SFU Health Geography



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The health geography group at Simon Fraser University undertakes highly innovative and internationally regarded research on a variety of health - and health care - topics. As a team, we work at the intersection of spatial analysis and social aspects of health and health care. This unique approach allows us to fuse research inquiry informed by the medical and spatial components of geography (e.g., through examining problems of health service location and the spatial distribution of health-related population variables) with the cultural geographies of health (e.g., in exploring the lived experience of health care) to provide health scientists, social scientists, decision-makers, and others with valuable information. We work with a number of collaborators from across health sectors; this interdisciplinarity enhances the quality and relevance of our research findings.

The mission of the health geography group is to:
• Undertake methodologically innovative spatial research that addresses real-world health and health care problems
• Use geographic ideas, theories, and methods to address pressing health and health care problems in Canada and abroad
• Develop meaningful partnerships with research collaborators and end-users that can offer new perspectives on research problems
• Obtain research funding that enables the pursuit of high-quality research
• Publish research findings in venues that will heighten the visibility of health geography in multiple domains

Central to our mission is the training of graduate students. Graduate students in the health geography group work in a collaborative environment that supports their development as scholars and researchers. They also have access to a well-resourced, dedicated health geography laboratory. Graduate students in the group are also active participants in national and international conferences, and have received numerous awards for their outstanding presentations. If you are interested in becoming a graduate trainee in the health geography group please contact Drs. Crooks, Schuurman or Knudby directly.