UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

06/11/2026

Today we celebrate a member of our Community Advisory Board, Brian Ellerby, MSPH (UNC, ’88). As the Public Health Director of Anson County and Healthcare Consultant at AIMS Healthcare Consulting, Brian brings knowledge and experience with integrating medical services with community-based settings. His collaboration with HPDP helps to ensure our research provides high quality experiences for the participants and communities we engage with.

05/26/2026

April 30, 2026 Dr. Lindsey Smith Taillie will examine how extreme weather events like droughts, bushfires and floods shape food and water insecurity, diet quality and cardiometabolic disease risk.

05/11/2026

We have exciting news to share! On May 4th, Caroline Dilworth joined HPDP as the new Deputy Director. Caroline Dilworth, PhD, MSPH, brings over two decades of experience in public health and research development and administration. Caroline is thrilled to return to her public health roots and looks forward to working with HPDP members to support the Center and its vital mission.

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

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

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.