UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

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

07/21/2025

HPDP Research Fellow, Lindsey Smith Taillie was featured on UNC Research Stories. Learn about her journey from an environmental activist in her middle school cafeteria to becoming a food policy expert and co-founded the UNC Mini Mart at HPDP.

Read the story:

Lindsey Smith Taillie pushes for healthy food policies across the globe to improve eating habits for families and children.

06/30/2025

Congrats to Ugochi Alozie and David Arukwe for their incredible work with the Screen Time project!

06/19/2025

Juneteenth is a national holiday that honors the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederacy. The NC African American Heritage Commission has curated resources to encourage awareness for the holiday, educate ourselves on liberation in NC, and events to celebrate across our state:

Juneteenth 2025 Juneteenth Homepage North Carolina joins in the celebration of Juneteenth, a national holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederacy. We invite you to use the resources below that have been curated to encourage awareness and...

06/06/2025

New research shows the Med-South Lifestyle Program can be scaled across rural public health sites to reduce chronic disease risk in the South.

Participants experienced:
📉 Reduced weight, blood pressure, & sugar intake
🥬 consuming more healthy fats, fruits, & veggies
🪑 Less sitting and sedentary behavior

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Implementation partners reported that an afterschool sports-based program for middle school youth was greatly needed, but inconsistent training, staff turn

05/22/2025

UNC Research is bringing healthy childcare across NC & beyond.

Go NAPSACC has worked with over 13,000 childcare providers to improve the health of young children across NC and the country. Go NAPSACC addresses America’s leading concerns, such as childhood obesity, poor nutrition, and rising mental health issues.

This is research with purpose. Learn more about our research here: https://go.unc.edu/GNS

05/20/2025

UNC Research is making Southern food healthier.

Learn more about our research here: https://go.unc.edu/q6PSw

The Med-South Lifestyle Program blends a Mediterranean style of eating with traditional Southern food culture to help people eat healthier and become more physically active.

Med-South has already helped over 500 North Carolinians reduce their risk of heart disease by:
✅ Supporting weight loss
✅ Increasing fruit and vegetable intake
✅ Lowering blood pressure

This research study is funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This funding supports vital research that creates a healthier and stronger America.

04/16/2025

Childhood Obesity has released a special issue honoring the Community Health & Wellness Resource Team’s late founder and director, Dianne S. Ward. Ward was a pioneering leader in early childhood obesity prevention and creator of the Go NAP SACC program. The issue celebrates her legacy through research and policy initiatives focused on improving child health and wellness in early care and education settings.

Read the story here: https://unc.live/42L2t7Z

Childhood Obesity has released a special issue honoring the Community Health & Wellness Resource Team’s late founder and director, Dianne S. Ward, EdD, FTOS, FACSM. Dr. Ward was a beloved friend, educator, mentor, and pioneer in public health and early … Read more

04/10/2025

The FFORC - Food, Fitness, and Opportunity Research Collaborative team has developed resources for you to learn about SNAP-Ed, how it supports children, families, veterans, healthcare, and local economies in NC, and how we can advocate for it's continued funding.

Find the full reports: https://tinyurl.com/fforcsnaped

04/02/2025

HPDP researchers, Drs. Jimikaye Courtney and McKenna Roudebush, just published two studies on the impact of increased alcohol home delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Get the story here:

HPDP researchers have completed two studies into the impact of increased alcohol home delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. The studies found that increased access to alcohol home delivery was associated with more alcohol-related internet searches as well as higher alcohol … Read more