We are pleased to announce the BDHSC Geospatial Core has selected the recipients of its inaugural Health GIS Scholars Program. The Program is intended to enhance students’ research and professional development in the area of GIS and health research, cultivate students’ interest in GIS and spatial applications to health research, build the technical and writing skills of students to pursue scholarly publications and reports, and develop scholars in health GIS who go on to make important contributions to the academic, public health, health care, and non-profit sectors. After a review of applications, the BDHSC Geospatial Core chose doctoral students Kelsey Day and Qian Huang as its inaugural Health GIS Scholars. Ms. Day is a doctoral student in the Exercise Science Program at Arnold School of Public Health and Ms. Huang is a doctoral student in the Geography program at the College of Arts and Sciences. Congratulations to our Health GIS Scholars on their remarkable achievement! Read more about their projects below. 

Within the Big Data Health Science Center, the Geospatial Core engages in cutting-edge geospatial research and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) science. They also provide training in the use of GIS, spatial analytics and other technologies – recently launching the Health GIS Scholars Program…

 

…Day’s project as a Health GIS Scholar will involve developing a walkability index to better assess the external environments – including community access – surrounding churches that adopt the FAN program. She will use objective spatial measurements to develop the walkability index and examine whether index scores vary by race, socioeconomic status and rural/urban residence…

 

Huang’s Health GIS Scholars study will build on a larger project led by the Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute, which is currently using funding from the Office of the Vice President for Research to examine disparities in response, impact and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Huang will use GIS to examine the spatial and temporal diffusion of COVID-19 cases and their interactions with natural hazards (e.g., hurricanes, flooding, wildfires) and the urban-rural differences in COVID-19 case fatality. 

Source: Doctoral students Kelsey Day and Qian Huang selected as inaugural Health GIS Scholars by Big Data Health Science Center

Kelsey Day

Kelsey Day

Health GIS Scholar

Kelsey Day is a doctoral student in the Exercise Science Program at Arnold School of Public Health. With her award she will develop a walkability index to better assess external environments

Qian Huang

Qian Huang

Health GIS Scholar

Qian Huang is a doctoral student in the College of Arts and Science Geography program. She will use her award to examine disparities in response, impact and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.