Sophie Ryan

Sophie Ryan is a Climate and Health Research Fellow at Appalachian State University's Department of Geography and Planning, supported by the National Academy of Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. in Geography (candidate) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and advanced degrees in Geography from Appalachian State University and the University of Vermont.

• Education: Ph.D. Candidate in Geography (UNC Chapel Hill), M.A. in Geography (Appalachian State), B.S. in Geography (University of Vermont)

Ryan's research integrates medical geography and climate science to explore mental health impacts of extreme weather events. Her work combines spatiotemporal modeling, health data analysis, and disaster response studies, focusing on youth, older adults, and vulnerable populations. Recent projects examine greenspace effects on mental health, compound climate events, and pandemic-related health disparities.

Her publications highlight climate-mental health linkages, spatial epidemiology, and social vulnerability in disaster contexts. Articles address topics like heat-stress and mental health, transgender youth post-disaster trauma, and suicide risk disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ryan employs distributed lag models, cluster analysis, and geospatial techniques to assess environmental health impacts.

• Scientific Awards: NASEM Climate-Health Fellow