Mission and Vision

Chair’s Welcome

On behalf of our faculty and staff, I would like to welcome you to the ECU Department of Public Health! We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with you as we strive to achieve our mission and vision to address health disparities in Eastern North Carolina through multi-disciplinary Public Health approaches. The evidence-based study and practice of Public Health have never been more important as our region, state, nation, and world face the combined crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. It is time to break down silos, build partnerships and forge alliances to address these challenges.

Eastern North Carolina has significant health burdens, especially in the rural, low-resource and racial and ethnic minority communities. Many of these issues are brought to light through environmental impacts in our region, such as natural disasters and climate change, and are impacted substantially by the social determinants of health. Addressing these health threats and the disparities that stem from them are the driving forces for our teaching, research and service.

Learning opportunities of the department include:

  • Three Certificate programs (two available completely online)
  • The Master of Public Health degree program with three concentrations (can be completed 100% online or in hybrid format – with several in-person, “face-to-face” courses and on-campus opportunities such as graduate assistantships, campus events and student organizations)
  • Two doctoral degrees: the DrPH programs in Health Policy, Administration, and Leadership and Environmental and Occupational Health.

    We are collaborative in our research and service and work with local, regional, state and national public health and health care agencies. We work closely with and are guided by a diverse group of Community Advisory Board members who lend their expertise to help us achieve our program goals.

    Please feel free to peruse our website and reach out to us if you have any questions or comments. We would love to hear from you!

    Suzanne Lazorick, MD, MPH
    Professor and Chair
    Department of Public Health
    Brody School of Medicine
    East Carolina University
    115 Heart Drive
    Greenville, NC 27834
    (252) 744-4065

    Mission

    The mission of the Department of Public Health is to educate, conduct research, provide service, and advocate for improved health of communities emphasizing rural and disadvantaged regions.

    The Department of Public Health attains its mission by reaching the following goals:

    1. Provide an educational program for current and future public health professionals responsive to meeting needs in a changing environment, including skills to work in rural and disadvantaged communities.
    2. Educate individuals to apply a collaborative approach of evidence-based prevention to address public health issues and manage programs in various settings.
    3. Increase the quality and quantity of funded public health-related research, including translational research projects that address established regional priorities.
    4. Advance the health of communities, particularly in ENC, through community engagement, leadership, advocacy and collaborative efforts with public health agencies and other entities.

    Vision

    Our vision is to be a national model for engaging with communities to address regional needs and rural health disparities.