Geography of Health and GIS Analysis Research Group
Health geography studies the relationships between health and place. It is concerned with the interactions of people, society, place, space, and the environment. Health geography is known for its contributions to understanding the spatial pattern and diffusion of disease, environmental exposures, and the location and accessibility of health services. Health geographers practice and promote spatial thinking in the health sciences.
Geographies of health encompass a plurality of research paradigms and methodologies, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial data analysis. The Geography of Health (GoH) group supports geographical enquiry and spatial thinking in population and public health. The GoH group serves as a hub, connecting geographical expertise with health research and practice.
Recent and ongoing activities of the GoH group include the organization of high profile events and successful hands-on workshops to disseminate knowledge and awareness of health geography and GIS.
Updates
We are thrilled to share the success of our 5th GIS Day event, "Health GIS: Spatial Thinking in Applied Research (STAR)", supported by the O’Brien Institute for Public Health, which was held online on November 20th, 2024.
This year’s event brought together a diverse and global audience from 24 countries, showcasing a series of enlightening presentations and discussions on the transformative power of GIS in addressing complex health and societal challenges. The virtual format once again proved effective in fostering an inclusive and engaging platform for exchanging innovative ideas and advancing the field of Health GIS.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the O’Brien Institute and Esri Canada for their generous support, which has been crucial in making our past events a remarkable success. We also deeply appreciate our dedicated speakers—students, researchers, and public health practitioners—whose contributions have demonstrated the excellence, enthusiasm, and creativity of our Geography of Health study group and wider Health GIS community.
As we look ahead, we are excited to announce that our next GIS Day event will take place in 2026. Stay tuned for updates and details as we continue to build on the momentum and success of our previous events. We look forward to welcoming an even broader community to explore the cutting-edge intersections of geography, health, and spatial analysis.