Course Title	（英文）GIS for Public Health
	（中文）健康地理学
Teacher	ChunYin Peng Jia JaimeHart Yuanyuan Shi
First day of classes	2026.7.14
Last day of classes	2026.7.18
Course Credit	2
Course Description
Course Introduction
GIS for Public Health is the study of the distribution, diffusion, determinants, and delivery associated with health and health systems in human populations.
Objective
This course aims at presenting the fundamental and key concepts and principles of health geography, as well as its most important branch – spatial epidemiology. Students will learn the applications of spatial, digital, statistical, and big data methods in public health research, in particular using these multi-disciplinary methods to address environmental health issues. Students’ critical thinking, English communication and writing skills will also be strengthened through in-class discussion and written assessments.
Assignments (essay or other forms)
Lab assignments Short essay Group project report
Text Books and Reading Materials
贾鹏(2025)《健康地理学》，高等教育出版社 Jia, P. (2019). Spatial lifecourse epidemiology. The Lancet Planetary Health, 3(2), e57-e59. Jia, P., Lakerveld, J., Wu, J., et al.(2019). Top 10 research priorities in spatial lifecourse epidemiology. Environmental health perspectives, 127(7), 074501. Jia, P., Xue, H., Yin, L., Stein, A., Wang, M., & Wang, Y. (2019). Spatial technologies in obesity research: current applications and future promise. Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, 30(3), 211-223. Jia, P., Xue, H., Cheng, X., & Wang, Y. (2019). Effects of school neighborhood food environments on childhood obesity at multiple scales: a longitudinal kindergarten cohort study in the USA. BMC medicine, 17(1), 1-15. Jia, P., Stein, A., James, P., et al.(2019). Earth observation: investigating noncommunicable diseases from space. Annual review of public health, 40, 85-104. Jia, P., Cheng, X., Xue, H., & Wang, Y. (2017). Applications of geographic information systems (GIS) data and methods in obesity‐related research. Obesity reviews, 18(4), 400-411.

The Outline of《GIS for Public Health》

1.Basic Teaching Information

2.Course Introduction

GIS for Public Health is the study of the distribution, diffusion, determinants, and delivery associated with health and health systems in human populations. This course aims at presenting the fundamental and key concepts and principles of health geography, as well as its most important branch–spatial epidemiology. Students will learn the applications of spatial, digital, statistical, and big data methods in public health research, in particular using these multi-disciplinary methods to address environmental health issues. Students’critical thinking, English communication and writing skills will also be strengthened through in-class discussion and written assessments. Teaching and learning will be mainly conducted through lectures and labs. Some hours will be used for interactive discussion in the group project, with a written report to be produced for assessment. Upon completing this course, students will be able to grasp a basic but solid understanding of health geography including the use of the basic and common methods in public health research, which will serve as an important basis for further advanced health geography research in their later stages of studies.

3.The Allocation of Content and Lecture Hours

4.Assessment Methods and Marking Criterion

Attendance (10%)

Research proposal (60%)

Short essay (30%)

5.Textbooks and References

贾鹏(2025) 《健康地理学》，高等教育出版社

Jia, P. (2019). Spatial lifecourse epidemiology.The Lancet Planetary Health,3(2), e57-e59.

Jia, P., Lakerveld, J., Wu, J., et al. (2019). Top 10 research priorities in spatial lifecourse epidemiology.Environmental health perspectives,127(7), 074501.

Jia, P., Xue, H., Yin, L., Stein, A., Wang, M., & Wang, Y. (2019). Spatial technologies in obesity research: current applications and future promise.Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism,30(3), 211-223.

Jia, P., Xue, H., Cheng, X., & Wang, Y. (2019). Effects of school neighborhood food environments on childhood obesity at multiple scales: a longitudinal kindergarten cohort study in the USA.BMC medicine,17(1), 1-15.

Jia, P., Stein, A., James, P., et al. (2019). Earth observation: investigating noncommunicable diseases from space.Annual review of public health,40, 85-104.

Jia, P., Cheng, X., Xue, H., & Wang, Y. (2017). Applications of geographic information systems (GIS) data and methods in obesity‐related research.Obesity reviews,18(4), 400-411.