Division News

The direct and indirect repercussions, particularly the long-term consequences, of the pandemic on all facets of health and well-being continue to be investigated and reported.  DGIM Professor Keisha Bentley-Edwards has explored several areas impacted by the pandemic including contraceptive access and use among students, the impact of systemic racisms and pre-existing conditions for Black Americans, and access to behavioral weight loss interventions in Black adults.  Her latest publication caps off a special

The local chapter of the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) hosted their NC Triangle Chapter Networking and Awards night on February 16 at the Graduate Hotel in Chapel Hill.  Among the award recipients were Tara Spector and Pooh Setji (both won for Clinical Leadership for Physicians), Poonam Sharma (Excellence in Teaching), Lana Wahid (Excellence in Research), Noel Ivey (Best vignette), and David Gallagher

The 2024 Annual Scientific Session of the NC Chapter of ACP (Chapter Governor Marion McCrary) was held on Feb 9-10 at the Marriott Crabtree Valley Hotel in Raleigh, NC, organized by Program Co-chairs Noel Ivey, Michelle Perkons, Denise Pong, and Fatima Syed.  Along with several residents in attendance, DGIM speakers included Will Yancy, Bruce Peyser, Suchita Shah Sata, David Boyte, Poonam Sharma, and Katherine Neal.  Check out the photos of some of the presenters and attendees below!

Congratulations to Eugenia McPeek Hinz, MD, MS, for her promotion to Assistant Professor of Medicine.  Dr.

To improve medication adherence and health outcomes, some employers are offering a ‘preventive drug list’ (PDL) option with reduced out-of-pocket expenses for medications.  In Type 2 diabetes, like other chronic diseases, patients often take multiple medications to manage not only their blood glucose levels but also a constellation of other health problems such as hypertension and hypercholesterolemia.

Congratulations to Dr. Suchita Shah Sata for her promotion to Associate Professor of Medicine, Career Track.  Dr. Sata is an attending physician in the Division of General Internal Medicine and hospitalist at Duke University Hospital.  She joined Duke in 2015 as a Medical Instructor in the Department of Medicine and is a graduate of Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons. 

Since February is “American Heart Month”, much focus will be on these conditions that affect millions of Americans in the coming weeks.  That’s a good thing, as the trends have not changed in the last several decades.  According to the CDC’s Health, United States Data Finder in 1980, heart disease was the leading cause of death for adults 45-64 years old and 65 years and older.