As the Administrative Director of Student Affairs I oversee the employees and office environment for the Department of Health Sciences Office of Student Services. The Office of Student Services supports the members of the student body throughout their Health careers. All student-related issues funnel through this office, and most activities that involve students, including Orientation, Semester Welcome-Back Events, and Graduation are organized here. The Office of Student Services manages student data, supports clinical education, assists with course evaluations, and offers financial aid counseling. In addition to my supervisory duties, I help conduct student services for the Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science and other new programs when needed including admissions, registration, enrollment verification, and graduation.

My research initiative focuses on community-level testing and health approach to support equitable health outcomes in resource-limited communities. The start-up fund will support the generation of preliminary data from two approaches. The first assesses community health through microbiome profiling, aiming to identify microbial markers linked to health disparities and aging. The second investigates environmental exposure to heavy metals—an ongoing health disparity particularly affecting children in rural agricultural communities. This project seeks to understand the mechanisms by which co-exposure to heavy metals and parasitic infections contributes to chronic disease.

Dr. McAuliffe is a clinically focused faculty member who provides care to patients across the lifespan with complex orthopedic conditions at University Physical Therapy Durham. She specializes in the management of individuals on the hypermobility spectrum, using a pain mechanisms-based approach to treatment. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. McAuliffe serves as the course director for PHYT 734 – Musculoskeletal Interventions II and contributes to post-professional education through teaching and mentorship in the UNC Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program.

I teach in the diagnostic medical sonography track of the Radiologic Science degree. I also oversee the curriculum both didactic and clinical, adhering to accreditation standards.

Dr. Moon is a faculty member and Director of the Division of Clinical Laboratory Science, where she has taught and mentored students since 2002. She teaches and directs courses in Immunohematology and Research Methods and oversees the Immunohematology rotation, Education Practicum, and Capstone I and II. Her research interests include diagnostic testing for cystic fibrosis, immunohematology and transfusion medicine with a focus on ABO blood groups, lifespan studies, and massive transfusion protocols, as well as issues related to the CLS workforce and education. Dr. Moon actively contributes to faculty governance at the University and serves on several committees that support academic and institutional initiatives. In addition, she is an Associate Editor for the Clinical Laboratory Science journal, Secretary for the North Carolina Association of Blood Bankers, and Faculty Advisor and Intellectual Development Chair for the Epsilon Chi chapter of Alpha Chi Omega at UNC Chapel Hill.

Dr. Geist is a certified speech-language pathologist with an emphasis in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). She has worked in direct service, consultation, and product development, with her efforts concentrated on intervention approaches that target communication, language, and literacy outcomes for children and adults who cannot rely on speech alone to be heard and understood. Her research interests center on leveraging technology in the delivery of effective intervention. She is an investigator and director on multiple research projects, including Project Converse (PI), Building Bridges (co-PI), Project Open (co-PI) and Minimizing Text Complexity with AI (co-PI).

Karen Erickson, Ph.D. is the David E. and Dolores “Dee” Yoder Distinguished Professor of Literacy and Disability Studies in the Department of Health Sciences, School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Karen is also the Director of the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies and a Professor in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences. Karen is a former teacher of students with significant disabilities. Her current research addresses literacy and communication assessment and intervention for students with extensive support needs, as well as the supportiveness of augmentative and alternative communication in interaction. Recent projects have focused on creating open-source professional development and implementation supports such as those available in Project Core and Tar Heel Shared Reader.