Thursday, February 5, 2004 TODAY
School of Public Health news
School of Public Health adds certificate in health geoinformatics
The only school in the United States to offer a bachelor of science in health
geographics, LLU School of Public Health recently added a certificate in health
geoinformatics to complement the demand for skills in geographic information
systems (GIS).
GIS is a collection of computer hardware and software for capturing, storing,
updating, manipulating, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographic information.
GIS is typically used to represent maps as data layers that can be studied and
used to perform analyses.
"Our program is designed to be strong in applications, says Seth Wiafe,
health geoinformatics instructor, an MPH student, and an intern at Environmental
Systems Research Institute (ESRI) in Redlands. "If the person is interested
in geosciences, then we can meet the needs of a particular area. Someone who
is studying sociology, for instance, can come in and take the classes. I think
it's important for people outside the core health professions to know about
it because we can customize the program to meet their needs."
Classes began the first week of January, 2004, and are held in the new geoinformatics
lab located in Del E. Webb Memorial Library. The lab computers run ArcGIS with
Spatial Analyst, Geostatistical Analyst, 3D Analyst, and ArcScan extensions.
According to Mr. Wiafe, the geoinformatics lab will need to expand the amount
of computers and other equipment soon to accommodate the number of students and
the demand for GIS training and research activities.
Students in the certificate program will be required to take the following core
classes: cartography and mapping, principles of GIS, practical issues in GIS,
GIS technology and methods, capture and integration of geospatial data, and spatial
analysis with GIS.
In addition to the core classes, there is another set of specialty courses in
which students will work on practical projects in health applications, according
to Sam Soret, PhD, director of the GIS unit; and assistant professor, environmental/occupational
health, SPH and SM. Upon completion of the certificate program, students will
be able to specialize by working on projects related to their particular field.
In addition to offering the bachelor of science degree and certificate, the GIS
unit is also involved in research projects. Currently, the unit is working on
an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded project titled "Relating
Cardiovascular Disease Risk to Ambient Air Pollutants Using Geographic Information
Systems Technology and Bayesian Neural Networks: The AHSMOG Study." Another
research project is an African American Health Initiative (AAHI) planning project
funded by the California Endowment Fund.
Bill Davenhall, ESRI's manager for health and human services comments, "There
is a very compelling need for GIS to become one of the building blocks of a modern
and progressive public health program. Realizing the inherent value of GIS across
the entire health continuum, Loma Linda University School of Public Health is
a pioneer in building a comprehensive program. Their program is designed to introduce
the power of GIS to those already working in the health field as well as those
still in training. We wish them the greatest success in this endeavor."
For more information about the certificate program, visit www.llu.edu/llu/sph/.
For general information about geoinformatics programs, visit www.llu.edu/llu/sph/geoinformatics,
call Dr. Sam Soret at (909) 558-8750, or e-mail him at ssoret@sph.llu.edu.
[Top] [email this page]
Thursday, February 5, 2004 TODAY
All contents copyright © 2002 Loma Linda
University. All rights reserved.
Revised
Thursday, March 25, 2004 11:19 PM
Send comments and questions to webmaster@univ.llu.edu
URL: http://www.llu.edu/