Natalie Bowman

Natalie Bowman, MD, MPH, MPhil is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. She maintains her clinical practice at UNC Health and conducts research with primary study sites in Bolivia, Peru, and Nicaragua.

Dr. Bowman's educational background includes undergraduate training at Harvard College, medical school at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also holds an MPhil from Cambridge University and an MPH from UNC's Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Her research program focuses on two main areas: tropical medicine, particularly vector-borne and zoonotic parasitic diseases including Trypanosoma cruzi (the agent of Chagas disease), Zika virus, and toxoplasmosis; and emerging infections such as Zika virus and SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19. Dr. Bowman's clinical interests include HIV and chronic parasitic infections such as Chagas disease and neurocysticercosis. She is fluent in Spanish, which supports her work with North Carolina's immigrant population and her international research collaborations.

Analysis of Dr. Bowman's recent publications reveals a strong focus on neglected tropical diseases, particularly Chagas disease, with numerous systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining risk factors for disease progression and transmission. Her work increasingly incorporates molecular approaches to understand viral infections like SARS-CoV-2, with particular attention to oral cavity involvement and host responses. Geographically, her research spans the Americas, with significant field work in Bolivia, Peru, and Nicaragua.

Dr. Bowman has been actively involved in multiple significant research initiatives including the UNC COVID-19 Pathobiology Consortium, the Respiratory Virus Transmission Network studying household transmission and vaccine effectiveness, and various projects examining the impact of the pandemic in Latin America.

Her work demonstrates a consistent commitment to addressing health disparities through research on diseases that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, both domestically in North Carolina and internationally in Latin America. Dr. Bowman's research bridges clinical practice, epidemiology, and laboratory science to address complex infectious disease challenges.