Patrick Baron

Name: Patrick A. Baron
Department: Health Sciences
Program: Integrated Health Sciences, Masters in Health Science
Rank: Assistant Professor
Title: Program Director
Work Phone: 828.227.3514
Work Email: pbaron@wcu.edu
Office address: HHSB 438

Education:

• PhD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences
• Master of Science in Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Occupational and Environmental Health
• Bachelor of Arts, Wesleyan University, English

Experience:
Dr. Baron is a trained epidemiologist, with a background in a wide array of environmental health issues, focusing in particular on food systems and community health disparities. As a public health researcher, he conducts community-based research applying environmental epidemiology and other public health tools and approaches to better understanding the complex issues impacting community health and health equity in the US and North Carolina. He has particular experience in environmentally sustainable food production, food safety, environmental epidemiology of antimicrobial-resistant bacterial pathogens, community food security. Dr. Baron’s recent work experience also includes population health epidemiology surrounding emerging public health issues, including community-level risk factors for fatal drug overdose, reproductive and maternal-child health disparities associated with healthcare access and usage, and assessing recent trends in public health education and training.

Licenses & Specialty Credentialing:
Certificate in Risk Analysis and Management

Area of Expertise: Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology, Mixed-Methods Research and Study Design, Community Health Disparities, Social Determinants of Health

Primary Teaching Responsibilities:
HSCC 475: Senior Capstone

Scholarly Interests:
Dr. Baron conducts community-based research focusing on public health and health equity across a variety of topics. Food systems and associated community health disparities play a large role in his current research, including as part of a multi-year National Science Foundation research and education grant on examining social determinants of health in West Charlotte, North Carolina. Dr. Baron works closely with local communities, health agencies, non-profits and other organizations in order to translate health research into meaningful action for advancing community health. His research has appeared in The Lancet Journal of Infectious Diseases, Public Library of Science, Environmental Health Perspectives, Applied Environmental Microbiology and other journals.

Recent Publications and Presentations:
Baron PA, et al. Microbial Food Safety in the Maryland Direct-to-Consumer Poultry Supply Chain. (in pre-publication print: BioRxiv  http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/643106v1) (May, 2019)

Robinson P, Orroth K, Stutts L, Baron PA, Wessner D. Trends in Public and Global Health Education among Nationally Recognized Undergraduate Liberal Arts Colleges in the United States. Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. May 2018

Davis MF, Morris D, Cluzet V, Bilker W, Tolomeo P, Julian KG, Baron PA, Brazil A, Ferguson J, Shabhazian JH, Ludwig S, Hu B, Rankin S, Nachamkin I, Lautenbach E. Home Environmental Contamination is Associated with Community-Associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Re-colonization in Treated Patients. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. October 2017. 

Shabhazian JH, Hahn PD, Ludwig S, Ferguson J, Baron PA, et al. Multi-drug and muciprocin resistance among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) collected from the homes of people diagnosed with a community-onset (CO-) MRSA infection. Applied Environmental Microbiology, August 2017

Nachman K, Love DL, Baron PA, et al. Nitarsone, Inorganic Arsenic, and Other Arsenic Species in Turkey Meat: Exposure and Risk Assessment Based on a 2014 U.S. Market Basket Sample. Environmental Health Perspectives, October 2016

Baron PA, Frattaroli S: Awareness and Perceptions of Food Safety Risks and Risk Management in Poultry Production and Slaughter: A Qualitative Study of Direct-Market Poultry Producers in Maryland. PLOS ONE, September 2016

Pollard S, Williams D, Breysse P, Baron PA, et al.: A cross-sectional study of determinants of indoor environmental exposures in households with and without chronic exposure to biomass fuel smoke. Environmental Health, March 2015

Baron PA, Love DC, Nachman K: Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Chicken Meat and other Food Animal Products: A Market-Basket Pilot Study. Science of the Total Environment, August 2014

Nachman K, Baron PA, Love DC, et al..: Inorganic Arsenic, Roxarsone, and Other Arsenic Species in Chicken Meat: a US-based market-basket sample. Environmental Health Perspectives, May 2013

Davis MF, Iverson SA, Baron PA, et al.: Household Transmission of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and other staphylococci. Lancet Journal of Infectious Diseases, September 2012  

Service Interest:
Professionally, Dr. Baron enjoys serving on local public health-related non-profits as a board member, including for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Food Policy Council, and as a partner with local public health agencies and advocacy groups. He also co-manages a service and research project on Sapelo Island, Georgia, in partnership with the Saltwater Gullah-Geechee community to help increase food security, direct land use and on-island economic development, and address other community needs and concerns. 

Honors/Awards:
Davidson College Engaged Scholarship Award for Community-Based Learning | 04/2019
Justice Equality and Community Mellon Grant Awardee | 04/2019
National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Grant Award Recipient | 04/2018
Justice Equality and Community Mellon Grant Awardee | 01/2018
Center for a Livable Future-Lerner Doctoral Fellowship Award (four-time recipient) | 2011-2015
Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute Small Research Grants Award | 01/2015
Education, Research and Training Grant Award for Occupational Safety and Health | 09/2012

Bio:
I grew up in Baltimore City, Maryland, a place living on the bleeding edge of many of the public health crises and inequalities that are idiosyncratic to the United States. In my life, and in my work as a public health professional, I find insight, connection, and vitality in the things, people and places that are outside the limelight of public attention. My public health practice during and since this time focuses on the public health issues and angles that are too regularly neglected and overlooked—often at our own peril.