Erin Mauck

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EDUCATION

EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
Doctor of Public Health, 2020 
Master of Arts and Sciences in Sociology, 2016 
Bachelor of Science in Sociology, 2014 

COURSES TAUGHT

RESEARCH FOCUS

My current research is focused on the importance of death, dying, and grief education in medical, pharmacy, and nursing schools, advance care planning, and meaning-making from grief. For fourteen years I have studied an often times avoided area, death and dying. These areas have included end-of-life healthcare, policy reform, physician-assisted death, and access to expanded end-of-life options for all. I have a broad background in public health, with specific training and expertise in numerous areas of end-of-life healthcare, advance care planning, and issues surrounding hospice care including barriers to, access of, and stigma.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Committee Member, College of Public Health Faculty Council, East Tennessee State University (2024 – Present)
• Faculty Senate Member, East Tennessee State University – Elected (2024 – Present)
• Faculty Senate Communications Committee, East Tennessee State University (2024 – Present)
• Committee Member, Association for Death Education and Counseling’s Finance Committee (2025 – Present)
• Co-Chair, Tennessee Public Health Association’s Aging Section (2023 – Present)

PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS

1. Mauck E. (March 2026). Exploring Death Topics One LEGO® at a Time: A Hands-On Tool for Reflection, Engagement, and Learning. Experiential Workshop presented at the Association for Death Education and Counseling Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD.
2. Mauck E. (Dec 2025). Making Meaning Out of Loss: A Public Health Perspective on Grief. Workshop presented at the Tennessee Department of Health’s Division of Family Health and Wellness Annual Meeting, Dec 5, 2025, Nashville, TN.
3. Mauck E. (Nov 2025). Making Meaning Out of Loss: A Public Health Perspective on Grief. Workshop presented at the Tennessee Department of Health’s Division of HIV, STD’s, and Viral Hepatitis Meeting, Nov 18, 2025, Nashville, TN.
4. Mauck E, Southerland JL. (Sept, 2025). Making Meaning out of Loss: A Public Health Perspective on Grief. Workshop presented at the Tennessee Public Health Association, Annual Educational Conference, Murfreesboro, TN.
5. Mauck E. (April 2025). Finding Meaning in Loss: From Grieving Daughter to College Professor. Personal Story presented at the Association for Death Education and Counseling Annual Conference, Albuquerque, NM.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

1. Rowe A, Mauck E, Dodson KB, Rogers P, Smith ML, Southerland JL. (2026). Exploring the issue of social isolation among older adults in Northeast Tennessee: A brief report. Health Behavior Research (accepted).  
2. Southerland JL, Zheng S, Dodson K*, Mauck E, Bacsu JDR, Brown MJ, Holloway J, Kim SM, Malatyali A, Smith ML. (2024). Social isolation and loneliness prevention among rural older adults aging-in-place: a needs assessment. Public Health Front – Sec. Aging and Public Health. Special Research Topic: International Perspectives on Older Adult Social Isolation and Loneliness 2024;12: Doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1404869
3. Southerland JL, Mauck E, Zheng S, Smith ML. (2024). Examining the Characteristics of University Employees and Students Providing Care to Adults with ADRD. Innov. Aging. 2024;8;1307-1308, Supplement_1. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igae098.4176
4. Mauck, E., (2022). An Operational Definition of End-of-Life Healthcare: A Complex and Subjective Construct. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying, 003022282210860. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228221086058
5. Mauck, E., (2020). A Qualitative Analysis of End-of-Life Healthcare in Tennessee: Politics, Principles, and Perceptions. Doctoral Dissertation.
6. Mauck, E., (2016). Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act: Socially Constructing a Good Death. Master’s Thesis.

PERSONAL INTERESTS

Traveling, family, Persian cats