COVID-19 Project Index
Pirates across a variety of disciplines at East Carolina University are using their expertise to address the spread, care and education surrounding the global COVID-19 pandemic. ECU’s Division of Research, Economic Development and Engagement has created the following COVID-19 Project Index to increase campus and community awareness, and foster collaboration, among Pirates studying the coronavirus. The following projects are in various stages of development and projects will be added to the index as they are shared with REDE. Opportunities to collaborate and other needed resources are noted below, so there are opportunities to join existing projects or to submit new projects to the index. Submit your project to REDE by email.
PI/PD: Ramiro M. Murata
Dept/Unit: Foundational Sciences, School of Dental Medicine
Title: Effect of intrinsic host restrictions factors on SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis
Description: This project is aimed at determining the host regulation and cell-signaling pathways relevant to interferon-dependent host restrictions factors to SARS-CoV-2.
Resources Needed: Team expansion and funding
PI/PD: Erol Ozan
Dept/Unit: Technology Systems, College of Engineering and Technology
Title: AI- and smartphone-based system to monitor the COVID-19 patients remotely
Description: This project aims at developing an envisioned system that monitors the well-being of COVID-19 patients remotely by collecting and processing a variety of data through the use of smartphone sensors and processing said data via the use of AI-based algorithms. The AI-based software processes the behavioral data using smartphone sensors and the manual user input to evaluate the following attributes: patients’ acuity, respiratory flow rate, fever, blood pressure, and pulse oximetry. The system will be comprised of a mobile app that will be installed on patients’ smartphones and it will require minimal learning curve to be used by the patients. The system will be particularly useful for elderly patients who live alone and who need to be monitored remotely.
Resources Needed: Team expansion and funding
PI/PD: Josh Wilson
Dept/Unit: Information Technology and Computing Services (ITCS)
Title: 3D-Printed Face Shields
Description: This projects includes the 3D printing of face shields from home for Vidant and various smaller local organizations. Interested parties can sign up to receive face shields completely free.
Resources Needed: Team expansion
PI/PD: Robert LaGesse
Dept/Unit: ECU Physicians Administration, Brody School of Medicine
Title: Virtual Clinical Visits for patients both with COVID 19 and those without
Description: This project aims to reduce patient and staff risk by providing a method to clinically evaluate patients either by Video Visit, Telephone, or EVisits (similar to email). The objective is to continue to meet patient care needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Resources Needed: Funding
PI/PD: Wayne Godwin
Dept/Unit: Innovation Design Lab, Honors College
Title: Research and Development of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Description: This project, which includes a team of ECU faculty, staff, and students from the Honors College, School of Art & Design, College of Engineering and Technology, and the Brody School of Medicine, in partnership with Vidant Health, aims at exploring and refining design options for face shields, face masks, mask extenders and nasal passage swabs in response to shortages in personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 epidemic. The process involves multiple design iterations followed by testing from health care providers and environmental health and safety experts. Designs are shared with local industry for production and distribution to the regional COVID-19 response network.
PI/PD: Kay Faldet
Dept/Unit: Service/Student
Title: ECU Student Leads Local Chapter of Face Mask Warriors
Description: This project aims to increase the number of PPE equipment across the country. Kay Faldet is one of 15,000 volunteers across the country making and donating personal protective equipment (PPE). Faldet has been working with sewers in the Greenville area to make and drop off masks at Vidant Health to be distributed. All masks are free, but Faldet accepts donations to cover the cost of the sewing materials.
PI/PD: David Collier and Todd Jackson
Dept/Unit: Brody School of Medicine, ECU Physicians Pharmacy and 1000 Piers Distillery
Title: ECU Faculty and Community Partners Team up to Create Sanitizer
Description: This project aims, which includes a team of ECU faculty, staff, and community members, aims to provide a solution to the shortage of hand sanitizer in the area. They combined their individual resources and knowledge to meet the needs of the region.
Dept/Unit: Brody School of Medicine
Title: Brody School of Medicine Provides Refresher Course on How to Properly Wear Safety Gear
Description: This project, led by Brody’s Interprofessional Clinical Simulation Program and ECU Emergency Medicine, offered a personal protective equipment (PPE) training seminar. This training offered clinical faculty and Vidant residents a refresher on how to properly wear PPE.
PI/PD: Rachel Roper
Dept/Unit: Microbiology & Immunology, Brody School of Medicine
Title: SARS CoV-2 COVID19 Vaccine in an Enhanced Poxvirus Platform
Description: This project aims to develop an improved virally vectored vaccine for SARS CoV-2. Previous vaccine trials with SARS CoV showed B and T lymphocyte immune responses to the SARS virus vaccines, but not with adequate protection. An improved viral vaccine platform has been patented and will employ additional SARS CoV-2 protein targets to increase vaccine efficacy. In addition, the project team is collaborating on SARS COVID19 diagnostics.
PI/PD: Aaron Kipp
Dept/Unit: Public Health, Brody School of Medicine
Title: Pitt County Community Prevention and COVID-19 Testing Study
Description: A team of ECU public health experts are part of a statewide partnership on a project that will explore the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic on North Carolina. Based in ECU’s Brody School of Medicine and the College of Nursing, the researchers join others from UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University and the N.C. Division of Public Health. Participants will be studied for at least six months so that researchers can record and analyze how coronavirus exposure and infection shifts.
PI/PD: Ali Vahdati
Dept/Unit: Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology
Title: RAPID: A Computational Model for Multiscale Investigation of Regional Lung Dynamics
Description: This NSF RAPID research proposal focuses on developing computer modeling of COVID-19 patients’ lungs based on CT images.
PI/PD: Lok Pokhrel
Dept/Unit: Public Health, Brody School of Medicine
Title: Nanotechnology-based composition effective against SARS-CoVD2 and other pathogenic microbial agents
Description: This project will explore treatment options for SARS-CoV2 and other pathogenic microbial infections using nanoparticle-infused compositions.
PI/PD: Cedron Williams
Dept/Unit: Office of Clinical Trials, Brody School of Medicine
Title: Method of preventing or treating corona virus infection using a serpin protein
Description: This project will explore prevention and treatment options for coronavirus infection using a serpin protein.
PI/PD: Mark Mannie
Dept/Unit: Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine
Title: Fusion protein approach for treatment of SARS-CoV2
Description: This project will explore treatment options for SARS-CoV2 using fusion proteins.
PI/PD: Todd Watkins
Co-PIs/PDs: Ramiro Murata and Rachel Roper
Dept/Unit: School of Dental Medicine; Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine
Title: Oral biome research and development for the study of COVID and other viral and bacterial diseases
Description: This project establishes an oral biome research and development program in collaboration with the Medical College of South Carolina and develops a big data analytics registry to assess biome reaction to COVID-19 and other viral and bacterial diseases in collaboration with industry partners.
Social & Behavioral Research and Application
PI/PD: Sydney Pons
Dept/Unit: Hospitality Leadership, College of Business
Title: Radical innovative restaurant management: Radical changes to effectively survive COVID-19
Description: This project aims to showcase high-stress management techniques that foster employee growth and welfare while considering stakeholder bottom line. A class paper requirement has turned into a qualitative research study of employees, managers and owners across the hospitality industry of “How is COVID-19 impacting your job?” The sample snowballed to a focalized interview with a local restaurant owner/operator in a mid-size town in eastern North Carolina and one of his managers. Through the interviews, thematic elements of management arose. With uncertain times, the restaurant industry has had to assimilate fast and implement innovative sales and marketing strategies.
Resources Needed: Team expansion and funding
PI/PD: Christyn Dolbier
Dept/Unit: Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
Title: College student stress and coping project
Description: This study aims to comprehensively assess stress and coping in college students. College students face a plethora of demands leading to stressors in a variety of domains in life such as academics, relationships, and finances. It is well documented that stress has a multitude of negative effects on physical and psychological well-being. The coronavirus situation has introduced new and unstudied stressors. The primary aims of the study are to identify key stressors and coping strategies, including those specific to the coronavirus situation, and how those relate to symptoms of psychopathology (depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder). Up to 1,000 ECU college students are expected to participate in the study.
Resources Needed: Team expansion and funding
PI/PD: Sheena M. Eagan
Dept/Unit: Bioethics and Interdisciplinary Studies, Brody School of Medicine
Title: #IwillOvercomeCOVID19
Description: The “#IwillovercomeCOVID19” project aims to provide a way to humanize the pandemic by combating social isolation by building community and understanding during these uncertain times. This project seeks to create community and foster positivity through various social media platforms by posting and adding to the story by using the hashtag “#IwillovercomeCOVID19.” The project enables our community (locally, nationally and internationally) to share quotes, photo, or videos that show how they will overcome COVID-19. Participants are encouraged to read posts, enjoy videos and images, share with friends, and make this positivity a part of social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Resources Needed: Funding
PI/PD: Molly Jacobs
Co-Investigators: Ashley Burch, Ph.D., and Damon Rappleyea, Ph.D.
Dept/Unit: Health Services and Information Management, Allied Health Sciences
Title: Clinic transition to telehealth in response to COVID-19
Description: The proposed study aims to investigate the challenges by the ECU Family Therapy Clinic and its clients during the COD-19 pandemic that received teleheath services. The ECU Family Therapy Clinic provides an opportunity for graduate students to deliver therapeutic services to families, couples and individuals at ECU and the surrounding communities. By offering direct services to the public, the clinic helps to bridge the gap between theory and practice and provides a unique service to the Greenville community and surrounding areas. Due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, program leaders in the ECU Family Therapy Clinic began developing a telehealth protocol, enabling them to continue to train masters and doctoral student therapists and meet the mental health needs of the local community. The transition to telehealth has not been without its challenges. This study will collect information on general anxiety, comfort level with technology, anxiety around mental health treatment via telehealth, and acceptance of telehealth.
Resources Needed: Funding
PI/PD: Samuel Sears
Dept/Unit: Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
Title: Comparisons between China and USA sample on psychological and behavioral responses to COVID-19
Description: This study aims to examine the psychological impact of COVID-19 on a general U.S. population. Researchers from China have published specific base rates associated with psychological distress and behavioral dysfunction following the initial quarantine procedures for China. Wang et al., 2020, indicated that 53.8% of respondents rated the psychological impact of the outbreak is moderate to severe. Using standardized measures of depression and anxiety in a snowball sample of the Chinese general population (N=1210), researchers identified 16.5% were experiencing moderate to severe depression and 28.8% were experiencing moderate to severe anxiety symptoms. From a behavioral perspective, data indicated that the quarantine procedures resulted in most respondents (84.7%) spending 20 to 24 hours per day at home. Respondents were worried about family members contracting COVID (75%). No similar research studies are available on the psychological impact of COVID on the United States population. Behavioral sampling will also be employed such that self-care behaviors and stress management behaviors will also be examined.
Resources Needed: Funding
PI/PD: Rashmita Basu
Dept/Unit: Public Health, Brody School of Medicine
Title: Racial disparities in access to COVID-19 testing and effects of social distancing on mortality
Description: This project aims to examine the disparities, if any, in access to COVID-19 testing and factors that are responsible for higher mortality among men than women by COVID-19. Disparities in social determinants of health, risk factors, the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, and access to health services among Black population are well documented in the U.S. It has been observed that people with pre-existing chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, are more likely to get infected with COVID-19 than those who don’t have these underlying health conditions. Therefore, it is presumptive to say that Black people should receive priority to get tested due to limited testing nationwide.
Resources Needed: Team expansion and funding
PI: Carol A. Johnston
Dept/Unit: Human Development & Family Science, HHP
Co-Investigators: Kate Taylor Harcourt-Medina and Eboni Baugh, Human Development and Family Science, ECU; Shannon Weaver, University of Connecticut; and Nicole Perry, University of Texas at Austin
Title: Coping and coparenting during COVID-19
Description: This multi-institutional collaboration will examine how parents are managing to work from home, helping children with schoolwork, and engaging meaningfully with one another during this unique time. Specifically, the project will explore how these contexts are differentially experienced for multiple family structures. For example, how are bi-nuclear households (families where children’s biological parents live in separate households) managing the stay-at-home orders and their custody/visitation agreements? Does this cause more or less stress in other areas such as work and intimate relationships? Further, how are children managing their changing context and how are children in different family structures reacting differently?
Educational Research & Practice
PI/PD: Leonard Annetta
Dept/Unit: Mathematics, Science, and Instructional Technology Education, College of Education
Title: Investigating K12 teacher LMS use and stressors during a global pandemic
Description: This project aims at examining the types of learning management systems (LMS) used by teachers during the COVID-10 pandemic. Through a national survey, the project has solicited feedback from K-12 teachers asking them what LMS they use to teach online, why they use that platform, and what is concerning them about teaching online when they might have never done it before.
Resources Needed: Funding
PI/PD: David Creech
Dept/Unit: Academic Technologies, Information Technology and Computing Services (ITCS)
Title: Increase virtual desktop and application availability in the Virtual Computing Lab (VCL)
Description: This project aims to increase the capacity of ECU’s Virtual Computing Lab (VCL) so that it can add additional virtual desktops and applications to support the increased demand due to distance learning.
PI/PD: Todd B. Finley
Dept/Unit: Literacy Studies, English Education, and History Education, College of Education
Title: Brain blast teaching strategies infographics
Description: This project aims to develop an infographic teaching solutions for K12 teachers.
Resources Needed: Funding
PI/PD: Christine Gustafson
Dept/Unit: Instrumental/School of Music, Fine Arts and Communication
Title: Performance with World-Wide Virtual Flute Orchestra Project
Description: This project aims to share a virtual performance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Together with the support of the National Flute Association, 93 flutists from 11 different countries have each recorded their parts to “Prayer,” composed and orchestrated by Amanda Harberg, directed online by distinguished conductor JoAnn Falletta, and coordinated through Commongood Productions.
Resources Needed: Funding
PI/PD: Rhonda Kenny
Dept/Unit: Kinesiology, Health and Human Performance
Title: Online internship in health fitness specialist
Description: This project aims to develop several online internships for students who are interning this summer for the Health Fitness Specialist degree program. One intern will design a strength and conditioning program for a group of firefighters in his local community. Using ECU’s new Canvas Studio features and WebEx, the intern will conduct fitness assessments, design individualized fitness programming, implement the program with videotaped workouts, asses the program by having participants videotape their workouts, and use WebEx to communicate each week with participants. Even though each firefighter will have individualized (personal) training, the intern will use features on Canvas to have the group interact virtually.
PI/PD: Andrea Kitta
Dept/Unit: English, College of Arts and Sciences
Title: COVID-19 legends, rumors, memes, and other forms of folklore
Description: Anticipated research and course topic
Resources Needed: Team expansion
Epidemiological
PI/PD: Dr. Ogugua Ndili Obi
Dept/Unit: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Brody School of Medicine
Title: COVID-19 database
Description: This project aims to create a database of all the patients with COVID-19 admitted to the Medical Intensive Care Unit and Medical Intermediate Care Unit at Vidant Medical Center (VMC).
Resources Needed: Team expansion and funding
PI/PD: Laila Zomorodian
Dept/Unit: Surgery, Brody School of Medicine
Title: COVID-19 patient registries and study participation
Description: This project aims to create a Vidant-wide registry of all COVID-19 patients and also hopes to participate in two different multi-institutional international studies/registries: COVIDSurg and VIRUS.
Resources Needed: Team expansion and funding
PI/PD: Tom Robbins
Dept/Unit: Marketing and Supply Chain, College of Business
Title: Real time tracking of a global pandemic: Data issues and implications
Description: This project aims to provide an analysis of the issues related to data quality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
PI/PD: Peter Schmidt
Dept/Unit: Biochemistry, Brody School of Medicine
Title: Epidemiological analysis and predictive modeling of the COVID-19 pandemic in ENC
Description: This project, in partnership with Vidant Health, aims to analyze data on the COVID-19 pandemic and create projections to help inform resource allocation and understand the impact of the pandemic.
Business
PI/PD: Ariana Billingsley
Dept/Unit: Small Business Technology Development Center at ECU (SBTDC)
Title: Individual Virtual Town Hall Sessions Supporting Regional Small Businesses in Response to COVID-19
Description: The SBTDC at ECU continues to offer valuable services and resources in a virtual environment to small businesses throughout eastern North Carolina. Individual online services include help with money, people, business assistance and available resources. In addition, they are offering weekly virtual town hall meetings to discuss specific issues currently facing small businesses.
