Infectious Diseases

Infectious diseases remain among the most critical health problems for people living in both the developed and developing world. "Emerging pathogens" from HIV/AIDS to SARS are a constant and rapidly evolving threat. The UNC Division of Infectious Diseases is committed to a broad range of clinical care, research and teaching activities in North Carolina and many other countries as well. ID staff are also extensively involved in prevention programs, from vaccination outreach to civilian biodefense preparedness.

The ID Division provides patient care at UNC Hospitals, the Durham and Wake County Health Departments, The North Carolina Prison System, and First Health of the Carolinas. The ID Division directs epidemiology and infection control efforts at UNC Hospitals and First Health. The ID Division staffs a unique in-patient ward responsible for the care of patients with HIV, and other communicable diseases that require isolation. The ID Division is responsible for prevention of spread of communicable diseases, and the staff have played a critical role in preparations related to smallpox and other agents of bioterrorism. THE UNC ID Division directs the local regional civilian biodefense program located at the Durham County Health Department.

The Division and its faculty participate in many patient oriented research activities through University and NIH Centers. UNC faculty are responsible for the education of medical students, postgraduate students, and physicians from the US and abroad. Division faculty work in many different areas of clinical and basic research both in the US and abroad. Faculty work in countries in Asia, Africa, the former Soviet Republics, and the Caribbean. UNC ID maintains its own research facility with full-time faculty in the African country of Malawi. The ID Division is among the most multi-disciplinary in the Department, with adjunct faculty in virtually all the Schools of Health Sciences, and many Departments of Academic Affairs as well. Such an approach is essential to deal with the complex geographical and environmental, behavioral and biologic nature of infectious diseases.

The ID Division has grown from a group of three consultant physicians in the 1950s when North Carolina Memorial Hospital was first opened, to several hundred faculty and staff. The ongoing threat of infectious diseases to personal and public health will lead to continued growth of the ID Division, and demand for ever more specialized expertise. UNC is well–prepared to discharge its responsibilities, and to play an important role in the battle against infectious diseases.