ECU Department of Public Health

New semester, endless opportunities! Today we welcome our newest cohorts of MPH & DrPH students to Pirate Nation™!

✨ Returning students & alumni -- What's one piece of advice or encouragement you would share with our incoming cohorts?

Even when class isn't in session, our faculty continue to show up and learn like scholars.

ECU was proudly represented at ICIBM 2026 by Drs. Zikun Yang and Jessica Cooke Bailey. Dr. Yang served as a session chair, helping facilitate engaging discussions and scientific exchange among researchers in biomedical informatics.

DPH faculty member Dr. Sinan Sousan, together with collaborators Drs. Elizabeth Mizelle, Qiang Wu, Rui Wu, Guy Iverson, Ciprian Popoviciu, and Jo Anne Balanay, presented research on wearable sensing and heat-stress prediction at the 2026 Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) in Orlando, Florida.

The research focuses on the use of wearable sensors and physiological monitoring to better characterize heat strain and support the development of approaches for predicting and mitigating heat stress among individuals working in challenging environments.

MHSRS is a major scientific meeting that brings together researchers from academia, government, industry, and the military to share research aimed at improving the health, safety, and performance of service members.

We congratulate Dr. Sousan and his collaborators on presenting their work at MHSRS 2026! 🎉

DPH faculty member Dr. Sinan Sousan, together with collaborators Dr. Elizabeth Mizelle of the ECU College of Nursing and Dr. Jo Anne Balanay of the Environmental Health Sciences Program, mentored two North Carolina GSK Foundation students, Brianna Daniels and Khala Enoch, during their summer research experience.

Brianna, a biology student at North Carolina A&T State University, and Khala, a forensic science student at Fayetteville State University, presented two research projects examining hydration and occupational heat stress:

• Pre- and Post-Shift Hydration Outcomes in Farmworkers Utilizing Backpack Hydration Systems examined hydration status among farmworkers in eastern North Carolina. The findings showed that dehydration remained a substantial concern at the end of the workday and emphasized the importance of practical workplace hydration interventions.

• Case Study: Analyzing the Impact of Hydration Regarding Heat Stress and Core Body Temperature evaluated wearable-sensor data under three water-intake conditions. The pilot findings showed that the low-hydration condition produced the greatest increase in core body temperature in both participants and generally the highest late-session physical strain.

Please join us in congratulating Brianna and Khala on their hard work and successful research presentations! 🎉

At East Carolina University, Dr. Lok Pokhrel and his collaborator, Dr. Ken Jacobs (ECU Physics), are developing Varr-Gate, an innovative technology designed to deliver targeted mite treatment as bees naturally enter the hive. Supported by NCInnovation grant funding, the project aims to improve honeybee health while advancing a technology with real commercial potential. Here is the news article by NCInnovation: https://www.ncinnovation.org/innovation-may-protect-pollinators-helping-food-supply?fbclid=IwY2xjawTCJVJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFMamVMcGNxVURueVJ5RWljc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHmXPQ2oGNI3nehXcK5nvJkcOkxW5YTJ0enAAOL4VSL-9VtAvqg6jpiBf2RWu_aem_DUbB--S3A6W8dxmiTBCM_Q

Video linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0F6IsB69ak

ECU Researcher Develops Tech to Fight Varroa Mites | NCI News ECU's Dr. Lok Pokhrel is developing Varr-Gate, a device that delivers targeted Varroa mite treatment as bees naturally enter and exit the hive.

DPH faculty members Drs. Sinan Sousan and Qiang Wu published a paper titled “Complementary Nozzle-Level Droplet and Downstream Airborne Aerosol Characterization of Oil-Based Ultra-Low-Volume Sprays” in Environments.

The project was completed in collaboration with Environmental Health faculty member Dr. Stephanie Richards, MPH student Krista Bryant, graduate student Abdulahi Opejin, and Dr. Sousan’s lab manager, Dr. Jonathan Berkuta. Bryant and Opejin contributed to data collection for the study.

In this study, the authors evaluated how a nozzle-level DC-IV droplet counter and two downstream aerosol instruments, the TSI APS 3321 and GRIMM MiniWRAS 1.371, characterize oil-based ultra-low-volume sprays under controlled chamber conditions. The study helps bridge the gap between nozzle-level droplet measurements and downstream airborne aerosol measurements. The DC-IV remains useful for nozzle calibration, while the APS and MiniWRAS can support real-time characterization of the airborne spray fraction relevant to transport.

Congratulations to the authors!

The open-access article is available here: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/13/7/387

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Lq1cdwdC7/

Congratulations to the Healthier Lives at School and Beyond team for receiving East Carolina University's Centennial Award for Excellence!

This recognition celebrates ECU and ECU Health's collaboration, which is expanding access to school-based telehealth services for children across rural eastern North Carolina. Building on years of collaboration, the Healthier Lives program continues to grow with the addition of pediatric asthma services and expanded access to care. The program also recently received a Duke Endowment grant to support its offerings.

We're proud to be part of this award-winning team and the difference it's making for students and families across our region.

Join us in giving a huge welcome to the new 2026 Ethnic and Rural Health Disparities (ERHD) Cohort!

ERHD Director of the Graduate Certificate Program, Dr. Eric J. Bailey, just announced 12 health professionals and Brody Medical students joining the program this year. They are Jordan Baccus, Charlotte Bickley, Lindsay Branch, Grace Erickson, Maysa Hilou, Kihyria Jones, Erin McCollum, Gage Outlaw, Lane Sabbagh, Vaishnavi Siripurapu, Alicia Spencer, and Elora Tickle. Each health professional and medical student was evaluated and approved by our ERHD Admissions Committee. In addition, some of these new 2026 ERHD cohorts have started taking their first course in the ERHD program this summer – MPH 6005 African American Health. So please WELCOME and give a CONGRATS to our new ERHD students at ECU and the Department of Public Health!

DPH faculty Dr. Sinan Sousan presented his recent publication on heat risk prediction and wearable devices in agricultural workers at the ISASH 2026 conference in Saskatoon, Canada!

In collaboration with researchers from ECU, KSU, and NCCU, this new open-access study in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine highlights how multi-sensor wearables can inform real-time alerts and individualized hydration for outdoor workers.

Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.70103