February 2026 Newsletter
Message from Dean Orlikoff
Over the past six decades, the College of Allied Health Sciences has impacted our community by advancing medical care, supporting initiatives to prevent injury and the development of chronic illness, providing life-enhancing therapy and rehabilitative services, and preparing generations of healthcare professionals. As ECU’s 10th Annual Pirate Nation Gives approaches, it is a great time to recognize that a lot of our success has been facilitated by the generosity of our donors, which include a great number of our faculty and staff. As our strongest allies, together we have fueled the research, outreach, and student outcomes that change lives.
Again this year, Pirate Nation Gives will include the Dean’s Challenge. That is, during Pirate Nation Gives, an extra $500 will be contributed to the priority fund of a CAHS department that claims the largest number of contributing donors and another $500 to the CAHS department that raises the greatest amount. So mark your calendars—March 4th is the day!
Arrg you ready? 10th annual Pirate Nation Gives
The 10th annual Pirate Nation Gives is on Wednesday, March 4. This 24‑hour celebration of giving highlights the strength of Pirate Nation and our shared commitment to our students and the health and well-being of our communities across North Carolina.
Dean Orlikoff challenges you to build on your impact. By making a gift to the department you care about most, you can help unlock an additional $500 to be used for students, scholarship and faculty development.
On March 4 choose the area you wish to support:
- Addictions and Rehabilitation Studies
- Occupational Therapy
- Clinical Laboratory Science
- College of Allied Health Sciences
- Communication Sciences & Disorders
- Health Services and Information Management
- Nutrition Science
- Physical Therapy
- Physical Assistant Studies
- Physician Assistant Studies White Coat
The department with the most gifts and the department with the most money raised will receive an additional $500. Your participation — at any level — enables us to unlock these opportunities and create new ones for our students and graduates to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
Join us on March 4 and together, we will make this our strongest Pirate Nation Gives yet. Would you rather not wait until March 4? You can make your gift today by clicking here.
Abby Croom, Faculty Leadership Fellows
Faculty from several disciplines gathered in January to kick off the Spring 2026 Faculty Leadership Fellows program. Supported by the ECU Truist Leadership Center, and coordinated by Marina Alexander (College of Health and Human Performance), this intensive semester-long program provides the opportunity for faculty to work together in small teams to explore and integrate principles of student leadership skill development in a selected course.
Faculty selected for the program include: Navid Bargrizan (College of Fine Arts and Communication), Abigail Croom (College of Allied Health Sciences), Danielle Dietz (College of Education), Yusef Ewais (College of Business), Jerry Gao (College of Engineering and Technology), Devlyn McCreight (College of Education), Carla Pastor (Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences) and Morgan Rich (College of Fine Arts and Communication).
OT and SLP interprofessional education
Our 1st-year OT and SLP students came together on Wednesday for an enriching interprofessional education experience! 💜💛
ECU alumni Michelle Pinner (SLP) and Monica Powell (OT) shared their expertise on preschool services in the school system, including an introduction to the Transdisciplinary Play‑Based Assessment.
Students collaborated in a team‑building activity to identify the key characteristics of effective teamwork and then had the opportunity for hands‑on practice using the assessment with age‑appropriate toys.
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive—students loved hearing perspectives from another discipline and engaging with each other in meaningful, collaborative learning.
Together, we’re building stronger clinicians and stronger teams!
ECU PT attend American Physical Therapy Combined Sections Meeting in Anaheim, CA
APTA CSM, the largest scientific conference for physical therapists in the United States, was held in Anaheim, CA from February 11-15, 2026. The ECU Physical Therapy Department was well represented across the orthopedic, neurology, geriatric, pediatric, and education sections with 10 students presenting scholarly work, 9 faculty members contributing as authors, and recognitions highlighting research, leadership, and social responsibility.
CSM Highlights/Awards/Recognition:
APTA Catherine Worthingham Fellows CSM 2026 Student Scholarship *
Samantha Gaskins, Second-year DPT Student
APTA Orthopedics Foot and Ankle Special Interest Group 2nd Place Best Poster †
Project Title: Advanced Footwear Technology Effects on Patellofemoral Joint and Achilles Tendon Loads during Running
Authors: Caroline Pittman, Ankur Padhye, Ryan Wedge, Stacey Meardon, John Willson
APTA Academy of Leadership and Innovation Recognition for Social Responsibility Blue Ribbon ‡
Title: Translating the Secondary Prevention Model into Clinical Practice with an Individual with Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Samantha Morgan, Catherine McDowell, Chia-Cheng Lin, Amy Wedge
* The APTA Catherine Worthingham Fellows Student Scholarship is awarded to only 15 students nationwide in a highly competitive pool of more than 430 applicants. This prestigious scholarship recognizes physical therapy students who demonstrate exceptional leadership, meaningful community engagement, and a strong commitment to advancing the future of the profession. The APTA Catherine Worthingham Fellows are nationally recognized clinicians, researchers, educators and consultants who have helped to shape the PT profession. Recipients of this scholarship are identified as emerging leaders poised to make lasting contributions to the field.
† The APTA Orthopedics Foot and Ankle Special Interest Group Best Poster Award recognizes excellence in scholarly work that advances clinical practice, research, and education in foot and ankle rehabilitation. Posters are evaluated for scientific rigor, clinical relevance, innovation, and overall contribution to orthopedic physical therapy practice.
‡ The APTA Academy of Leadership and Innovation recognizes members for outstanding contributions to social responsibility through a rigorous review of more than 2,000 abstracts. Select presentations are distinguished with a Blue Ribbon for excellence in research, service, or advocacy related to social welfare. This recognition honors efforts to promote health, wellness, and equity with particular emphasis on improved societal welfare, increase social awareness, or addressing healthcare access.
Future Healthcare Professionals serving the community
Future Healthcare Executives (FHE) delivered donations to The Service League of Greenville Hospice House on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
Pictured: The Service League of Greenville Hospice House staff, Professor Kayla Sears, Jada Cowan, Eloise Griffiths, Will Soles, Emily Harouni, Adrianna Parrish.
Taking on the classroom and the court!
The weekend of February 20th, Katie Strickland (physical therapy), Lillian Fowler (nursing), and Caroline Williams (physical therapy) traveled to Mobile, Alabama with the ECU Club tennis team to compete. The students had a great time representing ECU and playing competitive tennis. While they didn’t earn a big for the final championship they hope to return next year with more experience.
CSDI Collaboration in Action
Research Collision Event
On Thursday, February 26th, members of the College of Health and Human Performance and the College of Allied Health Sciences got together for a Research Collision Event. Dr. Bhibha M. Das, Dr. Leigh Atherton, Dr. Ashley Burch, Dr. Leslie Cofie, Dr. Abby Schwartz, and Dr. Kathrin Rothermich all shared information regarding their research through a panel discussion. There was also an opportunity to network.
Holly Batt, ECU Health Foundation and nutrition alumnus, recently published an article in nutrients. The article is an open-access review exploring how sulforaphane, a bioactive compound (e.g., phytochemicals) found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, may support brain health across the life and healthspan. We discuss how it influences oxidative stress and inflammation (processes that, when chronic, can damage brain cells and contribute to cognitive decline and neurological disease), as well as mitochondrial function, which is essential for brain energy metabolism. The review also examines emerging research on its potential relevance for neurodevelopmental conditions and psychiatric and age-related neurodegenerative disorders.
Baybutt, R. (faculty) and Stafford, S. (graduate student) published another article in the Journal of Nutritional Science. To our knowledge, this is the first report in a rat monocrotaline (MCT) model of lung injury and pulmonary hypertension, vitamin A (retinol) levels being decreased in the lungs while a compensatory increase in vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) occurred. This research is important because it showed that toxin-induced oxidative stress decreased lung retinol, suggesting that antioxidant status in the lungs may determine the severity of MCT-induced lung inflammation and the lung’s capacity for cellular repair.
Brandon Jones, Academic Advisor, recently had two articles published. “Your Space Speaks First: Environmental Tools for Appreciative Advising” and “Making Space for Mentorship: How AI Frees Advisors for Deeper Connections”. He also recently presented at the ECU Student Success Conference.
Important Dates
February 28- PT the Pirate 5K
March 4th – 10th annual Pirate Nation Gives
March 4th – Last day to make schedule changes (add/drop) for the 2nd 8-week spring classes by 5:00 pm
March 8th – 15th – ☀️ECU Spring Break ☀️
March 26th- Last day to withdraw from spring (full semester) classes by 5:00 pm
March 27th – Registration begins at 1:00 pm fro Summer and Fall 2026
April 2nd – Last day to withdraw from 2nd 8-week spring classes by 5:00 pm
April 3rd- State Holiday (no school)
April 22nd – 2nd 8-week Spring classes end (There is no final exam period for 8-week classes the last day of class is your final.)
April 28th – Last day of Classes – State Holiday make up day; classes which would have met on Friday, April 3rd will met on this day
April 29th – Reading Day
April 30th – Final Exams Begin
May 7th – Final Exams end
May 8th – 🎓Commencement 🎓