Molly De Marco

Molly De Marco, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina's Gillings School of Global Public Health and a Research Scientist at the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP). Her work focuses on health disparities, community food security, and active living, with a particular emphasis on engaging low-income and historically marginalized populations through participatory research methods. She leads the Food, Fitness + Opportunity Research Collaborative (FFORC), which addresses barriers to healthy food access and physical activity in rural and low-income communities.

De Marco directs the USDA-funded SNAP-Ed program, promoting healthy food choices and reducing barriers to active transportation. She also teaches Nutrition 245: Sustainable, Local Food Systems – Intersection of Local Foods and Public Health. Her research integrates human-centered design and community advisory boards to ensure equitable participation of individuals with lived experiences of poverty and food insecurity.

Key areas of research include community-based interventions, minimum wage policy impacts on health, and antiracist participatory research methodologies. She has been recognized with the Provost’s Engaged Scholarship Award for her community-focused work.

Education:

• PhD in Health Promotion & Health Behavior, Oregon State University (2007)
• MPH in Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Emory University (2000)

Awards:

• 2016 Provost’s Engaged Scholarship Award

Advising & Grants: De Marco advises multiple students (e.g., E., Charles E., Bishop J.) and has secured funding from USDA SNAP-Ed and other agencies. Her grants support initiatives like the Healthy Helping Program and evaluation of policy impacts on low-wage workers’ health.

Labs/Teams: FFORC collaborates with community partners to design interventions addressing food insecurity and transit equity. Projects include community gardens, healthy checkout lanes in stores, and policy advocacy for minimum wage reforms.