GIS for Community Health & Resilience Research
Our GIS community health & resilience research maximizes the potential participation and impact of research for specific populations by considering local patterns and geographic context.
Monthly Spotlights
Each month, we create and share monthly spotlights that focus on topics impacting health+resilience in Texas communities. Follow us on social media to stay up to date on these spotlights!
The 2019 Texas Community Resilience Dashboard shows the different levels of vulnerability to disasters and similar events such as pandemics at the county level in Texas. It also shows risk factor predominancy for each county and the relative level of vulnerability compared to the national estimates.
The Physical Activity & Mental Health Dashboard dashboard represents the relationship between the percentage of adults reporting 14 or more days of poor mental health per month and the percentage of adults aged 20 and over reporting no leisure time for physical activity.
The Health Literacy Scores in Texas dashboard shows health literacy scores in Texas at the block group and county levels. It also includes a map that shows the relationship between health literacy scores and health outcome rankings.
Food Insecurity and Consumption in Texas Story Map
This story map discusses food insecurity, access, and consumption in Texas counties.
See the rest of our monthly spotlights
Current Research
Mapping Access to Children’s Hospitals in Texas
The first goal of this research is to represent geographical accessibility to children’s hospitals, and the second is to model the hospital bed-patient ratio for each service area.
Collaborators:
- Dr. Shadi Maleki, Translational Health Research Center
- Dr. Nathaniel Dede-Bamfo, University Libraries
- Dr. Melinda Villagran, Translational Health Research Center
- Dr. Milad Korde, Clark University
Mapping Community-Based Assets to Support Senior Nutrition in Central Texas
The purpose of this study is to identify community-based assets for senior nutrition in a 12-county region of central Texas. Findings from this research will identify gaps and opportunities for building community capacity within the region and inform the development of an innovative app and website to support senior nutrition.
Collaborators:
- Dr. Shadi Maleki, Translational Health Research Center
- Dr. Cassandra Johnson, School of Family & Consumer Sciences
Recent Talks
Community Health Assessment Using GIS | September 13, 2022
Innovation Series
Dr. Shadi Maleki shared her insights on the role that Geographic Information Science (GIS) plays in community health and resilience research. She discussed how place-based factors directly or indirectly impact our health. She emphasized the importance of social determinants of health and the need to develop strategies to integrate place-based factors into community health assessments and planning.
Relevant Publications
Neighborhood Child Friendliness: A Comparative Analysis of Parental Landscape Perceptions and Geographic Information Systems-Based Urban Planning Indexes | 2022 | Shadi Maleki, Ronald R. Hagelman III, Brendan L. Lavy
Social Demand for Urban Wilderness in Purgatory | 2022 | Shadi Maleki, Jason P. Julian, Russell C. Weaver, Christina Lopez, Mike Kraft
A Visual Insight Into Tweeting Activity Before and During Natural Disasters: Case Study of Hurricane Harvey | 2021 | Shadi Maleki, Milad Mohammadalizadehkorde
African American Experiences in the Historic Dunbar Neighborhood in San Marcos, Texas: A Case Study of Counter-Life Stories | 2020 | Shetay Ashford-Hanserd, Eric Sarmiento, Colleen C. Myles, Steven W. Rayburn,...Shadi Maleki
Investigating Children’s Field Trip Experiences Through Sketch Maps | 2021 | Shadi Maleki, Emily Warren, Ronald R. Hagelman III, Aspen Navarro, Miranda Wait