Geospatial information sciences (GIS) had not previously been applied to disease control, so Dohyeong Kim and his colleagues at the University of Texas at Dallas recently employed the methodology to tackle public health issues in Bangladesh.
“Geospatial
information sciences are still pretty new to some politicians and
policymakers,” said Kim, associate professor of public policy and political economy and geospatial information sciences in the School of Economic, Political
and Policy Sciences (EPPS). “They view it as [academic]. But
GIS can be used as a tool … to help them make more informed decisions.”
To pave the way for modernization, Kim and co-author
Priyanka Vyas collaborated on the study with Malabika Sarker, professor at the
James P. Grant School of Public Health at BRAC University in Dhaka, Bangladesh. EPPS
allotted a $5,000 grant to cover travel expenses.
Their study, published
in the Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, demonstrated that
lack of institutional collaboration, trained staff and systems understanding hindered
Bangladesh from utilizing spatial tools. As Vyas conducted interviews on the ground,
she developed a deep connection to the locale.
“I fell in love with the country,” she said, calling the
people fascinating and helpful. “I can never forget their hospitality. That
love is driving me to go there and work and commit myself to their problems.”
Among those
problems are malnutrition, frequent flooding and spread of communicable
diseases. Following the trip, Kim co-taught a workshop on geospatial analysis
for Bangladesh’s health care sector with associate professor Yongwan Chun;
subsequently they created the Center for
Geospatial Research in Global Health Policy at UT-Dallas to facilitate
research and training in developing nations.
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