Thomas M. Vernon, Jr., Chair of the NCHH Board of Directors, has served on NCHH's board since 1993. Dr. Vernon has played a key role in NCHH activities, serving as a long-standing member of NCHH's executive committee and, more recently, chairing the nominating committee.
Dr. Vernon's roots are in the South: North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida (West Palm Beach). He graduated magna cum laude from Duke University and subsequently from Harvard Medical School (in 1964). Board-certified in internal medicine, Dr. Vernon spent several years with the Centers for Disease Control as an epidemiologist, including two years in Nepal as a part of the global malaria eradication effort. In 1972, Dr. Vernon joined the State Health Department in Colorado as State Epidemiologist. He was appointed Executive Director of the department by Governor Richard Lamm in 1983 and was re-appointed in 1987 by Governor Roy Romer. After more than seven years as Executive Director, Dr. Vernon moved east to become Director of Health and Human Services for the Pew Charitable Trusts.
He joined Merck in May 1993, where he remained until his recent retirement from his position as the Vaccine Division's Vice President for Policy, Public Health, and Medical Affairs. As Vice President, he was responsible for policy matters as related to state, Federal, and international public health agencies, including state health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization.