Health Geographics Lab

Household Water InSecurity Experiences (HWISE)
Research Coordination Network: Building a Community of Practice for Household Water Insecurity (HWISE) Research, funded by the National Science Foundation. Dr. Stoler is co-PI of this RCN which supports conceptual advances in the study of household water provision and water insecurity in relation to broader social and environmental challenges. Read more about the HWISE Network, which comprises data from study sites in over 20 countries around the world. 

Etiology and Improved Differential Diagnosis of Acute Febrile Illness in West Africa
The rapid urbanization of sub-Saharan Africa has led to changes in infectious disease ecology, but diagnostic limitations mean that most fevers are misdiagnosed and subsequently left untreated. Dr. Stoler and collaborators at the University of Ghana are working to improve local diagnoses of febrile illnesses (such as viral fevers, etc.) that are commonly misdiagnosed as malaria.

Factors Influencing Childhood Eating Behaviors and Weight in Low-Income Children
This study explores how childhood obesity is affected by family networks, healthcare providers, and their spatial accessibility to low income families, as well as the types of foods that are available in participants' homes. Dr. Moise uses GIS and participatory network-mapping methods to work collaboratively with local families who receive social services from Florida and Miami-Dade County.

Urbanization and the Transformation of Drinking Water Sources in Ghana
Chronic shortages of piped drinking water in urban West Africa have led to the recent emergence of packaged drinking water sold in small plastic sachets. Dr. Stoler has studied this dynamic industry since 2008 and continues to explore drinking water trends at the national, regional, and community level, particularly as related to urban poverty and water quality.

Impact of Rural-Urban Migration on Nutrition and Low Birth Weight in Nigeria
Rapid rural-urban migration in Benue State, Nigeria, offers a unique opportunity to study the peri-urban differences in low-birth weight and nutritional status. Dr. Moise, along with colleagues in the US and Nigeria, hope to integrate and geographically target nutrition interventions into antenatal care programs to improve birth weight, maternal health, and nutrition outcomes.

Intimate Partner Violence Services & Community Determinants in Miami-Dade County
Dr. Stoler is working with a multidisciplinary team of researchers from public health, criminology, and law to improve our understanding of the availability of social, health, and legal resources for overcoming IPV. We have surveyed serveral categories of service providers and aim to identfy geographic gaps in service provision, and any associated demographic (especially racial/ethnic) disparities in access. 

Spatial Analysis of Adolescent Alcohol-Related Trauma Hospitalizations in Illinois
Dr. Moise uses Trauma Registry data to describe trends in alcohol-related trauma center admissions, to identify risk factors associated with  geographic variability, and to determine if there is a relationship between accident location and the patient's residence.  Detection of alcohol abuse among adolescent trauma patients could facilitate targeted counseling, rehabilitative treatment, and substance abuse prevention.