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  string(1440) "“Prevention is superior to treatment,” said David Weber, M.D., M.P.H. Prevention of health care-acquired infections and vaccine development are David’s two main areas of research. “Vaccines are the classic way to keep people well and have saved more lives globally than any other intervention except access to clean water,” David says. “At UNC, healthcare workers are required to have four vaccines – mumps, measles and rubella; varicella or chicken pox; influenza; and pertussis. This keeps staff and patients safe and healthy.”

David is not surprised that a recent study showed medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer. Preventing healthcare-associated infections is his life’s work.

David began his career at UNC in 1985. He holds a triple appointment - as a professor of medicine and pediatrics within the UNC School of Medicine and as a professor of epidemiology in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. His ultimate professional goal is to eliminate all preventable health care-associated infections, and he looks to the men and women he has trained over the years to help him achieve this.

“The goal is to get to zero,” David says. “We can do this by controlling our environmental factors, developing vaccines against infections and continuing to train the next generation of infectious diseases epidemiologists.”

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Prevention is Superior to Treatment

Jack Kozmetsky

When Jack came to Carolina to join its nationally ranked men’s lacrosse program, he brought a lot more than sticks, pads and guards — he also brought a Texas-sized heart of gold, compassion for miles and his family’s far-reaching legacy of community outreach, advocacy and support.

Jack’s great-grandparents, Ronya and George Kozmetsky, founders of the RGK Foundation, instilled in their family the value of hard work, the power of education, and the strength of optimism, fostering a culture of giving and philanthropy that transcends the borders of the Lone Star State.

The Kozmetskys’ philanthropic culture is now having an impact at Carolina in the form of two grants supporting areas the family holds dear: Boot Prints to Heel Prints, which supports veterans on campus as they transition from military to college life, and Making Trauma Less Traumatic, which funds a dedicated, trauma-focused social worker at UNC Children’s Hospital.

“I grew up watching my entire family . . . volunteering in our community and supporting efforts to help those less fortunate,” said Jack.

For Jack’s parents, supporting their son’s efforts to make a difference in his community, wherever that may be, is crucial to them as parents, volunteers and grantors.

“When Jack decided to make Carolina his college home, we adopted it as well, and we’re so glad we did,” they said. “It’s been a tremendous experience for Jack, and we’re looking forward to seeing what his legacy will be.”

Read the complete Carolina Story…