Ayse Ercumen

Bio

Dr. Ayse Ercumen is an epidemiologist in NC State’s Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. Her research focuses on potable and recreational water quality, the spread of diarrhea and soil-transmitted infections in low income regions, health impact assessments for WaSH projects, waterborne infections, and pathogen transmission risk through piped systems. Dr. Ercumen has led a variety of research projects using large-scale health impact assessments, cohort studies, and randomized controlled trials.

Degrees: B.S. in Environmental Engineering from MIT, MS in Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley, and an MPH and PhD in Epidemiology from UC Berkeley.
Interesting Fact: Her research combines tools from multiple disciplines to study environmental transmission of infectious disease and evaluate interventions to improve child health.

Research Impact Dashboard

Publications

• Associations between floor material and E. coli contamination in rural Bangladeshi households , INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYGIENE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH (2025)
• Dirt Floors and Domestic Animals Are Associated with Soilborne Exposure to Antimicrobial-Resistant E. coli in Rural Bangladeshi Households , (2025)
• Effects of household concrete floors on maternal and child health: the CRADLE trial - a randomised controlled trial protocol , BMJ OPEN (2025)
• Examining the effect of neighborhood sanitation coverage on childhood diarrheal disease in rural Bangladesh , (2025)
• Flooding and elevated prenatal depression in rural Bangladesh: A mixed methods study , PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH (2025)
• Health Trade-Offs of Boiling Drinking Water with Solid Fuels: A Modeling Study , ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES (2025)
• Pathways through which water, sanitation, hygiene, and nutrition interventions reduce antibiotic use in young children: a mediation analysis of a cohort nested within a cluster-randomized trial , ECLINICALMEDICINE (2025)
• Potential pathogens and antimicrobial resistance genes in household environments: a study of soil floors and cow dung in rural Bangladesh , APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY (2025)
• Public Opinions from Malawian and Malawi Refugee Camp Residents of Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance , AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE (2025)
• Rainfall and temperature influence effectiveness of on-site sanitation intervention against E. coli contamination in Bangladeshi households , (2025)