Health Informatics Seminar

TRANSLATIONAL HISPANIC HEALTH RESEARCH INITIATIVE

HEALTH INFORMATICS BROWN BAG SEMINAR

Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Cancer Disparities in Texas: Applications of Public Health Informatics in Health Disparities Research

This seminar will focus on the roads traveled and lessons learned by Dr. Hsu and his team in conducting spatio-temporal analyses for health disparities research. He will present his experience using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in AIDS program evaluation and Avian Influenza human case surveillance. He will discuss the development of a potential health disparities surveillance system, illustrated by spatio-temporal analysis of colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer disparities in Texas. Dr Hsu will elaborate on the strengths and weaknesses associated with using spatial-temporal analysis in cancer disparities and translational research, opportunities and challenges, and future directions of informatics in health disparities research.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26 12:00-1:00 EDUCATION BUILDING Room 402

Chiehwen Ed Hsu, PhD, MPH is Assistant Professor of Public Health Informatics at the University of Maryland (UMD) College Park, and adjunct faculty at the University of Texas School of Public Health. Hsu coordinates the UMD Graduate Certificate Program in Public Health Informatics, and is the former director of the MPH Program in Health Informatics at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. His research focuses on the application of public health informatics, specifically geographic information systems, spatial and temporal analyses, epidemiological and survey techniques for health disparities, minority health, and public health preparedness and response. In these areas he has completed several federal and state funded projects, and co-authored a dozen papers on the use of informatics methods. His work has been published nationally in such journals as the Journal of National Medical Association, Southern Medical Journal, International Journal of Health Geographics, Advances and Applications in Statistics, Disaster Management and Response, and Biosecurity and Bioterrorism. He is a member of several national and state health disparities expert panels, a consultant to a major media agency (the ABCNews Medical Unit), and has been an invited speaker at the National Press Club. Hsu completed his doctoral studies at the UT Houston School of Public Health and his undergraduate training in Preventive Medicine at Fujen Catholic University Medical College in Taipei, Taiwan. Sponsored by: