UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

04/22/2026

HPDP's Director, Alice Ammerman, will be speaking on the panel at the ReFED Food Waste Solutions Summit from May 19–21, 2026. ReFED is three days of insights, inspiration, and action. Hear from food system leaders, learn how to drive impact, and connect with an extensive network of food waste advocates.

Dr. Ammerman will be speaking on the panel, “Home Grown: How Place, Culture, and Policy Are Shaping the Future of Food Waste in North Carolina—and Beyond”.

Learn more & register:

The 2026 ReFED Food Waste Solutions Summit is the premier food waste event of the year. Join us in Charlotte, NC, this May 19-21 for three days of insights, inspiration, and action.

04/16/2026

Today we celebrate a member of our Community Advisory Board, Lisa Macon Harrison, MPH. As the Health Director of Granville Vance Public Health and an Adjunct Professor at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, she has been a leader in connecting public health research and practice. With the advisement of both Lisa and HPDP Director, Alice Ammerman, the Rural Roots Hub incorporates food as medicine principles into its work to strengthen systems of disease prevention and management across North Carolina.

03/27/2026

HPDP research fellow, Dr. Caroline Thompson, and UNC Gillings PhD candidate, Sarah Soppe, MPH, have published an article in JAMA Network Open about the impact of diagnostic wait time on ovarian cancer survival. Read the story here:

The study, Diagnostic Timing and Ovarian Cancer Survival in North Carolina, has been published in the latest issue of JAMA Network Open. Led by a team of UNC researchers, this study explored the relationship between survival and how quickly patients … Read more

03/24/2026

Today is Diabetes Alert Day. Diabetes affects our patients, family members, friends, and colleagues. The NC Diabetes Advisory Council (NC DAC) has created the NC Diabetes Guide as a powerful tool to help prevent and manage diabetes. Download it here: https://www.diabetesnc.com/guide/

02/23/2026

HPDP researchers published a study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior evaluating the validity of 2 screener tools designed to assess overall diet quality, making it easier for counselors and clinicians to provide lifestyle support for patients.

Validation of a Brief and Very Brief Screener to Assess Overall Diet Quality in a Southeastern US Sample, has been published in the latest issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (JNEB). Led by HPDP researchers, this study … Read more

02/03/2026

The application for the UNC Chapel Hill Community Health & Wellness Resource (CHWR) Team’s 2026 Summer Research Internship is now open! 📣

CHWR is seeking undergraduate students interested in public health to participate in a 10-week research internship. Interns will gain hands-on research experience, work alongside experienced researchers, and build skills through mentorship and professional development opportunities.

Apply by February 27th at https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/312111 to be considered!

This position may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement that may include a partially remote work location, consistent with System Office policy. UNC Chapel Hill employees are generally required to reside within a reasonable commuting distance of their assigned duty station.The UNC Chapel Hill Co...

01/28/2026

Join nutrition leaders, professionals, and advocates from across NC at the NC Child Hunger Leaders Conference on March 3rd! the Carolina Hunger Initiative is hosting the 15th annual gathering that brings together people working to expand access to nutritious food for children. Register today!

The last day to book certain hotels with our special rate is Monday, Jan. 26. Make you sure you take a look at the options.

12/09/2025

Today we celebrate a Community Advisory Board member, Tish Singletary, MA. As the Branch Head for the Community & Clinical Connections at the NC Division of Public Health, she brings 20+ years of expertise at tackling healthy eating, active living, health equity, & chronic disease clinical care.

11/20/2025

Food insecurity is especially overlooked among college students, says Jessica Soldavini. The recent SNAP benefits delays and lack of awareness that students may be eligibility both become barriers for college students to access healthy, affordable foods.

Read the full story:

Another nearly 100,000 students are likely missing out, but lack of knowledge, difficulty, stigma keeps them from signing up.

10/30/2025

Dr. Falon Smith and the Community Health & Wellness Resource Team have been awarded funding from the Caplan Foundation for the project Preventing Exclusionary Practices in Early Care and Education: Promoting Social and Emotional Development.

Learn more: https://unc.live/3J8q3F3

The Caplan Foundation has awarded funding to principal investigator Dr. Falon Smith, Director of Go NAPACC and Research Scientist with the Community Health & Wellness Resource (CHWR) Team for the project Preventing Exclusionary Practices in Early Care and Education: Promoting … Read more

10/27/2025

Drs. Rachel Hirschey and Alison Brenner have been awarded a Special Interest Project grant from the CDC to scale cancer prevention and control interventions across the US.

Read the story:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded a Special Interest Project (SIP) grant to scale cancer prevention and control interventions. The CDC funds SIPs that address a topic of interest or a gap in scientific evidence in … Read more

09/15/2025

Congratulations to the Community Health & Wellness Resource Team for receiving an NIH grant to launch HomeGrown! This family-centered program is designed to support healthy growth and development in young children with Down syndrome. Read the story here:

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded funding to Dr. Erik A Willis and co-investigators at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Dr. Heather Wasser, Dr. Seema Agrawal, and Emmy Clarke, MA, RD, LDN, as well as Dr. … Read more