Health and Medical Geography

Catalog description

Geography and physical and social environments have important implications for human health and health care. This course will explore the intersections among geography, environments, and public health, with an emphasis on geographical analysis approaches for health data, to address two key questions: (1) How can concepts from geography help us to better understand health and well-being? (2) How can geographic tools, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) be used to address pressing questions in health and medical research? Students will become acquainted with theories and methods from health and medical geography through readings, discussion, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) laboratory exercises, and the completion of a focused course project. Throughout the semester we will use the concepts and techniques of the discipline of geography to investigate a variety of health-related topics, and laboratory exercises will center on common health and medical geography research questions. Course projects will allow students to develop a deep understanding of the geographical nature of a health problem of their choosing and will incorporate both literature review and the analysis of geographical data.