ECU Department of Public Health

09/01/2026

🌟 New Publication Alert 🌟

Congratulations to MPH student Mackenzie Werderman who recently published her research, “Laboratory evaluation of Sensirion SEN66, Piera IPS-7100, PurpleAir PIXEL, and OPC-N3 low-cost aerosol sensors across aerosol types and concentration ranges,” in Atmospheric Pollution Research!

Mackenzie conducted this work in DPH faculty member Dr. Sinan Sousan’s Aerosol Research Laboratory, along with lab manager Dr. Jonathan Berkuta and collaborator Dr. Stephanie Richards (Environmental Health faculty).

The study evaluated four low-cost PM sensors: the Sensirion SEN66, PurpleAir PIXEL, Piera IPS-7100, and the established Alphasense OPC-N3.

Salt, road dust, and kerosene oil were tested at both environmental and elevated occupational concentrations. The study also used monodisperse particles to evaluate particle detection efficiency and sizing performance.

At occupational concentrations, the OPC-N3 showed the strongest performance for the coarser kerosene fractions, making it the most promising of the four sensors for monitoring insecticide spray aerosols, although finer fractions still require additional calibration.

The study is available open access:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1309104226003016

08/25/2026

Today, the Department of Public Health welcomed members of our Community Advisory Board for our fall meeting!

Our board brings together public health professionals from across North Carolina, several of whom are MPH or DrPH alums, representing a variety of sectors and perspectives. Members shared their insights on our department's vision, community service opportunities that could benefit their own agencies, and reviewed the DrPH Foundational Competencies and assessments. In turn, our department faculty take this feedback to integrate into curriculum and outreach opportunities for students.

We’re grateful for the expertise, insight, and continued commitment our advisory board brings to Pirate Nation and to the future of public health. Together, we’re strengthening our programs and building meaningful connections with the communities we serve.

08/20/2026

📣 Student Research Assistant Opportunity 📣

Project: “The Digital Generation: Assessing the Cumulative Health Impacts of Mobile Technology and Video Gaming from Early Childhood to College.”

Expected Duties:

▶ Conduct structured public health literature review on our major research topics.

▶ Identify, organize, and summarize recent research on mobile technology, video gaming, and related physical, mental, and sociocultural health outcomes.

▶ Assist with survey development, participant recruitment, and data collection.

Faculty Investigators: Dr. Eric Bailey, [email protected] and Dr. Sinan Sousan, [email protected]

08/17/2026

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?

08/07/2026

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.

08/07/2026

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! 🎉

08/04/2026

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! 🎉

07/13/2026

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's Dr. Lok Pokhrel is developing Varr-Gate, a device that delivers targeted Varroa mite treatment as bees naturally enter and exit the hive.

07/08/2026

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

07/07/2026

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.