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Carolina Population Center
@uncpopcenter.bsky.social
1K followers 330 following 210 posts
Our faculty, staff, and students conduct research on population, health, aging, and the environment, and share data and findings that push the field forward.

https://cpc.unc.edu
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uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Demographic shifts in Japan and the United States make it an urgent priority for both countries to partner to advance aging research, clinical practice and educational initiatives, says CPC Fellow John Batsis.
global.unc.edu/news-story/f...
Faculty symposium addresses care for aging populations in North Carolina, Japan - UNC Global Affairs
In October, UNC Global Affairs, the UNC Center for Aging and Health, and Nagoya University’s Graduate School of Medicine hosted a three-day, multi-disciplinary symposium on “Aging and the Family” in C...
global.unc.edu
November 26, 2025 at 6:12 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
A group of international experts, including CPC Fellow Barry Popkin, say addressing the challenge of ultraprocessed foods requires a unified global response that confronts corporate power and transforms food systems to promote healthier diets.
www.thelancet.com/series-do/ul...
Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health
This 3-paper Series reviews the evidence about the increase in ultra-processed foods in diets globally and highlights the association with many non-communicable diseases. This rise in ultra-processed ...
www.thelancet.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:10 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
CPC Fellow Ganga Bey says humans' conceptions about themselves are not merely abstract philosophies. They are measurable, powerful determinants of health and well-being.
greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
Can Loving Yourself and Others Protect Your Health?
Research suggests that seeing our spiritual connections to others could protect us from disease and promote public health.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
November 26, 2025 at 6:09 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
CPC Fellow Lindsey Smith Taillie says embracing her silly side makes her a better scientist. "Being authentic at work is not a weakness, but rather a strength," she says.
www.science.org/content/arti...
Embracing my silly side makes me a better scientist. I wish I’d done it sooner
Humor has helped this professor connect with students and colleagues—and remain resilient during hard times
www.science.org
November 26, 2025 at 6:07 PM
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CPC Director Karen Guzzo joins WABE's Health Wanted podcast to discuss Pronatalism and 'The Fertility Crisis' in the U.S. "For most people, they are choosing not to have kids throughout their 20s," she says.
www.wabe.org/podcasts/hea...
The Fertility Crisis
In 1968, biologist Paul Ehrlich cautioned that by the 1980s we’d see hundreds of millions of people starving to death due to overpopulation. Turns out… he was a bit off. […]
www.wabe.org
November 26, 2025 at 5:57 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Congratulations to CPC Fellow Stephanie Martin for receiving a Fall 2025 Rural Research, Engagement, and Advancement Fund award for her work to support healthier meals and improve health for migrant farmworkers.
uncrural.unc.edu/2025/11/rrea...
November 26, 2025 at 5:54 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Carolina Population Center 2025-2026 Interdisciplinary Research Seminar Series:

Ross Boyce - Without an Ark: Baseline Demographics of Residents Living in a Flood-Prone Area of Rural Western Uganda
youtu.be/zedaLwYiZG4
Ross Boyce - Baseline Demographics of Residents Living in a Flood-Prone Area of Rural Western Uganda
YouTube video by Carolina Population Center at UNC-Chapel Hill
youtu.be
November 21, 2025 at 4:54 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Carolina Population Center 2025-2026 Interdisciplinary Research Seminar Series:

Sarah Petry - The Years Before Medicare: Expected Health Insurance Transitions
youtu.be/G2-4WrbxFd8
Sara Petry - The Years Before Medicare: Expected Health Insurance Transitions
YouTube video by Carolina Population Center at UNC-Chapel Hill
youtu.be
November 21, 2025 at 4:53 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
The U.S. is behind other countries in requiring easy to understand nutrition and warning labels, said CPC Fellow Marissa Hall. “Warning labels are a surprisingly powerful tool for changing behavior when they are well-designed,” she said.
www.yahoo.com/news/article...
Food, tobacco and alcohol labels should be easy to find and memorable, UNC researcher says
A UNC researcher says the United States has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to informing consumers about the potential health risks of products they’re buying. Depictions of smoking-related h...
www.yahoo.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:08 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Congrats to CPC Fellow and Assistant Professor of Sociology Lauren Valentino, who was selected for a Russell Sage Foundation Visiting Scholar Fellowship for the 2026-27 academic year!
November 19, 2025 at 4:06 PM
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“More than half of the women in rural North Carolina live more than 30 minutes away from a birthing hospital," says CPC Fellow Kavita Arora. New OB/GYN fellowship she will lead is a step in the right direction to close that gap, she says.
www.healio.com/news/womens-...
www.healio.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:04 PM
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On Veterans Day, CPC Fellow Ross Boyce reflects on how his time in the military has influenced his service to UNC and the state of North Carolina.
www.instagram.com/reel/DQr5zAR...
The University of North Carolina on Instagram: "⚠️ Content Warning: Explosion + military medical scene (non-graphic) ⚠️ Before he led projects to fight malaria in Uganda, former U.S. Army captain Dr....
In this video, we sit down with Dr. Ross Boyce, a veteran, physician, and associate professor at UNC School of Medicine. He shares how his military experience has shaped his approach to medicine, high...
www.instagram.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:03 PM
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CPC Fellow Fenaba Addo says "stark racial disparities in student loan debt accumulation and repayment make it clear that race and racial inequality are central to understanding the student loan debt crisis in the United States."
badgerherald.com/news/campus/...
Experts discuss racial inequities in student debt at UW webinar
The University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty hosted a webinar Oct. 29. The webinar examined the effects of student loans and how they specifically target Black students and families, ...
badgerherald.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:53 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
CPC Director Karen Guzzo discusses the pronatalism movement on WBUR's Here and Now. "Low birth rates have been mainstreamed without being well understood and they're being used to foment a population panic."
www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
The state of the pronatalist movement
The pronatalist movement, which claims to be rectifying what some of its members describe as the likely collapse of civilization due to population decline.
www.wbur.org
November 5, 2025 at 3:52 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
CPC Fellow Lindsey Smith Taillie will launch Lola, a personalized AI online grocery shopping technology that nudges users toward healthier choices as part of the new Kairos program at UNC’s Eshelman Innovation Institute.
sph.unc.edu/sph-news/tai...
October 29, 2025 at 3:34 PM
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Congratulations to CPC Fellows Cassandra Davis and Stephanie Martin on being named to the 2025 class of Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholars, a Carolina Center for Public Service initiative that supports and accelerates community-engaged research and teaching!
ccps.unc.edu/ccps-opportu...
October 29, 2025 at 3:20 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Carolina Population Center fellows Audrey Pettifor, Marissa Hall, and Ilene Speizer will serve as departmental liaisons for the International Student Departmental Liaisons program at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
sph.unc.edu/sph-news/gil...
October 29, 2025 at 3:12 PM
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American kids' daily intake of ultraprocessed foods and sugary snacks should be more of a concern than their eating candy on a once-a-year holiday like Halloween, says CPC Fellow Lindsey Smith Taillie.
www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2025/10/28/f...
Food allergies can make Halloween tricky to navigate
While food dye and allergen concerns are valid at Halloween, a UNC researcher says sharper focus should be on improving kid's everyday diets.
www.northcarolinahealthnews.org
October 29, 2025 at 3:11 PM
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Insecticide-treated baby wraps help provide a 'bridge' for babies until they are old enough to get the malaria vaccine. "You’re protecting the kid while they’re getting to that optimal vaccine-reduced protection," says CPC Fellow Ross Boyce.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/h...
In Fight Against Malaria, an Unexpected — and Snuggly — Shield
www.nytimes.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:10 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Watch CPC Fellow Ted Mouw's UNC Research Week presentation "Using UNC's Research Data Center to Analyze Local Demographic Micro Data"
youtu.be/SKdFX2WsQEw
Ted Mouw - Using UNC's Research Data Center to Analyze Local Demographic Micro Data
YouTube video by Carolina Population Center at UNC-Chapel Hill
youtu.be
October 25, 2025 at 12:07 PM
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New tool created by Carolina Demography and the N.C. Dept. of Public Instruction helps researchers group and compare school districts based on multiple indicators, rather than just using county population density.
www.ednc.org/compare-nc-s...
Compare NC school districts with this new Carolina Demography tool
Carolina Demography created a set of 10 North Carolina school district clusters that accurately capture their similarities and differences.
www.ednc.org
October 22, 2025 at 2:46 PM
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Children who grow up in areas where wealth is more unevenly spread are less likely to move up the income ladder, says CPC Fellow Manuel Schechtl.
www.unc.edu/posts/2025/1...
Q&A: Professor’s landmark study links wealth inequality to upward mobility | UNC-Chapel Hill
Children who grow up in areas where wealth is more unevenly spread are less likely to move up the income ladder.
www.unc.edu
October 22, 2025 at 2:46 PM
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BRIEF: The relationship between the current fertility rate and population decline is not straightforward, CPC Director Karen Guzzo and co-authors say.
contemporaryfamilies.utah.edu/publications...
How Do We Know When Fertility Is Too Low? - Contemporary Families - The University of Utah
Falling birth rates in the U.S. have raised concerns that the current total fertility rate (TFR) has fallen "below replacement" level. In reality, the relationship between current fertility rates and ...
contemporaryfamilies.utah.edu
October 22, 2025 at 2:45 PM
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Lack of confidence in the future—especially around the cost of living and childcare expenses—is leading many people to postpone having children, CPC Director Karen Guzzo says.
www.newsweek.com/white-house-...
White House issues warning over US fertility rate
Robert F. Kennedy Jr deemed declining U.S. fertility rates a "national security threat," saying birth rates are not high enough to stabilize the population.
www.newsweek.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:44 PM
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We are excited to announce that Nathan Dollar, Director of Carolina Demography, was accepted into Class 33 of Leadership North Carolina. He will work with and learn from 55 other North Carolina leaders across all sectors to tackle our state’s biggest challenges. #LNC #LNC33
tinyurl.com/mt4r4azh
Leadership North Carolina Announces Members of 33nd Class
tinyurl.com
October 17, 2025 at 4:49 PM