Laura Merrell

Dr. Laura Merrell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Education and Promotion within the College of Health and Human Performance at East Carolina University. She maintains active memberships in the International Health Literacy Association, International Papillomavirus Society, Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health, American Public Health Association, and the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, with her work consistently focused on advancing health equity.

Her educational background:

• B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• MPH in Public Health from the University of South Florida
• Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of South Florida

Dr. Merrell's research centers on health literacy in sexual and reproductive health domains (including HPV vaccination, sexual health knowledge, and sexual assault prevention) and maternal health (examining health information seeking behaviors and factors influencing maternal mortality and morbidity), with health equity as a unifying framework to reduce health disparities across all her work.

Her recent scholarly output demonstrates engagement with contemporary digital health challenges, including a 2024 journal article analyzing online sexual health education for preservice teachers and conference presentations exploring pandemic impacts on HPV vaccination, algorithm-driven social media exposure to reproductive health content, and gender discrimination related to sexual assault experiences.

As principal investigator for the 2024 Engagement and Outreach Scholars Academy project funded by the ECU Office of Innovation and Engagement, she bridges academic research with community health initiatives. While specific student advisees aren't listed, her faculty role involves mentoring graduate students in health education and promotion within the Department of Health Education and Promotion.