Sinan Sousan, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Sousan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health and a Research Faculty at the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute. His work is focused on personal, environmental, and occupational airborne exposures and their effects on public health and workers’ health. His goals are assessment, treatment, and control of environmental and occupational hazards. Specifically, aerosols and toxic airborne chemical hazards, physical hazards, noise, extreme temperatures, and biological hazards related to airborne pathogens.
Graduate Students
Crystal Dailey
DrPH
Crystal is a retired U.S. Navy Lt. Commander and Environmental Health Officer. She has led medical staff and coordinated disaster response/humanitarian assistance at global and national levels, and her goals are to complete the doctoral program and continue supporting and training the next generation of public health professionals throughout their career spectrum from postgraduate to executive.
Linda Sharpe
DrPH
Linda is from Pinetops, NC. She’s an Industrial Hygiene Officer in the U. S. Navy and is currently stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. She enjoys traveling, crafting and completing home DIY projects
Ashley Lewis
MPH
Ashley is a second-year graduate student at ECU. She chose to continue her education in public health to increase her knowledge of the evolving field and make meaningful contributions to the communities she serves through health education, environmental research, and advocacy of legislative change to address health equity. Her favorite hobbies are singing and nature walks.
Austin Close
MPH
Austin is a second-year graduate student at ECU, concentrating in epidemiology. He chose to continue his education in public health to contribute to improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations. He hopes to utilize environmental research and data analysis to address chronic disease in populations with prominent health inequities. Outside of public health, his hobbies include hiking, traveling, and watching sports.
Nicole Bertges
MPH
Nicole is a public health graduate student at ECU and has been teaching science in NC for 15 years. She chose to study public health and epidemiology to contribute to the field of environmental epidemiology and is interested in ensuring the safety of working and environmental conditions for the public. When she is not in class, she enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with her family.
Jane Ellen
MPH
Jane is from New Bern, NC. She graduated from East Carolina University with a B.S. in Public Health. She is a second-year graduate student at ECU’s Brody School of Medicine, completing her Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology. Her favorite hobbies are reading and exercising with friends.
Undergraduate Students
Neha Joseph
Health Services Management
Neha is a sophomore majoring in Biology with a concentration in Cell and Molecular Biology, minoring in Public Health. Neha’s goal is to attend medical school and become a physician. She chose to be a part of this research because it combines public health with her passion for healthcare. In her free time, Neha enjoys spending time in nature and baking.
Joanna Mathew
Public Health Studies
Joanna is a junior Honors College student majoring in Biology with a concentration in Cell and Molecular Biology on the Pre-Med track. Joanna is also a part of the Honors College Student Council and the Tri-Beta Biological Honors Society. In her free time, she enjoys creative endeavors such as painting and music. Joanna is incredibly excited to apply her research experience in the Aerosol lab to future patient interactions