2020: YEAR IN REVIEW

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Doctors at Brody School of Medicine and Vidant Medical Center were the first in North Carolina to perform a new radiation therapy procedure that is giving hope to patients with recurrent brain tumors.

COVID-19 brought uncharted territory, but the Division of Health Sciences has held steady — with health care professionals  conducting clinical trials, providing expert guidance and helping the community.

Paige Winter, a teenage shark attack victim treated at Vidant Medical Center by Brody School of Medicine doctors, continues her recovery. ABC News premiered a Robin Roberts special on Winter in September.

A Brody School of Medicine faculty member was awarded a patent for his novel treatment method for Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), which could lead to more effective care over a longer period of time for patients.

Baseball pitchers aim to throw hard and strike out batters. ECU doctoral candidate in bioenergetics and exercise science Christopher Curran hopes his research will lead to fewer injuries and better performance in baseball.

Historians have long speculated Blackbeard may have intentionally run the Queen Anne’s Revenge aground off the N.C. coast in 1718. New research from maritime studies employee and alum Jeremy Borrelli supports this theory.

A team of Pirate researchers found ECU has an annual economic impact across the state that exceeds more than $2.5 billion and supports more than 27,000 jobs, with nearly 96% of those jobs concentrated in eastern N.C.

ECU scientists who investigated the microbial inhabitants of a WWII shipwreck in shallow waters off the N.C. coast identified thousands of different species of bacteria and had their findings published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.

A $3.1 million HRSA grant — one of the largest in School of Dental Medicine history — will help  enhance resident training in the care of patients with special needs in eastern N.C. and across the state.

ECU’s fourth annual Pirate Nation Gives fundraising day on June 24 raised more than $3.1 million, surpassing last year’s amount of $805,000 and exceeding its initial goal of $1 million.

The ECU School of Dental Medicine received a $3.2 million grant to continue funding scholarships for economically disadvantaged students over the next five years.

The College of Education received a $3.7 million grant from UNC System’s N.C. Principal Fellows program to establish the PIRATE Leadership Academy for principal preparation to serve eastern N.C.

Grady-White Boats committed to the largest donation in ECU Athletics and Pirate Club history. In recognition of this gift, the athletics complex is now the Grady-White Boats Athletic Campus.

ECU’s ongoing efforts to address gender inequality have received a major boost in the form of a three-year, $1 million — well, $999,074 — grant from the National Science Foundation.

Aleshia Hunt received the 2020 John R. Larkins Award, which recognizes a state employee’s commitment to justice and equality in the workplace and in the community.

The UNC Board of Governors named Dr. William Allen, associate professor of organic chemistry, as ECU’s 2020 recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award, which includes a $12,500 stipend.

Dr. Allison Danell, professor of chemistry, was named dean of the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences by the ECU Board of Trustees and the UNC Board of Governors.

Occupational therapy professor Anne Dickerson received the 2020 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service for creating a driving boot camp for young adults with autism.

What if the ‘Lost Colony’ was never actually lost? National Geographic interviewed Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences’ Dr. Charles Ewen about the centuries-old question of what happened to the missing settlers of Roanoke on the coast of modern N.C.

As the Return of Pirate Nation began, some staff never left and paved the way for students and faculty to get back to campus. Projects included the fabrication of about 500 stands for sanitizing wipes that were used to clean surfaces in classrooms and labs.

ECU student Luke Haithcock turned a rare cancer diagnosis and his treatment by a team of ECU and Vidant Health doctors into inspiration for others.

Business management major Emma O’Brien conducted research on barriers to sports participation and found several reasons why many youth aren’t involved.

Mary Ellen Hunter, who had three heart surgeries before coming to ECU, founded Piratethon to raise funds for the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital.

Pirates stepped up to help in unique ways amid COVID-19, from making personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer to training health care workers.

Alumnus Joe Strechay, who lost most of his eyesight to a congenital condition, implemented the realistic, on-camera techniques used by actors in the Apple TV+ fantasy series “See.”

Alumnus Terry Kingery has been collecting rare books for 40 years. He decided to donate his extensive collection, which includes many classic volumes from the mid-1800s, to Joyner Library.

U.S. News & World Report listed ECU’s master’s programs in business, criminal justice, education and nursing among the nation’s best.

ECU graduate programs in allied health sciences, education, fine arts, medicine, nursing and public administration received recognition.

Students gave ECU high marks in the 2021 edition of the 386 Best Colleges, an annual guidebook published by educational services company The Princeton Review.

U.S. News & World Report named ECU a top performer in social mobility and one of the top five nationally ranked public universities in North Carolina.