News and Events

Upcoming Seminars and Events:

Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 3:00 - 4:30 PM
The Malawi Surgical Initiative: Surgery and Global Public Health
Dr. Anthony Charles, Assistant Professor of Surgery
UNC School of Medicine
Location: 133 Rosenau, Gillings School of Global Public HealthUNC-Chapel Hill

Wednesday, January 13, 2010, 3:00 - 4:30 PM
Marsha Ford, MD, Executive Director
Carolina Poison Control Center
Location: TBD, Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC-Chapel Hill

Wednesday, January 27, 2010, 3:00 - 4:30 PM
Cecilia Casanueva, PhD, Research Psychologist
RTI International
Location: TBD, Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC-Chapel Hill

Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 3:00 - 4:30 PM
Dr. Susan Blalock, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies
UNC School of Pharmacy
Location: TBD, Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC-Chapel Hill

Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 3:00 - 4:30 PM
Location: TBD, Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC-Chapel Hill

Wednesday, April 28, 2010, 3:00 - 4:30 PM
Student Research Seminars
Location: UNC IPRC Conference Room, 137 E. Franklin Street, Suite 500
(elevators in back of building lobby)

IPRC in the News:

Offensive Play: How different are dog fighting and football?
The New Yorker

Kevin Guskiewicz, who runs the university¡¯s Sports Concussion Research Program...and his colleagues have come up with what they believe is a much better method of understanding concussion. They have done a full cognitive workup of the players on the U.N.C. team, so that they can track whatever effect might arise from the hits each player accumulates during his four years.

Read More... Offensive Play: How different are dog fighting and football?

Ex-NFL players report higher rates of dementia
The Associated Press

Retired professional football players may have a higher rate than normal of Alzheimer's disease or other memory problems, suggests a preliminary study that provides more fuel for concerns about long-term risk of concussions. ...Another study of retired professional football players, published in 2005, found that a history of three or more concussions was associated with a boost in risk of mild cognitive impairment after age 50. Kevin Guskiewicz, lead author of that study and director of the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, said the findings of the new study didn't surprise him.

Read More... Ex-NFL players report higher rates of dementia

Concussions get more attention
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

...Concussions are an unseen epidemic, according to Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz, chairman of the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons said 10 percent to 15 percent of high school athletes sustain a concussion each year. ...UNC is establishing a new Concussion Clinical Research Institute in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science.

Read More... Concussions get more attention

Helmet tech aimed at concussions
ESPN.com

...Reduction, not elimination, is the key word when it comes to concussions. "I think [technique is] going to solve half the problem," said Kevin Guskiewicz, an athletic trainer and researcher at the University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center, and chair of UNC's Department of Exercise and Sport Science.

Read More... Helmet tech aimed at concussions

New specialty spurs hopes for helping abused kids
The Associated Press

It appeared to be a clear-cut case of child abuse: An infant hospitalized with bleeding in his brain, his father behind bars suspected of shaking the baby. Only after the boy died without his father at his bedside did doctors realize the bleeding was brought on by a vitamin K deficiency ¡ª not abuse. ...Desmond Runyan, professor of social medicine and pediatrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said the lack of training makes some doctors reluctant to handle child abuse cases.

Read More... New specialty spurs hopes for helping abused kids

UNC injury research center receives $4.8 million award from CDC

Child-labor bill heads to Perdue By BENJAMIN NIOLET AND JIM WALSER

The penalties for child labor law violations will double under a bill that received final approval Wednesday from the legislature.

Advocates say the new law will make North Carolina, which has some of the nation's weakest child-labor protections, safer for young workers.

"Workplace safety is important for everybody, but it's especially important for young workers who have less clout to make sure it's safe," said Carol Runyan, who leads UNC-Chapel Hill's Injury Prevention Research Center. "This sends a message that the state is serious about protecting young workers."

Read More... Child-labor bill heads to Perdue

UNC study shows link between spanking and physical abuse

Texas Mutual Launches Safety Program for Teen Workers
His healing ways and voice calm young patients
UNC study links spankers to abusers
Heavy Spanking Predicts Overt Child Abuse
Spanking Linked To Harsher Punishments

Abusive Head Trauma in infants, or Shaken Baby Syndrome, is a leading cause of infant mortality in the U.S.

This year, in partnership with other Dr. Desmond Runyan and colleagues are fielding a study of the effectiveness of educating new parents about shaking and how to respond to infant crying. Over 5 years, this effort is intended to reach the parents of over 600,000 new babies. Information about progress with this project appeared in USA Today: New programs target shaken-baby syndrome. Upon announcement of the study, there was tremendous press coverage. Here are some links to a few:
Fayetteville Observer
Herald Sun
News and Observer 1
News and Observer 2
NBC-17
Citizen Times


Community-based Intervention to Prevent Falls among Older Adults

Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries among older adults in the U.S. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a community-based falls prevention program delivered by community pharmacists using a randomized controlled clinical trial (Dr. Susan J. Blalock, principal investigator). The first paper from this study was just released and the recommendations have received quite a bit of press coverage.
Study: Seniors Who Take Medications Risk Falling
A List of Drugs That Increase Falling Risk
Drugs that contribute to falls
Which Drugs Do - And Don't - Increase Fall Risks for the Elderly

Dr. Kimberly Rauscher has had an article reviewed by Reuters Health.

Many teens may experience workplace violence

UNC to train professionals in child abuse prevention

Nearly 2 million children are mistreated annually in the U.S., but most medical, public health and social welfare professionals have little or no training in how to examine of the reasons for abuse and e mploy proven public health strategies to prevent child maltreatment before it starts , according to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers. In response, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has awarded a two-year, $666,670 grant to UNC’s Injury Prevention Research Center to provide the much needed training.
Press Release

Football Head Impacts and Injuries

Its difficult to determine when an individual athlete may return to play following injury. To help with this determination, a study by Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz and colleagues seeks to measure the effects of head impacts in sports. To date, in excess of data on 140,000 head impacts have been collected, registering total of 14 cases of concussion.  The initial three years of the study resulted in three companion papers that were published in the December 2007 issue of Neurosurgery, and the project was featured in a nationwide NBC news story and on MSNBC.com. Some of the news articles about the study can be accessed by the links below:

New York Times: Hazards: Football Head Injuries, Not So Cut and Dried

Discovery Channel: As Heads Collide, Helmet Measures Impacts

Now Toronto: High hopes for wired helmet