What concentration? Interested in GIS applications in public health and health care

[backwardinduction]

Hello, I'm having a tough time narrowing down a concentration of health to go into.

I am interested in learning and using GIS analysis in my studies, research and career. I would eventually like a PhD, so I think I'm applying to either an MPH or MS program in either health policy/admin/economics or environmental health. Are each of these fields able to incorporate GIS as a part of their curriculum? I was also interested in a 3 year urban planning/MPH dual degree program, offered by schools like tufts and unc chapel hill. Do you think that a dual degree would be worth it to learn GIS and geographical applications to health and planning, when my ultimate goal is to get a PhD rather than go directly into planning?

My undergrad background in environmental studies and economics, and I'm having trouble reconciling my almost interests in economics, economic development, and health economics, with my interests in biological science and geography and geospatial analysis.

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[Chelcelot]

Of the concentrations you posted, I think environmental health would be the most likely to incorporate GIS. I did my MPH in Epi at the University of Minnesota, and took a class on mapping infectious disease using Arc GIS. Technically, it was taught in the school of veterinary medicine, but the instructor is a DVM with a PhD in Epi. That was the only class incorporating GIS that my program offered, but I would think at other schools you might find classes in the Epi or Environmental health departments. If you really want to make use of GIS you probably should look at dual degree programs, because I doubt most schools of public health will have many options for learning GIS, unless you take extra coursework in the undergraduate geography department during the MPH.

That being said, I think that knowledge of GIS is a very valuable skill so I would encourage you to pursue it if it interests you.

 

[powerage]

CUNY has a GIS specialization in their public health program. I believe the specialization is at the Lehman campus.

I have an interest in incorporating GIS analysis into my studies as well. I think many universities have GIS courses. Often they're outside of their respective public health schools. Many programs enable you to take some courses outside of public health.

I have noticed that most public health GIS courses are taught by faculty who focus in environmental health, which makes sense. I think GIS analysis is applicable to any and all MPH degrees.

 

[backwardinduction]

Thanks for the advice guys. And yeah I've noticed that in Enviro Health, many programs offer some sort of GIS class for those interested in the environmental epidemiology side of things, and I'm very much interested in that and cancer epi, so thats essentially what I applied for.

I'mexcited since I didn't really have the opportunity to learn GIS in undergrad.

 

[JaneOakmede]

There are some schools that offer GIS certificates. Might be something to look into! I would imagine having a certificate in GIS would be a great advantage to set yourself out from the crowd.

 

[IntriguedStudent]

Your GIS classes are often going to be housed in your epidemiology or environmental health departments. I know that the Epi MPH at GWU offers GIS courses. As @JaneOakmede mentioned, some schools do offer certificates as well.

 

[juilletmercredi]

At most places, you could take GIS courses and learn/specialize in GIS in any of the public health areas. I'm in the social and behavioral sciences in public health and several of my colleagues in the same field have mastered GIS and its applications to their work. GIS is just a tool, a method; in that sense, it's like a regression. You could learn how to do a regression in any public health program if you take the right courses. Likewise, you can learn GIS in any concentration in public health.

I'd say their use is more prevalent in epidemiology and environmental health, though, vs. health policy and administration. I have a friend doing her PhD in sustainability and she uses ArcGIS and GIS applications a LOT.

I don't think the urban planning degree is worth it if you know you want a PhD. It's not going to give you any additional research training, and you can learn the GIS otherwise - both in your MPH and in the early years of your PhD. You don't have to know everything before you go get the PhD, btw. If you really wanted to, you might be able to take a class or two in the urban planning school to supplement your studies - and if you go to a PhD program at university with an urban planning school, you almost definitely could (PhDs are usually very flexible wrt coursework). But it seems unnecessary to spend another year - and PAY for it.

As for your interests...I have a friend who is currently using GIS in her dissertation to look at, among other things, the distribution of certain types of food outlets and availability of healthy foods in neighborhoods and the impact that has on the health behaviors of the populations in those neighborhoods. Another friend finished her joint PhD in political science and public health, and she now works for a major international beverage company directing their global health outreach programs. I have another friend, an environmental health scientist, who does research on arsenic levels in groundwater in Central Asia and implements programs to train local leaders to test water sources for arsenic and educate their communities about the effects.

You can easily combine economics and economic development with interests in biology and geospatial analysis; there's a field called biological economics (and neuroeconomics!) and lots of research linking economics and environmental impact on health. A center nearby where I went to grad school, for example, linked these two in their study of the effects of the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf region. A lot of people model how geographic distribution of resources is related to health outcomes. And of course the EPA deals with business/economics and biological stuff together all the time