Fall 2022 - HSCI 890 G100

Special Topics in Health Sciences (4)

Strategic Applications of GIS in Health

Class Number: 6945

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 7 – Dec 6, 2022: Wed, Fri, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Special topics in areas not currently covered within the graduate program offerings.

COURSE DETAILS:

The goal of this course is to provide an introduction to Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and its use in health research and public health practice.  

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of relevant theoretical aspects of health geography, mapping, and spatial analysis along with practical experience of using GIS software. Topics covered may include infectious disease surveillance, injury mapping, environmental justice, exposure assessment, environmental health, social determinants of health, and access to health resources. The course will draw on real world examples and employ public use datasets for assignments.

Two 2-hour sessions per week in the computer lab will be a combination of lecture, presentations, and hands on data analysis.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Students who fulfill all course requirements will be better prepared to:  

1. Explain the role of GIS-based techniques and approaches to analyzing and describing data representing a public health issues. Primary assessment: Labs, in class assignments, critical appraisal, final group assignments.

2. Critique the use of GIS as an approach to representing data, people, their health outcomes, and strengths and weaknesses in regards to issues such as confidentiality, bias, and temporality. Primary assessment: Critical appraisal assignment.

3. Work in teams to design and apply GIS techniques to complete a health research study using Canadian population health data. Primary assessment: Final group project.

4. Apply GIS techniques to build datasets, identify spatial patterns in health outcomes, and conduct exploratory analyses of risk factors, in the context of a lab. Primary assessment: Labs, in class assignments, and final group project.

Grading

NOTES:

NOTES:

In class exercises and contributions     10%
Critical appraisal of journal article        10%
Lab exercises                                     30%
Final project                                       50%

Attendance is compulsory to in order to complete assignments and acquire skills necessary for the final project. The computer laboratory is available outside of class hours (when another class is not in session) for independent work on the lab exercises and final project.

Materials

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Graduate Studies Notes:

Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html