Carolina crisis and child behavioral health systems. The project aims to enhance the evaluation capacity of these systems, ensuring that the investments lead to meaningful improvements in mental health services across the state.
The Co-PIs are joined by project manager Dawn Bergmire as well as subject matter experts including Sheps Research Fellow Lisa de Saxe Zerden, PhD, MSW (School of Social Work) and Health Workforce Research Program Co-Director Brianna Lombardi, PhD, MSW (Department of Family Medicine). Together, this team is well-equipped to tackle the challenges of evaluating and improving the mental health systems in North Carolina, ultimately aiming to provide better services and outcomes for individuals in crisis and children with behavioral health needs.
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UNC Partners with Emory and Other Leading Institutions to Launch National Dementia Care Initiative | | |
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In a groundbreaking effort to advance dementia care across the United States, researchers from the Sheps Center at UNC-CH have partnered with Emory University, the University of Minnesota, Johns Hopkins University, Brown University, and the Alzheimer’s Association to establish the State Alzheimer’s Research Support (StARS) Center. This initiative, funded by a $17 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, aims to develop, evaluate, and scale promising dementia care programs nationwide.
The StARS Center will serve as a national resource, fostering research collaboration and creating a comprehensive data infrastructure to assess the effectiveness, accessibility, and equity of innovative state and regional dementia care programs.
The center’s four main functions include establishing partnerships with state and regional entities to help them identify and develop new services; supporting dementia-care pilot projects; building a statewide and nationwide data infrastructure; and developing a dissemination strategy to share StARS-generated data and information. Co-directors of the Program on Aging, Chronic Illness, and Long-Term Care at the Sheps Center, Drs. Sheryl Zimmerman (School of Social Work) and Philip Sloane (School of Medicine), will lead the first two efforts.
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Lauren Caton Receives Early Career Investigator Award
Maternal & Child Health PhD Candidate and NRSA T32 predoctoral trainee, Lauren Caton, MPH, was selected as a recipient for the Addiction Health Services Research 2024 Early Career Investigator Award. Award winners demonstrated commitment to a career in health services research for substance use conditions and potential for a high-impact research career. Lauren’s research focuses on developing a systems dynamics model to analyze state-level maternal substance use policies.
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Mark Holmes named UNC Lambeth Distinguished Chair in Public Policy
Sheps Center Director and Professor of Health Policy and Management, Mark Holmes, PhD has been named the UNC Lambeth Distinguished Chair in Public Policy, a role that highlights his expertise and leadership in public health and policy. As the director of the Sheps Center, Holmes is recognized for his contributions to health services research, focusing on improving healthcare systems and policies. His appointment to this prestigious position underscores his significant impact in the field and his ongoing commitment to advancing public health research and policy.
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Samantha Schilling Awarded Jefferson-Pilot Fellowship
Associate Professor of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Samantha Schilling, MD, MSHP, is a recipient of the 2024-25 Jefferson-Pilot Fellowship in Academic Medicine for her research titled "Implementing and Evaluating Primary Care Interventions to Support Parent-Child Relational Health." This award recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of exceptional junior faculty. Dr. Schilling serves as an Associate Director for the NRSA T32 Primary Care Research Fellowship at the Sheps Center.
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Ronny Bell Named North Carolina Medical Journal Editor in Chief
Ronny A. Bell, PhD, Fred Eshelman Professor at UNC's Eshelman School of Pharmacy, has been named Editor in Chief of the North Carolina Medical Journal. Bell, who has served as co-scientific editor since 2019, takes on this leadership as the journal transitions to digital-first publishing and a focus on North Carolina health policy. With a background in public health and health equity, Bell brings extensive expertise and community ties to the role. Bell is a Sheps Research Fellow.
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NCIOM Recognized for Recent Recommendations on Nursing Workforce | The North Carolina Nurses Association (NCNA) awarded the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) Task Force on the Future of the Nursing Workforce for its comprehensive efforts to address challenges facing the nursing workforce. NCNA President Trish Richardson praised the task force's evidence-based approach, culminating in a May 2024 report that engaged NCNA members and policymakers statewide. The task force, active from February 2023 to January 2024, provided recommendations on nursing education, workforce retention, and equity, with leadership from experts including Dr. Ernest Grant, Dr. Catherine Sevier, and Hugh Tilson, Jr. | NCNA President Elect Bonnie Meadows (l) poses with NCIOM President & CEO Michelle Ries (center) and NCIOM Project Director Brieanne Lyda-McDonald, MS (r) | |
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Austin Palacios
Rural Residency and Teaching Health Center Planning and Development Technical Assistance Centers
As a Research Coordinator with the Rural Residency and Teaching Health Center Planning and Development Technical Assistance Center at the Sheps Center, Austin manages data collection, tracks program outcomes, handles dissemination efforts, and manages both website portals. Additionally, he oversees contracts and invoicing for the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicines Graduate Medical Education (AACOM GME) Development Fellowship, ensuring smooth operations and support for research and fellowship activities.
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Haley Simons
Program on Health Workforce Research and Policy
Haley is a program coordinator with the Program on Health Workforce Research and Policy. The Program conducts research to inform health workforce policy at national, state, and regional levels. Haley joined Sheps in September 2023 and has contributed to the completion of 10 Carolina Health Workforce Research Center research projects in that time. In her role, Haley manages research project progress, coordinates efforts to fulfill grant requirements, and disseminates project updates across multiple platforms and audiences to increase the reach and accessibility of the Program’s work.
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NOVEMBER 20
Gordon H. DeFriese Lecture on Health Services Research and Health Policy
2:00-3:00 pm
The Carolina Club, Alumni Hall
"Addressing Unmet Social Needs to Achieve Kidney Health Equity"
Speaker: Dr. Deidra Crews, MD from Johns Hopkins
Reception immediately following the lecture.
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NOVEMBER 21
Sheps IT Lunch & Learn Series
12:00-1:00 pm
Sheps Center 2002 or Zoom
"Causal Inference for Complex Observational Data"
Speaker: Chuck Huber, PhD from Stata Corp
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NOVEMBER 21
2024 North Carolina Institute of Medicine Annual Meeting
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
The McKimmon Center, Raleigh, NC
"Long-Term Services and Supports: Policy Solutions for a Changing Landscape"
Speaker: Robert Espinoza, MPA from the National Skills Coalition
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The JAMA article “Dialysis for Chronic Kidney Failure: A Review” by Jenny Flythe, MD, MPH, Sheps Research Fellow, and Suzanne Watnick, MD (University of Washington) provides a comprehensive overview of dialysis as a treatment for chronic kidney failure. It discusses the mechanisms, types, and clinical considerations of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. The review also covers the complications associated with dialysis and the management of systemic effects in patients undergoing dialysis. The review highlights the need for personalized, cost-effective, and equitable dialysis treatment strategies, driving research to optimize patient outcomes and healthcare delivery.
Read the article here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39356511/
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THE CECIL G. SHEPS CENTER
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Have feedback on this newsletter or suggested content for future newsletters? Contact Lindsay McCall.
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