CPH 610 Geographic Information Systems for Public Health

Public health practitioners need to track data on populations to plot disease trends and associated patterns of social and biological determinants of health disparities. This course will cover concepts of basic mapping using Geographic information System (GIS) software. Types and sources of data will be reviewed, along with their uses. Students will gain familiarity with spatial data and its usefulness in making sense of demographic and socioeconomic trends.  In selected case studies students will examine the impact on population health of factors in the local environment such as the location of social and health services, urban density, and known health stressors.