Leveraging Geospatial Science to Better Understand How We Live, Work and Play

Speaker: Dr. Enbal Shacham, Associate Dean for Research in the College for Public Health and Social Justice, and Professor of Behavioral Science and Health Equity, Saint Louis University

Hosted by the Geospatial Graduate Student Organization and part of GIS Week at NC State.

Summary: Geospatial science has transformed our understanding of how people navigate their communities, making it easier to analyze movement patterns and opening new avenues for improving public health practices. Dr. Shacham’s research identifies and addresses the inequities rooted in place, recognizing that where we are born often shapes the opportunities available to us. In this talk, she discusses how her work aims to create more equitable neighborhoods that foster healthier outcomes for all.

About the speaker: Dr. Enbal Shacham is a professor and Associate Dean for Research at the College for Public Health and Social Justice at Saint Louis University. She has been intersecting health and geospatial research throughout her career. Her research has explored social and physical environmental factors and their impact on infectious and chronic diseases with the goal of leveraging technological advancements and data to improve health equity. The research she conducts is committed to growing insightful methods to better understand and provide real-time data, analyses, and interventions for improving health equity across communities both domestically and internationally. She also serves on the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation Board of Directors, the St. Louis City Board of Health and Hospitals, and the Ashrei Foundation Board of Directors.