Introduction

Infectious diseases (ID) remain key public health problems.  In the developing world, diarrheal infections, respiratory infections, AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis are the principal causes of morbidity and mortality.  Globally, pneumonia, meningitis, and nosocomial infections remain serious and costly health problems.  Global travel and migration increase everyone's susceptibility to epidemic and emerging diseases, from both natural (e.g., bird flu) and deliberate (terrorism) causes.  The emergence and dissemination of drug resistant microorganisms represent an expanding threat.  At the same time, our abilities to develop and deliver new drugs and vaccines to control these diseases have also increased.   Infectious disease epidemiologists are needed to improve surveillance, identify newly emerging infections, understand transmission dynamics, and develop and evaluate prevention and control strategies.

The ID epidemiology program at UNC benefits from a close collaborative relationship with other units at UNC, such as the Department of Microbiology and  Immunology, and in the Division of Infectious Diseases of the Department of Medicine in the School of Medicine ,  UNC Center Institute for Global Health and Infectious Disease , the Center for AIDS Research , and the Carolina Population Center .  In addition, we have many collaborative ties with other institutions in the Triangle involved in ID work, including Family Health International , GSK , and Duke University.