Education

The education and training core aims to train and diversify the health disparities and public health workforce by:

  1. Providing a research-training pipeline program for health-disparities populations to increase their representation in graduate schools and careers in biomedicine and STEM
  2. Creating educational programs in health disparities for disparities-populations, community members, and healthcare providers to increase their knowledge of health disparities and skills in reducing those disparities
  3. Providing research training/mentoring program for minority faculty in disparities research

The CHD continues to support the Summer Biomedical Research Program, a 9-week research intensive program for undergraduates that provides the foundational skills needed to succeed as a graduate or professional student.  In 2023, the Center supported Mr. Aaron Stepp  who worked with Dr. Lauren Sastre (Nutrition, CAHS) and presented his health disparities research project at the final Poster Session: “Examining Racial/Ethnic Differences in Behavioral/Clinical Outcomes among Rural, Uninsured Patients from the Fresh Start Program.”

 

 

Center Research Assistants:

Ayobami Alimi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Nigeria, and a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. With over 5 years of experience in the engineering industry, Ayobami has successfully tackled complex engineering problems, showcasing his expertise in the field. Currently expanding his skill set, Ayobami is pursuing a Master’s degree in Data Science at ECU, where he is honing his abilities to leverage data-driven insights. Passionate about addressing intricate challenges, he aspires to bring innovative ideas to various industries through the power of data science. Ayobami is poised to contribute valuable insights and solutions, merging his engineering background with cutting-edge data science techniques.

Tyler West is a Senior at ECU graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a concentration in Community Health. He will be continuing his education starting Fall 2024 working towards obtaining a Master of Public Health at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health concentrating in Applied Epidemiology. With experience in data collection, qualitative analysis, and manuscript writing, he joins Team Cooke Bailey to aid in completing on-going research projects as well as improve his skills with quantitative data analysis. He plans to accomplish this through participating in chart reviews for an international glaucoma study. Passionate about Rural Eastern North Carolina health disparities, Tyler joins this team to be a positive force of change for his ECU community in discovering new ways of expanding care, finding results, and creating solutions.

Sandra Garcia Juarez holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health with a focus on Pre-Health Professions from East Carolina University. Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Public Health degree at the same institution, specializing in Community Health and Health Behaviors. Her academic pursuits align with her research interests, which include Health Promotion, Disease Prevention, and Community-Based Participatory Research.

Current Initiatives: