Marlo Vernon, PhD

Associate Professor

  • Augusta GA UNITED STATES
  • Undergraduate Health Professions

Skilled in Program Evaluation, Grant Writing, Program Development, Public Health Research and Data Analysis.

Contact

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Biography

Experienced research scientist with a demonstrated history of working in higher education and public health. Skilled in Program Evaluation, Grant Writing, Program Development, Public Health Research and Data Analysis.

Areas of Expertise

Physical Activity
Childhood Obesity
Program Development
Program Evaluation
Public Health Research
Obesity Prevention
Body Composition

Accomplishments

Georgia Public Health Association, Student Poster Award

2017
Georgia Public Health Association
"Current patterns of emergency department utilization: patient characteristics of high frequency utilizations"

American Public Health Association Student Presentation Award

2017
American Public Health Association, Medical Care Section
"Costs and Trends of Emergency Department Utilization Pre- and Post-ACA: Evidence from a Rural Georgia Hospital"

The Anthony Shuker Scientific Poster Award

2016
GeorgiaBio Innovation Summit
"New Measures of Innovation Productivity in Bio Sciences"

Education

Augusta University

Ph.D.

Applied Health Sciences

2018

University of South Carolina

M.P.H.

Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Maternal and Child Health

2003

Franciscan University of Steubenville

B.A.

English Language and Literature/Letters

2001

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Affiliations

  • American Public Health Association
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science

Media Appearances

Saluting Our Heroes: Local professors working to fight food insecurity

WFXG  tv

2024-08-19

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WFXG) - Food insecurity plagues the nation and the CSRA. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 17 million households in the U.S. were food insecure at some point in 2022.

The public health concern greatly impacts expectant, pregnant, and postpartum individuals. Food insecurity during pregnancy has been linked with gestational diabetes, iron deficiency, pregnancy complications, and postpartum depression, according to Feeding America.

Two professors are working to combat the issue on the local level. Dr. Chad Ray, professor in the Medical College of Georgia‘s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Dr. Marlo Vernon, associate professor for the Georgia Prevention Institute at MCG, developed the Food Farmacy program. It is funded by the Georgia Department of Public Health and a cardio obstetrics grant Dr. Ray and Dr. Vernon have received.

The professors conducted a survey on food insecurity. According to Dr. Vernon, 50 percent of the participants stated they had concerns that they may not have enough food to last a week. She said the results weren't surprising, but they were a wake-up call.

“On top of food insecurity, you know we live in a food swamp or a food desert down here around the medical district. People don't have access to fresh fruits and vegetables as regularly as they might like," said Dr. Vernon.

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State and Local Leaders Met in Augusta to Address Opioid Crisis

WFXG  tv

2024-07-31

In a concerted effort to tackle the growing opioid crisis, state and local leaders gathered in Augusta on Wednesday to strategize on combating the epidemic, particularly focusing on the battle against fentanyl.

The opioid crisis was officially declared a national public health emergency by the Department of Health & Human Services in October 2017. The urgency of the situation was underscored as officials from across Georgia assembled this morning to discuss collaborative approaches for moving forward in the fight against this devastating issue.

According to the Georgia Department of Health, opioid-involved overdose deaths in Georgia surged by a staggering 302 percent from 2010 to 2022. This alarming increase has propelled state and local leaders into action, as they seek innovative and effective solutions to curb the crisis.
The statewide opioid task force is not only focused on tracking drug operations but also emphasizes recovery processes for individuals affected by substance abuse. Marlo Vernon, with Hope House, which supports women in recovery, underscored the importance of community support in overcoming addiction. "I think that’s a really big message that the community needs to hear that there is hope for people that struggle with substance abuse," Vernon said.

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Augusta food pharmacy teaches new moms about nutrition, resources

WRDW  tv

2024-06-18

A new food pharmacy is helping pregnant and postpartum mothers make sure they get the right resources for nutrition.

We spoke with a mom about how this is helping her and other moms in our area.

The National Institute of Health ranks Georgia as number two in the country for maternal mortality.

What’s the biggest issue they face here in Augusta? Access to healthy food and knowledge of how to take care of their body both before and after the baby is here.


Augusta University, the HUB and Augusta Locally Grown are all teaming up to find solutions and teaching moms to use food as medicine.

Pregnancy complications were never in the cards for first-time mom Sara Clark.

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Articles

Costs and Trends of Emergency Department Utilization Pre-ACA and Post-ACA

Medical Care

Marlo Vernon, Steven Goggans, Gianluca De Leo, Vahé Heboyan

2019

A high volume of emergency department (ED) visits in the rural United States may be the result of barriers to accessing primary care. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) increased the number of insured, which may improve patient access to primary care and therefore reduce ED utilization.

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Are university rankings useful to improve research? A systematic review

PloS one

Marlo M Vernon, E Andrew Balas, Shaher Momani

2018

Concerns about reproducibility and impact of research urge improvement initiatives. Current university ranking systems evaluate and compare universities on measures of academic and research performance. Although often useful for marketing purposes, the value of ranking systems when examining quality and outcomes is unclear.

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Respiratory therapy faculty perspectives on interprofessional education: Findings from a cross-sectional online survey

Journal of Interprofessional Care

Marlo M Vernon, Nicole Moore, Andrew Mazzoli, Gianluca De Leo

2018

Interprofessional education (IPE) improves collaboration and patient care through joint education between health professions. Respiratory therapy (RT) has not been previously evaluated as participants in IPE. A cross-sectional online survey was distributed to evaluate the opportunities and barriers towards IPE of 874 respiratory therapy faculty with both quantitative measures and open-ended questions.

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