Graduate Student Research Focuses On Lessons of 1918 Flu Epidemic
Flu season is upon us once again. This October marked the 100th anniversary of the Influenza Epidemic (Spanish Flu) of 1918 in North Carolina, and we can learn lessons from the historic event. Lauren Austin, who earned her Public Policy Ph.D. and master’s degree in History from UNC Charlotte, researched this influenza pandemic, which left citizens “afraid to breathe,” as she describes it. Her research, with co-author Dr. William P. Brandon, appears in the book, “North Carolina’s Experience during the First World War,” co-edited by UNC Charlotte history professors Dr. Steven Sabol and Dr. Shepherd McKinley.