PH 0262 - GIS for Public Health

Course Description

In public health, "place" matters as it is a close reflection of the social and economic deprivation and environmental exposures that can result in significant health disparities that are manifest in health outcomes, including morbidity and mortality. While uses of geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial epidemiology have increased steeply and steadily within the public health sciences during the past two decades, they are still in their infancy. In health disparities, nutrition, disease prevention, and health services research, this is particularly evident. More than an estimated 80% of health issues have a spatial component, However, only a small fraction of research studies include a focus on the geography of health and spatial associations of putative exposures, access to care, and health outcomes. This course will provide students with the basic skills needed to obtain, analyze, and decipher spatial data in GIS, using a variety of examples from public health, nutrition, urban development, and the US Cenus Bureau.