Dr. Maggie Sugg

Associate Professor & Department Honors Director Medical Geography; Environmental Health; Public Health; Spatial Statistics

Appalachian State University

Affiliations

Appalachian State University

College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Maggie Sugg is an Associate Professor and Department Honors Director of Medical Geography at Appalachian State University, specializing in environmental health, public health, and spatial statistics. Her research investigates the intersection of climate extremes and population health, with a recent focus on maternal mental health disparities and severe maternal morbidity during heatwaves and coldwaves in North Carolina and South Carolina. Her latest publications include a 2026 study on urban-rural disparities in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and a 2025 Lancet Regional Health - Americas analysis of heatwave exposure and maternal mental health. She also examines compound climate events and youth mental health, including emergency visits for depression and suicidal ideation among adolescents with ADHD. Her work is supported by an NSF CAREER award (2021) and a 2024 grant on compounding climate events and youth mental health, reflecting her leadership in climate-health resilience research.

Honors

Create free account to unlock more features

Experiences

Create free account to unlock more features

Education

Create free account to unlock more features

Dr. Maggie Sugg

Appalachian State University

Associate Professor & Department Honors Director Medical Geography; Environmental Health; Public Health; Spatial Statistics

You can click a keyword to filter the displayed items

public health environmental science climate change environmental health mental health north carolina psychiatry epidemiology meteorology environmental health perspective covid-19 climatology environmental research wildfires urban climate crisis management case studies weather disaster health geography climatic change hydrometeorology disaster risk reduction disaster medicine population exposure suicide covid-19 pandemic spatial statistical analysis vulnerable populations fire ecology atmospheric environment psychiatric research psychological trauma environmental impact assessment biometeorology human exposure climate epidemiology temperature measurement vulnerable patient populations social epidemiology wildfire smoke western north carolina suicide-related outcomes total environment infection control traffic psychology wildland fire disease transmission disease mapping community health community environments driver performance psychophysics driver behavior drought resilience disaster vulnerability retrospective cohort studies cohort studies exposure assessment climate variability environmental exposures adolescence climate change adaptation aerobiology community-level determinants outdoor workers experienced temperatures physiologic monitoring driving influences human perception scoping review north america drought impacts geographic multi-criteria evaluation wildfire vulnerability perinatal mental health neonatal complications health services research human impacts on the environment environmental policy of the united states urban geography social determinants of health environmental planning geography health systems rural health physical geography population health applied geography public policy economic geography urban greening spatial analysis air quality health equity environmental safety preventive medicine urban studies communicable diseases geographical information science urban ecology public health preparedness health sciences mortality health policy environmental hazards geographic information systems human geography disasters global health urbanization disaster risk science natural hazards vulnerability preventive healthcare public health ethics health planning health information science health economics international health ecology

Notable Scholarly Works

Notable Federal Grants

Collaborators

Exploring Maternal Mental Health Conditions and Urban-Rural Disparities in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy in South Carolina: A Fairlie Decomposition Approach. Maternal and Child Health Journal (2026)

high-risk pregnanciesrural healthrespectful maternity carefamily medicineobstetrics and gynaecologysouth carolinafairlie decomposition approachhealth equityurban-rural disparitiesmaternal healthsocial determinants of healthpublic healthpregnancy hypertensionmaternal complications

Temperature Extremes and Maternal Health: Differential Risks of Severe Maternal Morbidity During Heatwaves and Coldwaves in North Carolina. International Journal of Biometeorology (2026)

extreme environmentsenvironmental healthhigh-risk pregnanciesmaternal complicationsmaternal healthenvironmental health perspectivenorth carolinaurban climatepublic healthtemperature extremesepidemiology

Advancing an Environmental Justice-Centered Approach to Understanding Cumulative Impacts: Community-Engaged Analysis of Industrialized Biogas Development From Rural Eastern North Carolina. Environmental Justice (2025)

sustainable developmentenvironmental justice-centered approachenvironmental sustainabilityenvironmental engineeringsustainable environmental managementsustainability scienceenvironmental impact of the energy industryunderstanding cumulativeenvironmental impact assessmentenvironmental researchenvironmental governancecommunity-engaged analysisenvironmental planningenvironmental scienceenvironmental justicesocio-environmental implications

A Small Area Analysis of Acute Exposure to Temperatures and Mental Health in North Carolina. International Journal of Biometeorology (2025)

Assessing the Impact of Heatwaves on Emergency Visits for Major Depression and Suicidal Ideation in Youth With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. PLOS mental health. (2025)

Community Firearm Violence During Extreme Temperatures in the Continental United States: A Spatiotemporal Epidemiological Analysis (2014–2024). Environmental Challenges (2025)

vulnerabilityaggressioncriminologypublic safetyviolent crimeinterpersonal violencecrime preventionextreme temperaturespublic healthhomicideviolent behaviorcommunity firearm violenceepidemiologycontinental united states

Eco-Anxiety, Climate Concern, and Fatalistic Outlooks: Insights From U.S. Crisis Text Conversations on Climate Distress. The Journal of Climate Change and Health (2025)

environmental hazardsclimate crisisvulnerabilityhuman impacts on the environmentclimate distressfatalistic outlooksclimate riskenvironmental health perspectiveclimate resilienceclimate communicationenvironmental policycrisis managementpublic healthenvironmental scienceclimate policyclimate concern

Emergency Department Use for Environmentally Sensitive Conditions Among American Indian Children Exposed to Air Pollution and Heat. Environmental Research Health (2025)

Mapping Maternity Care Deserts: Driving Distance and Health Outcomes in North Carolina. The Journal of Rural Health (2025)

rural healthfamily medicinehealth systemshealth carematernal healthhealth services researchhealth policynorth carolinahealth outcomespublic healthrespectful maternity carematernity care desertsmaternity servicehealth planning

Mental Health Disparities Among Maternal Populations Following Heatwave Exposure in North Carolina (2011–2019): A Matched Analysis. The Lancet Regional Health - Americas (2025)

psychiatryenvironmental factorsmental healthpublic healthenvironmental health perspectiveearly life exposuresmental health disparitiesnorth carolinapsychiatric epidemiologyheatwave exposurepsychological trauma