ECU Department of Public Health

06/02/2026

DPH faculty Dr. Sinan Sousan and Dr. David Tulis [Department of Physiology], serving together as Principal Investigators, along with Co-Investigator Dr. Nathan Hudson [Department of Physics], recently received a $70,921 pilot project grant from the Center for Human Health and the Environment (CHHE) for their project titled "GPR68: a promising new diagnostic tool to control vascular pathology from E-cig secondhand exposure". Based at NC State University, the CHHE Pilot Project Program fosters interdisciplinary collaborations and provides support for research aimed at understanding the adverse impacts of environmental factors on human health and disease.

This interdisciplinary project brings together two distinct fields of study to tackle the cardiovascular impacts of secondhand e-cigarette aerosols.

The research is driven by a novel biological concept originating from Dr. Tulis's laboratory. Dr. Tulis has extensive expertise characterizing the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying abnormal blood vessel growth in cardiovascular disease. His lab recently made exciting discoveries regarding the acid-sensing receptor GPR68 and its role in inhibiting vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cell proliferation.

By merging Dr. Tulis's innovative cellular models with Dr. Sousan's previous research, which quantified extreme secondhand fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure from e-cigarettes, the team can now test this pathway holistically. Using wild-type and knockout mice alongside human coronary cells, the study will analyze how different e-liquid aerosol mixtures activate the GPR68 receptor to identify new biomarkers and therapies for cardiovascular risks. Dr. Hudson will direct the quantitative confocal analysis of these cellular signals to evaluate biological sensing capacity.

Congratulations to the team on this exciting collaboration, which beautifully bridges environmental exposure science with cutting-edge cardiovascular physiology!

05/20/2026

DrPH faculty Dr. Lok Pokhrel shared the following announcement:

Happy World Bee Day!

I am excited and honored to share that my team has received grant funding (over US$ 670,000; equivalent to NPR 10.377 crore) from NCInnovation to support large-scale field studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of a novel hive device designed to combat Varroa mites — one of the most devastating threats to honey bee health worldwide.
Honey bees are essential pollinators responsible for supporting nearly 75% of the world’s food crop types and contributing to approximately 35% of global crop production. Their pollination services are estimated to contribute hundreds of billions of dollars to global agriculture annually, making honey bee health critical for food security, biodiversity, and sustainable ecosystems. Unfortunately, last few years have seen dramatic decline (upward of 60%) in managed honeybee colonies, which is concerning for global food security and public health. Through this project, we aim to advance innovative, science-driven solutions to protect pollinators while supporting sustainable beekeeping and agriculture. The funded studies will focus on real-world field validation of the technology, including its effectiveness against Varroa infestations and its safety for managed honey bee colonies.
We are very grateful to NCInnovation for supporting our translational research that will help de-risk the technology and position us for future investment, company formation, and long-term agro-economic growth of North Carolina. Thanks to my collaborators, advisors and industry partners for supporting this critical work!

NCI News: https://www.ncinnovation.org/ncinnovation-approves-seven...

05/18/2026

Dr. Greg Kearney has been appointed by the Chancellor to serve a 4-year term as an alternate Faculty Marshall- this is a distinguished honor as a leader of the faculty for the institution and reflects years of committed and effective service. Congratulations!

05/18/2026

Dr. Lok Pokhrel has been awarded over $670,000 from NC Innovation for work over the next 2 years to mitigate mites in honey bee hives! This is a big next step in years of work and will fund a much larger trial of impactful work. Congratulations!

05/18/2026

Dr. Stephanie Pitts and colleagues, Drs. Kasprzak, Paluch, and Leone to examine associations between Veggie Meter-assessed skin carotenoids and various dietary indicators. The team found that skin carotenoids were inversely associated with food security and positively associated with diet quality in this diverse community-based sample. The paper can be accessed directly from the following link:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1499404626000758

05/08/2026

Today, the Department of Public Health (DPH) celebrated its Spring 2026 MPH graduates. Brody School of Medicine Executive Dean Dr. Jason Higginson and the Graduate School Dean Dr. Debra L. Jackson attended the ceremony, along with distinguished speaker Dr. Rachel Keever. Congratulations to all the students for their hard work, efforts and achievements, and big thanks to the DPH faculty for their teaching, supervision, and mentorship.

04/30/2026

Behavioral health access remains a challenge in many rural communities across Eastern North Carolina. In a new commentary for the Carolina Medical Journal’s Spring 2026 issue, our Healthier Lives School Telehealth group discusses how the Healthier Lives at School and Beyond program is using school-based telehealth to connect students with care.

Congratulations to the authors: Erika Taylor (Department of Family Medicine), Jill Jennings, Hannah Dail-Barnett, and Skip Cummings (Department of Public Health).

School partnerships and virtual care models can help reduce barriers and expand access for children, especially in rural areas where mental health providers can be harder to find.

Read the full commentary here: https://ncmedicaljournal.com/article/160640-bridging-the-gap-how-a-school-based-telehealth-program-is-expanding-mental-health-access-in-rural-eastern-north-carolina

04/28/2026

DrPH faculty Dr. Lok Pokhrel shared the following announcement:

I’m truly honored to share that I’ve been appointed as a Board Member and Secretary of the Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (SNO) for the 2026–2028 term.

My journey in sustainable nanotechnology has been shaped by a deep interest in understanding how emerging materials interact with the environment and human health. Over the years, my work has focused on advancing novel nano-based technologies following safer-by-design principle, their responsible use, and meaningful hazard and safety assessments—goals that strongly align with the mission of SNO to promote nano-innovation grounded in sustainability and environmental public health protection.

Equally important to me has been the opportunity to teach and mentor students, helping prepare the next generation of scientists and public health professionals to tackle complex environmental public health challenges.

I’m grateful for this opportunity to serve and to work alongside colleagues who are equally passionate about advancing sustainable nanotechnology. Looking forward to contributing to SNO’s mission in the coming years.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way!

04/23/2026

MPH graduate and alumna Caroline Basnight Collier ’18 was recognized Saturday night by the ECU Alumni Association as part of a new cohort of 40 Under Forty honorees, and it is incredibly exciting to see her outstanding impact celebrated! We hold immense pride in her success and the way she uses her ECU education to be an excellent rural public health practitioner. Congratulations, Caroline!

04/22/2026