News and Events

HPDP helping to combat Weight of the Nation

HPDP researchers helped the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention develop real strategies for obesity prevention and control at the first-ever Weight of the Nation conference July 27-29.(more...)

HPDP celebrates research partnerships with students

On April 29, as UNC’s academic year drew to a close, the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP) celebrated its student research assistants with an ice cream social.

Organized by HPDP Research Scientist Lisa Pullen-Davis, and the student mentoring committee that she leads, the party gave students a chance to unwind and in some cases, say good-bye to friends and colleagues. Each student who attended received a UNC national basketball championship t-shirt as a thank you gift for being part of our research program.

Each year HPDP provides assistantships to approximately 50 students, allowing students to get practical research experience and faculty to benefit from the hard work and fresh perspectives students bring to the work. Most of these students are graduate research assistants from master’s and doctoral programs in public health who are able to use their work at HPDP as the basis for a thesis or dissertation. This year’s group of student interns also included high school, undergraduate, and medical school students.(more...)

Five more years of health promotion and disease prevention research

The UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP) will continue to be a part of a major federal network of prevention research centers until at least 2014. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) invited HPDP to be a member of their Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research Centers network on Wednesday after a competitive application process.(more...)

Picture this: HPDP researchers use photos to connect with communities

Pictures often express what words cannot quite communicate. HPDP researchers are using the photovoice method to work with communities and offer training to other researchers and community members.

Photovoice is a community-based participatory research (CBPR) method that puts cameras into the hands of community members to explore issues and questions important to them. Developed by public health researcher Caroline Wang, the photovoice process enables people to reflect on their communities’ strengths and concerns, promotes dialogue and new knowledge through discussion of the photographs, and mobilizes action by reaching out to influential advocates through exhibitions and public forums.(more...)

HPDP students lead Minority Health Conference

On February 27, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will host the largest and oldest student-run conference addressing minority health issues in the nation. Two students working with the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP) lead this year’s conference.

Kevin Wu, graduate research assistant on the Are We Our Brother’s Keeper? project, is co-chair of the 30th Annual Minority Health Conference. Alrick Edwards, graduate research assistant for the WAY to Health project, is co-president of the UNC School of Public Health Minority Student Caucus, which oversees the conference. This year’s conference will focus on the theme “Our World, Our Community: Building Bridges for Health Equality.” (more...)

Sustainable agriculture grows at HPDP this spring

In keeping with its mission to reduce heath disparities, the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP) is investigating the links between local sustainable food systems and health. HPDP faculty and staff are beginning innovative research in this area, helping to build a new North Carolina Statewide Action Plan for Building a Local Food Economy and participating in local and regional seminars focused on the connection of food practices and health.

Sustainable agriculture, organic foods, farmers markets and buying local are hot topics in these days, but little work has been done to show whether consuming local and sustainable foods improves overall health. (more...)