Beaver College of Health Sciences

By Amanda Mlekush

Cole Gilbert, a spring 2025 graduate of the bachelor of science in Public Health program, says the opportunity to participate in research at App State proved to be the “most impactful decision of my undergraduate career.”

During his sophomore year, Gilbert began working as a research assistant for Dr. Martie Thompson, a Blue Cross NC distinguished/endowed professor of Public Health, on a National Institute of Health grant project. “I was eager to learn and contribute, and participating in research helped me discover a passion for public health,” Gilbert said.

During his senior year, Gilbert had gained enough experience to lead extensive research for his research honors thesis entitled “Learning Modalities During COVID-19 and Adolescent Mental Health in North Carolina,” with assistance from faculty mentors Thompson, Sophia Ryan (Geography and Planning) and Dr. Manan Roy (Health Care Management). 

According to Thompson, “Cole was eager to learn new research skills and was an excellent team player, collaborating on his recently published paper, and other grant-related work. It was very rewarding to help foster his growth as a public health researcher.”

His project was recently published in December in the Journal of School Health and utilized emergency department visit data with school learning modality and school district characteristics to demonstrate how social isolation and school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic had lasting mental health effects on youth and created a public health issue. Roy, who presented the paper at the Southern Economic Association Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida, said the research was well-received from attendees.

 

 

 

 

 

(Gilbert--center--is pictured at his commencement ceremony with his parents standing in front of the Appalachian State University monument sign)

“Student research at App State gave me the opportunity to grow as a scholar and helped create my current trajectory,” said Gilbert, who is enrolled in UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings’ Master of Public Health Applied Epidemiology program. “I’m building on the foundation I established at App State as I continue to explore other critical public health research topics.”

Tags: