Lauren Sprouse

Lauren Sprouse is a first year PhD student in the UNC Gillings Department of Environmental Science & Engineering. She received her Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health in May 2022 with a concentration in Environmental Health Solutions. Her dedication to safe, affordable, and reliable drinking water and sanitation access — both in the U.S. and globally — is evident through her multiple research experiences and professional work. As an undergraduate, Lauren conducted honors research on disinfection byproduct formation in North Carolina drinking water, and her MPH practicum focused on the need for sanitation hardware and behavior-change interventions to improve child feces disposal practices in the Global South. Lauren is a science writer and communications specialist supporting multiple programs at the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS), where she specializes in scientific research, writing, and editing to create newsletters, academic and plain-language articles, presentations, and data visualizations. With experience in consulting and non-profit work, Lauren maintains a passion for environmental justice and health equity through evidence-based research and community engagement practices.