HEALTH, PLACE & SPATIAL DATA SCIENCE
Our lab links geography, open GIS, & computational social science to measure the multiple dimensions of place. We explore how social, spatial, racial, built environment, and structural drivers influence health. We also build apps for social change with & for communities.
HEROP Projects
Explore & learn more about ongoing, active, & archived projects at the lab.
News
Catch up on the latest projects, read about recent publications, or learn about upcoming events of the Healthy Regions & Policies Lab.
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Mandela Gadri, a member of the HEROP Lab, is the recipient of the Messina-Stanley Graduate Scholarship in Medical and Environmental Geography for the 2025–2026 academic year. Dr. Kolak notes that Mandela “consistently brings together technical skill, conceptual clarity, and practical relevance in ways that are increasingly necessary for addressing uneven access to transportation and opportunity…
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The HEROP Speaker Series invites participants to explore “Our Bodies, Our Places, Our Stories” on March 27th at 12 PM CT. Featuring Dr. AJ Kim, the event discusses marginalized communities’ hidden health resources through qualitative spatial data. Options for in-person and virtual attendance are available, promoting dialogue on social determinants of health.
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Check out the HEROP’s lab latest article on understanding & advancing environmental justice (EJ) technologies and technospaces, published with open, free access at Wellbeing, Space & Society. The article reviews EJ technologies from Pellow’s view of Environmental Inequality Formation, tracing perspectives across national, state, and regional applications like EJ Screen. We include a survey of…
2026 Conferences
HEROP will be at the following conferences this year. As we get more details, we’ll link here!
American Association of Geographers
March 2026
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San Francisco, California
Society for Epidemiological Research
June 2026
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Phoenix, AZ
GeoMED Conference
June 2026
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Pamplona, Spain
International Medical Geography Symposium
July 2026
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Toronto, Ontario, Canada
SDOH & Place Symposium
September 2026
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Chicago, IL
Healthy Regions & Policies Lab 