Morgan Ledford is a 2017 graduate of Appalachian State University’s Bachelor of Science - Public Health degree. She is now the positive parenting implementation coordinator at AppHealthCare, the local county health department.

In her new role, Ledford manages the implementation of the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) across Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties in Western North Carolina with input from an interdisciplinary steering committee and in collaboration with multiple community agencies. Triple P works to reduce child maltreatment, out-of-home placements and behavioral problems in children and adolescents. She implements systems of public health programming to improve these outcomes related to child health. 

“There are so many great things that I can say about the Public Health program at App State. The most valuable experience was completing an internship at the end of the coursework. This gave me real world experience and a place to apply what I learned in the classroom,” she said.

“I am excited about this position and what Triple P is aiming to do. Positive Parenting wants to break the cycle of unhealthy parent-child relationships so that children become healthy, capable adults. That kind of impact is the very reason that I went into this field, and I can’t wait to dig deeper.”