Geospatial Public Health Forum

Geospatial Public Health Forum
Wednesday, April 18, 2022 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, Georgia

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the health sciences are relying more and more on geospatial technologies, including geographic information systems (GIS), to analyze numerous factors affecting human health. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Decatur, Georgia, for example, employs a large team of geospatial experts to help answer questions about how location and movement impact disease, disability, and vulnerability. The purpose of our forum is to feature research by geographic specialists working on projects such as social vulnerability, environmental exposure and public health emergencies including infectious disease outbreaks. The target audience is students of geography and public health, but we welcome everyone from the university and our community. Please join us for light refreshments and a chance to engage with a professional on topics related to spatial analysis and public health.

2022 Geospatial Public Health Forum

Featuring Dr. Michael Kramer from Emory University

5:30 pm Monday, April 18th
A&S Auditorium

Dr. Michael Kramer is an Associate Professor at Emory University, where he serves on the faculty of the Epidemiology Department and in the Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences Department in the Rollins School of Public Health. Dr. Kramer received a Ph. D. in Epidemiology at Emory University and earned a Master’s of Science degree in Emergency Medicine from Alderson-Broaddus University. He is a qualified Physician Assistant and a graduate of Earlham College, one of the nation’s leading liberal arts institutions. Recently, Dr. Kramer has directed research on social epidemiology concerned with maternal and child health populations and life course projects. His work examines macrosocial determinants of population disparities in life course health including pregnancy outcomes, childhood development, and adult chronic diseases. He employs novel methods for measuring spatial segregation and the geography of opportunity for early childhood development.

Past Fora

2017- Geographic Information Systems at
the Centers for Disease Control

Danielle Ayan
&
Erica Adams

Danielle Ayan, GISP, PMP, ICP, UXC
Lead Associate | Health Technology
Project Manager, CDC | MISO
Booz | Allen | Hamilton

Danielle's contributions to the GIS profession also include authoring a State Bill and Chairing the resulting statewide council (O.C.G.A § 12-5-9 (b)(3) – accomplishing the 2-year mandate of a statewide geospatial audit in 6-months with 88% county participation; co-managing the Georgia GIS Clearinghouse for 7-years; initiating and building the GIS@GTRI program for Georgia Tech; organizing multiple international and statewide GIS-related conferences, including SpatialPlexus.com; offering over 70 professional presentations, including Legislative and Keynote addresses; and creating/teaching Continuing Education classes. Danielle remains continuously engaged in industry organizations, having held many servant-leadership positions with the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) where she received an "Outstanding Service Award," the legislatively enacted Georgia Geospatial Advisory Council (GGAC), the Georgia GIS Coordinating Committee (GISCC), the National Geospatial Technology Center of Excellence (GeoTech), and Georgia Urban Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) which was awarded "International Chapter of the Year" during her Presidency. Danielle holds M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in Geology, a minor in GIS & Remote Sensing, a Georgia Tech Institute of Project Management Program certificate, and is a 2012 graduate of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership (IGEL) Program. Danielle currently applies her professional energy toward Public Health work as a Project Manager, advancing the mission of the Centers for Disease Control via Booz | Allen | Hamilton.

Erica Adams, MS, MPH
Scientific Data Analyst, Booz | Allen | Hamilton
Geospatial Research, Analysis, and Services Program | CDC | ATSDR

Erica currently contracts as a Scientific Data Analyst in the Geospatial Research, Analysis, and Services Program and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through Booz | Allen | Hamilton. She uses her geospatial and epidemiologic skillsets to complete spatial/statistical analysis and data visualization for complex public health problems. Her research is focused in spatial epidemiology related to social vulnerability, environmental exposure, and public health emergencies including natural disasters and infectious disease outbreak. Erica serves as the steering committee lead of the CDC’s GIS and Public Health Emergencies Workgroup, a team working to facilitate innovation in emergency response and preparedness at the agency through geospatial applications and education. In 2016 she deployed to Puerto Rico to provide geospatial support for decision-making to the Zika outbreak response team on the ground. Erica has a MS in Geography from Virginia Tech and a MPH in Global Environmental Health from Emory University. She believes that geospatial data and analysis are pivotal in the advancement of research and public action focused on improving quality of life.

2018- Exploring the Context of HIV Sexual Risk among African American Emerging Adults (21-25 years) in Macon, Georgia

Dr. Chinekwu Obidoa, MPH. Ph.D. CPH
Assistant Professor of Global Health
Mercer University

Dr. Chinekwu Obidoa is a multi-disciplinary scholar with teaching and research interests in the social and spatial epidemiology of HIV/AIDS, youth sexual risk-taking, the health of emerging adults, and the social and health implications of globalization in Africa. Trained in the fields of medical geography, public health, and international and area studies, she integrates multiple methods and approaches in her research. Dr. Obidoa has been involved in HIV/AIDS research for over 15 years. She has studied the spatial epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, factors associated with HIV/AIDS sexual risk behaviors among young women in Nigeria, and teen pregnancy and HIV sexual risk in Macon, Georgia, among other studies. One of her recent studies funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health explored the context of HIV/AIDS sexual risk for emerging adults in Middle Georgia. She has received several academic fellowships and support for her work including the New Investigator in Global Health Award by the Global Health Council in 2006 and in 2011, the Research Education Institute for Diverse Scholars Fellowship from the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS at Yale University, and the Population Health Equity Fellowship from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2016.

2019- Geographic Information Systems at the Centers for Disease Control

Laura Wright, MPH in Global Environmental Health, BS in Public Health Science
GIS Analyst
Geospatial Research, Analysis, and Services Program (GRASP)
Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)

Geospatial research, analysis, and services are vital programs at the Centers for Disease Control. Spatial epidemiologists use extensive analysis and training in both GIS technologies and public health to inform decisions about how to respond to and prevent health problems around the globe. Data collection, visualization, and communication are critical to the success of geospatial science. Examples of current investigations include mapping swimming pools in Puerto Rico to help understand the spread of the Zika virus from mosquitoes, crowd-sourcing to collect spatial data after a hurricane strike, and using time-series analysis at the county scale to examine HIV-testing behavior. The CDC offers several products to inform public health, such as mapping for the Social Vulnerability Index, the US Diabetes Surveillance System, and the Polio Global Eradication polioeradication.org/Initiative. The field of Geospatial Public Health is wide open for new practitioners, especially those skilled in both GIS and Public Health.

2020 Keynote Speaker - Danielle Sharpe, M. Sc., B. S.
Danielle is a Geospatial Epidemiologist with the Geospatial Research, Analysis, and Services Program (GRASP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry (ATSDR) in Decatur, Georgia. In addition to many roles, Danielle is the coordinator for the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) project, an effort at CDC to map the resilience of communities when confronted by external stresses on human health, stresses such as natural or human-caused disasters, or disease outbreaks.

Danielle is currently working toward a Ph. D. in Epidemiology at Emory University. In her presentation, she will share her insights on spatial epidemiology for helping reduce vulnerability in a time of crisis. Please join us for this informative and timely event.

The Geospatial Public Health Forum is sponsored by the Department of History & Geography and the School of Health and Human Performance at Georgia College in support of the Global Health Studies Minor and the Certificate in Geographic Information Science (GISc).

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