Maggie Sugg

Dr. Maggie Sugg is an Associate Professor & Department Honors Director in the Department of Geography and Planning at Appalachian State University. She holds a PhD, M.A., and B.S. in Geography and Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on spatiotemporal health patterns linked to environmental, socioeconomic, and climatic factors, with emphases on mental health, disaster vulnerability, and GIScience applications.

Key roles include:

• Recipient of the prestigious NSF CAREER Award
• Leading studies on maternal mental health, greenspace impacts, and climate-health linkages
• Principal investigator of projects funded by NSF, NIEHS, and AFSP

Research highlights:

• Examines climate-driven health risks (heatwaves, hurricanes, wildfires)
• Develops GIS-based tools to map health vulnerabilities
• Analyzes pandemic impacts on essential workers and youth mental health

Awards:

• NSF CAREER Award (2021)
• Emerging Scholar Award (AAG, 2021)
• EPA STAR Fellowship (2020)
• Provost Award for Excellence in Research (2022)

Teaching: Global Health, GIScience, Climate and Society, Advanced Quantitative Methods.

Grants: Over $413,000 in NSF funding, plus support from NIH, Gulf Research Program, and AFSP. Collaborates with North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies, HGAPS, and local health agencies.

Labs/Teams: Directs climate-health research initiatives, mentors 10+ graduate students annually, and co-leads interdisciplinary projects on disaster resilience and environmental justice.