During the pandemic, a majority of health care workers have experienced stress, anxiety, frustration, exhaustion, and burnout. In response, two researchers from the UNC School of Medicine have teamed up to assess how COVID-19 has affected the mental health of this population.

From day one of his role as vice chancellor for research, Terry Magnuson has worked hard to connect Carolina’s entire research community. Recently reinstated to serve another five years, he strives to continue to bring together great minds from across the university.

The regulatory landscape for research has taken a dramatic shift in the last two years, with a stronger emphasis on protecting the integrity of the U.S. research enterprise. In response, Brian Collier has been appointed the first-ever director of science and security at UNC.

After surveying 419 first-year college students about their mental health before and after the pandemic began, UNC researchers discovered that the prevalence of moderate to severe anxiety among this group increased by 40 percent, and moderate to severe depression increased by 48 percent.

For decades, scientists warned of the potential for a global coronavirus outbreak. But when SARS-CoV-2 emerged, no therapeutics, drugs, or vaccines were readily available. The Rapidly Emerging Antiviral Drug Development Initiative (READDI) — founded by researchers at UNC and the Structural Genomics Consortium — is not only finding solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also drugs and therapeutics for future viral outbreaks.