Our Bodies, Our Places, Our Stories: Mapping Alternative Health Assets in New York and New Orleans.

Join us for lunch, learning, and conversation at the next installment of the HEROP Speaker Series on Friday, March 27th, at 12 PM CT. Lunch will be served from 12-12:30pm, so please join us in person a bit early to eat & mingle!

AJ Kim, PhD,
San Diego State University
Friday, March 27th @ 12PM CT,
via Zoom & In-Person in NHB 2049, Urbana, IL

Qualitative and narrative data particularly from a spatial perspective provides an opportunity to understand hidden resources within diverse communities. The purpose of this project is to create a better understanding of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats experienced by marginalized communities facing compounding forms of structural racism in specific geographic areas characterized by their own historical, social, cultural, political, and economic conditions. A deeper understanding of how vulnerable populations navigate both formal and informal assets (of and for the body) is storied by utilizing cognitive mapping, body mapping, and counter-mapping tools in diverse neighborhoods and communities.

About the Speaker

AJ Kim, PhD

Dr. AJ Kim has worked with immigrant rights and environmental justice organizations nationally and internationally for over twenty years. They have a Ph.D. in Urban Planning (UCLA) and a Master’s degree in Ethnic Studies (UCSD). They conduct participatory planning activities in immigrant-dense cities and suburbs to create safer communities for all. They are an Associate Professor of City Planning, with affiliations in the Graduate School of Public Health and LGBTQ+ Studies at San Diego State University. AJ Kim is the Project Director and PI of “Geospatial Mapping for Alternative Health Assets”, funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and leads research teams for health equity with non-governmental partners. Learn more at  https://www.unauthorizedcity.com. They are currently a Senior Fellow at Stanford University and the Robert S. Cornish Chair in Environmental Justice at the College of Environmental Design, UC Berkeley.

In-person or Virtual?

The in-person option is open the University of Illinois community (students, staff, and faculty). We will have lunch for all attendees who RSVP by Wednesday @10am before the event. To register for the in-person option, please access the following link: go.illinois.edu/HEROP-MAR27

A virtual option via Zoom is available for the public. To register for the Zoom option, please access the following link: go.illinois.edu/HEROP-ZOOM-MAR27

About the Series

The HEROP Speaker Series connects scholars, experts, and innovative thinkers to discuss different conceptual, methodological, and technological facets of public health to better understand the social determinants of health, and how place may influence outcomes. The Healthy Regions & Policies (HEROP) Lab integrates innovative GIScience, public health, and statistical approaches to explore, understand, and promote healthy places. We’re experts in the spatial & social determinants of health. We’re based out of the Dept of Geography & GIScience at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.