OFALD Spotlight Archives
David A. Tulis, Ph.D., F.A.H.A.
Associate Professor, Department of Integrated Physiology and Metabolism
B.S., Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
M.S., Toxicology and Genetics, North Carolina State University
Ph.D., Cardiovascular Sciences, Easter Virginia Medical School & Old Dominion University
Post-doctoral Fellowships: Hematology and Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine; Biomedical Engineering, Rice University
F.A.H.A.: Fellow of the American Heart Association
Dr. Tulis’ research focuses on cellular, genetic, and molecular elements that serve as foundations for cardiac and vascular diseases with the hopes of identifying new targets for therapeutic intervention. Over his career, Dr. Tulis’ research has been widely supported and well received in the scientific community – as Principal Investigator, he has been awarded $4 million in grant funding to support his research efforts. Complementing his research interests, Dr. Tulis is widely engaged in teaching and mentoring high school, undergraduate, graduate, and medical students and basic science and clinical fellows. Dr. Tulis is happily married to Sylvia and is the proud father of four beautiful and amazing children.
Ryan Dickerson
M2, Brody School of Medicine
BS, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2021
Biology with a minor in Chemistry
Ryan Dickerson is a M2 Brody Scholar in the 2025 class at BSOM. Ryan has worked hard to elevate his peers through the creation of supplemental educational resources in the form of practice questions, recorded lectures, and mock practical exams. As a scholar in the Medical Education and Teaching Distinction Track, Ryan has recently founded a student-led organization called Student Collaborative Resources for Understanding and Brody Success (SCRUBS), in the hopes of building on the collaborative community of medical education to assist future cohorts in their journey through the didactic years.
As an M1 student, Ryan became a Peer Assisted Learning Session (PALS) facilitator for the Gross Anatomy course and now serves as a tutor for both Gross Anatomy and Medical Neuroscience for current M1 students. He had the opportunity to develop his teaching style while operating as a TA for the DPT and CRNA Gross Anatomy summer course in addition to working with the Brody Rise program to deliver interactive instruction to high school students interested in the medical field this past summer. Ryan is also an active member of the Health Science Leadership Council, Surgical Interest Group, and serves in a leadership role for the Emergency Medicine Interest Group.
In his free time, Ryan enjoys hiking, athletics, board games, and axe throwing.
Melissa Eakes
Director, BSOM Business and Administrative Affairs
BS, East Carolina University, 2008
Melissa Eakes joined the Brody School of Medicine in the Dean’s Office in 2018, after serving ten years on east campus. Now, with a recent promotion to the Director of Business and Administrative Affairs here at BSOM, Melissa strives to work on operational fundamentals and efficiencies. One of her additional duties is space management, a key part of which is to serve as an integral function of the planning of the new medical education building, set to open fall of 2027. She is currently earning her MBA with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and Business Development from University of North Carolina – Wilmington.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, experimenting with new recipes, and traveling. Fun note – Melissa is known for her homemade sweet potato country ham biscuits.
Manthi Dissanayake
M2, Brody School of Medicine
BA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2019
Global Studies- Global Health Concentration
Minor in Neuroscience
Manthi Dissanayake is an M2 student at the BSOM. She is a strong advocate for mentorship, guiding underrepresented undergraduate pre-med students on their journey to medical school as a Brody Ambassador. Manthi is also passionate about combating food insecurity in her community—a cause she has been active in since high school.As an NC Albert Schweitzer Fellow, Manthi developed and implemented a nutrition and cooking class series at the Pitt County Council on Aging; the classes address food insecurity amongst the older adult population in eastern NC by teaching participants how to cook nutritious, low-cost recipes and providing them with bags of food weekly.
Manthi is the co-founder of the “Food Is Medicine” club at BSOM and is working with her fellowship partner to increase nutrition education and service opportunities for Brody students.
In addition, Manthi is a champion for women’s health and advocates for the improvement of current practices through clinical research. Manthi started her role as an NTV FPMRS Research Intern at NYU Langone Health this summer and continues her work under the mentorship of Dr. Benjamin Brucker and Dr. Shavy Nagpal. She has collaborated on projects ranging from investigating non-hormonal solutions for treating GSM symptoms to leading the creation of a UTI management study. She also serves as Brody’s Obstetrics & Gynecology Interest Group President.
In her spare time, Manthi enjoys exploring the outdoors, testing new recipes, reading, singing, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Rachel Roper, PhD
Professor of Microbiology & Immunology
Adjunct Professor, Biology
Adjunct Professor, School of Dental Medicine
BS, Texas A&M University
MS, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry
PhD, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry
Dr. Roper is a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at East Carolina University (ECU) in the Brody School of Medicine. She received her B.S. from Texas A & M University and her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.
She was a recipient of the M.A. Hare Research Excellence Award at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and during her post-doctoral training at the National Institutes of Health Lab of Viral Disease, she was awarded the NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence.
Dr. Roper has studied poxvirus virulence genes, genomics, and vaccines, including oncolytic viruses, and her publications have been cited over 7,000 times. She has been funded by NIH, the NSF, and Foundations.
Dr. Roper is a member of the National Academy of Inventors, and Co-Chair of the Global Virus Network Monkeypox Task Force. She serves on the American Society for Microbiology Inclusive Diversity with Equity, Access, and Accountability (IDEAA) Committee of the Board and is an ECU Woman of Distinction. She has served on numerous national and international grant panels and editorial boards.
Mohammed Dorgham
PhD Candidate, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
Mohammed Dorgham is a PhD Candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Dr. Kyle Mansfield’s Lab. The Mansfield Lab focuses on Post Transcriptional Regulation and more specifically the modification known as M6A (N⁶-Methyladenosine).
Mohammed’s research concentrate on M6A’s role in the progression of Breast Cancer via the protein Methyltransferase 3 (METTL3). He has determined that depending on the stage of the Breast cancer, removing METTL3 and therefore removing M6A can have very different effects on the phenotype of the cancer.
The Mansfield Lab was awarded a grant from the American Cancer Society for his project. He hopes to alleviate the controversy in the field in regard to M6A being shown to both suppress and promote different cancers.
When Mohammed is not in the lab, he volunteers with local youth groups at the Mosque in Greenville, North Carolina. He also is a tutor in Chemistry and Biochemistry both locally and nationally that includes in person as well as remote tutoring. He has been tutoring for several years and has a passion for teaching especially students that are underprivileged and disadvantaged.In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, his family, and his friends. He likes to travel, play/watch sports as well as go camping. He has visited over 15 different countries and 25 different states and hopes to visit even more in the future.
Jonathon P. Sweetin
BFA – Art Education
MS in Ed. – Instructional Technology
Jon Sweetin is the Curriculum Administration Manager and project lead of the Elentra application implementation here at BSOM. Prior to joining the Office of Medical Education, Jon worked for the North Carolina Community College System Office where he managed the state-wide learning objects repository application for 7 years. He worked as the Director of Distance Education at Pitt Community College before moving to the NCCC System Office for 5 years. He began his career working as an instructional technologist in the Business Solutions Division of the American Red Cross’s headquarters in Washington DC. In 2001, while working at the Red Cross, he was enlisted as a first responder to the events of 9-11 in NYC. Jon was a Division I student athlete and accomplished artist in his years at Southern Illinois University. Jon and his wife Ann Marie live in Winterville, NC with their two boys Jackson, and Wilson.
Karen Litwa, PhD
Karen Litwa, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology
B.S., Grove City College
Ph.D., Emory University
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Virginia School of Medicine
Dr. Karen Litwa, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, is the first BSOM faculty member to receive the CAREER award that exceeded $1 million total. The CAREER award is the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious and competitive award for junior, pre-tenure, faculty, supporting excellence in research and teaching. This 5-year award will support cutting-edge research on how synapses form in the developing brain, as well as scientific outreach and educational activities, including the development of an undergraduate microscopy course.
Emmalee Todd
BSOM M3
BS, Northeastern University, 2018
Behavioral Neuroscience
Minor in Spanish
Emmalee Todd is currently an M3. They are the M3 Medical Student Council (MSC) diversity representative and the 2022-2023 MSC vice chair, as well as a member of the Student Wellness workgroup for the Executive Curriculum Committee. In the past, they served as the 2021 NCAFCC chair and data manager for the Greenville Community Shelter Clinic, and co-led Peer-Assisted Study Sessions for the M1 neuroanatomy course. They are as yet undecided on a specialty but are determined to remain involved in advocacy and medical education in whatever field they pursue.
In Emmalee’s free time, they enjoy singing with the Greenville Choral Society, wheel-throwing pottery at the Greenville Arts and Crafts Center, volunteering with first-aid teams for events across the state such as the NC State Fair and Umstead 100 ultramarathon, gardening, cooking, and reading.
Srinivas Sriramula, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine Education
PhD, School of Veterinary Medicine: Louisiana State University
Postdoctoral Fellow: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
Dr. Sriramula’s research is focused on identifying brain inflammation mediated novel signaling mechanisms in regulation of blood pressure. His research work has made major discoveries in the hypertension and neuroinflammation research area and is expected to continue as he has forged many collaborations at ECU. His current research is supported by NIH R01 for the expected award of $1.8 million over 5 years. He has published more than 35 peer-reviewed journal articles in high impact journals. He is also co-director of the Summer Biomedical Research Program, which provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to engage in basic science research.
Dr. Sriramula is a strong advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and has been very active in mentoring graduate, medical, and undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds. He is actively involved in teaching medical, dental, graduate, and undergraduate students.
Dr. Sriramula is trained as a veterinary doctor in India. He enjoys cooking biryani in his leisure time.