Courses
SABR 6930, 4930 or SABR 2930 - GIS for Public Management (3 credits)
Professors Kim Gray & Mary Howard
kgray@aug.edu mhoward@aug.edu
A geographic information system (GIS) is a system used to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, and display all types of spatially referenced geographic information about locations of interest on the earth's surface and how they relate to each other. The power of GIS is in linking historical as well as actively changing databases to specific locations, not only for visual representation in maps, but also for detailed analytical purposes of determining locational influences of features and events on the earth’s surface.
This program will be coordinated with the Department of Psychology and The INternational Cervical CAncer (INCCA) Foundation. Geographic Information Systems, or GIS can integrate and relate any data with a spatial component, regardless of the source of the data. Non-profit organizations are turning to GIS for many reasons, not least of which are (a) the availability of numerous geospatial databases including socioeconomic, demographic, environmental as well as health-related; and (b) recent developments in spatial analysis methods (increasingly found within commercial GIS). Government agencies including various branches of the CDC (www.cdc.gov), the EPA (www.epa.gov), and the US Census Bureau (www.census.gov) use GIS, and their websites include information that is readily accessible in mapping formats. Often, GIS is a tool that is used to show funding needs, disease migration and prediction, and demographics. Large health organizations, health insurance companies, hospitals and emergency management services are investing in GIS.
This GIS project will help Dr. Ferris at INCCA integrate the database of patients that Dr. Ferris has seen in the clinic and in the Highlands, and help to identify prospective patients in the region to determine the density and specific locations of cervical cancer patients in Peru. Students will use GPS equipment to identify locations, input patient data, and travel around the region to collect data for the database. The collected database will then be matched with the current clinic database, and a geographic visual representation of his past and current patients will be available for analysis. The clinic will then use the data to identify areas to focus prevention and treatment efforts, identify areas that have a high rate of cervical cancer and ensure all women are treated in those high density areas, determine areas that have low or no patients represented, and to use the data for further research as well as to determine underserved areas. The GIS will then be continually updated over a time sequence to see changes and improvements the clinic has made in the lives of Peruvian women.
The goals of the program are to teach students a practical application of GIS, using GIS to solve a problem, and relating GIS to other disciplines. The broad uses of GIS and the application of the science to many other fields will be introduced, and ideas for future expansion will be encouraged.
SABR 2930, 4930 or 6930
Health Psychology- South of the Border (3 credits)
Dr. Rebecca Rogers
From a US perspective, health psychology involves the dynamic relationship between one’s mental and physical health. It applies traditional psychological concepts to health and healthcare. Those who study health psychology need to understand the health and healthcare of the society in order to effectively use the principles of health psychology.
What is health and healthcare like south of the border? Do “traditional” (i.e., US) health psychology theories and concepts apply south of the border? Can we effectively apply the strategies of US’s health psychology to another culture?
With this unique experience, students will learn by doing. We will explore the culture of Peru and learn about the health and healthcare of South America. Learning activities will include: museum and hospital tours; work with a nearby women’s health clinic; travel to remote villages and observation of healthcare providers.
For this trip, students may enroll in one of three courses: 2960, 4960, 6960. Prerequisites and requirements vary by course. Please email the instructor, at rrogers@aug.edu, for more information.
