Gillings School awards four individuals for health equity research

Last December, the Gillings School of Global Public Health announced the four recipients of their award for excellence in health equity research.

This year's recipients are Sarah Mills, Austin Waters, Fred Tusabe and Emile Charles. The award highlights their work in tackling systemic health inequities across diverse populations. 

“The research being conducted by each of the awardees embodies the school’s mission to eliminate health inequities across North Carolina and around the world,” Alexia Kelley, assistant dean for research at Gillings, wrote in the school’s press release. “We look forward to following their research careers and the positive impact they will have in the field of public health.”

In previous years, the award has been limited to faculty. This year, the school selected a faculty member, doctoral candidate, Master of Public Health student and undergraduate recipient.

Kelly said that for the first time, the award will feature a seminar showcasing the multiple researchers instead of a sole faculty recipient. The event will allow them to share their research and discuss the future of health equity.

“We wanted to highlight researchers at different stages of their careers to provide a broader perspective on the barriers and opportunities in health equity research,” she said. "Our seminar is going to feature all of our four winners, who come from different stages of their careers, with the idea of talking about their work in health equity research and also answering some questions about where they see the field going."

This year’s recipients further highlight the evolution of Gillings’ health equity focus, with research spanning tobacco policy, sanitation in Ugandan health care facilities and health outcomes for LGBTQ+ cancer survivors.

Mills is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Behavior at Gillings. She said her research focuses on how neighborhood environments and public policies influence racial and socioeconomic disparities in tobacco use and related diseases.

Mills' recent work has centered on menthol cigarette regulation, highlighting disproportionate use among Black and lower-income populations due to targeted marketing. The research, she said, revealed that the tobacco industry continues to market menthol cigarettes aggressively to these communities. 

Mills said she accredits a large part of receiving this honor to a great team of individuals that prioritize research around health equity and tobacco control.

Tusabe is a Master of Public Health candidate at Gillings. He said he has been conducting work in water sanitation, hygiene and infection prevention within Uganda's lower health care facilities for the past six years. These facilities, he said, serve as entry points for patients in the health care system. His main focus has been on improving sanitation and hygiene practices in these centers. 

Doctoral candidate Waters also obtained the honor through his work with LGBTQ+ cancer survivors and caregivers. 

Waters said that as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and someone who has been exposed to loved ones' experiences with cancer, he hopes to shine a light on these inequities by using scientific tools to address them through community and interventional systems.

Kelley said the award serves as a lens to view the school’s broader accomplishments in tackling health inequities through research. She pointed to past recipients, including Carmen Samuel-Hodge, who has integrated nutrition research with public health initiatives in state communities, as an example of research translating directly into real-world benefits.

“Receiving this type of award and recognition and visibility around [it] signals the importance of work in LGBTQ+ health that is largely understudied,” Waters said. “It's empowering to have a system and a fairly prestigious award be awarded for something that is often overlooked.”

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