Call for Participation
URISA’s GIS in Public Health Conference
Putting Health in Place with GIS
June 5-8, 2009 - Providence, Rhode Island

URISA is now accepting abstract submissions for its Second GIS in Public Health Conference, taking place in Providence, Rhode Island, June 5-8, 2009.

Conference Vision: To provide an open and participatory forum for advancing the effective use of spatial information and geographic information system technologies across the domains of public health, healthcare and community health preparedness.

We invite you to share your knowledge and ideas with your colleagues and peers. You are encouraged to submit an abstract for consideration by the Conference Program Committee. The Committee will organize an educational program based upon the abstracts submitted through this Call for Participation. All abstract submissions, received by October 31, 2008, will be reviewed and considered for this comprehensive educational program.

The Program Committee encourages you to submit abstracts in one or more of the following general categories (examples of topics within each category are included). The committee invites examples of GIS and spatial analysis in these various areas, including case studies, empirical analysis, etc.

All-Hazard Preparedness and Disaster Response

• Bioterrorism and agroterrorism issues
• Interagency cooperation and data sharing
• Data standards and interoperability
• Lessons learned
• Strategic National Stockpile
• Public health preparedness

Environmental Health

• Lead in soil and houses
• Brownfields
• Water quality, septic systems and wells
• Underground storage tank facilities
• Radiation and nuclear power
• Environmental exposure assessment
• Beach monitoring
• Environmental public health tracking
• Environmental justice

Disease Surveillance and Epidemiology

• Food-related outbreaks -- Salmonella and E coli
• Outbreak epidemiology, disease cluster identification and response
• Infectious diseases – e.g. Avian Influenza, measles, Dengue Fever
• International issues and travel medicine
• Cancer, nervous system disorders and other chronic disease
• Aging populations and disabilities
• Injuries prevention
• Nutrition and access to foods
• Wildlife and animal health and vector-borne illness
• Disease atlases

Hospitals and Healthcare

• Facilities management and siting
• Healthcare resources and services delivery
• Patient tracking
• Identification of underserved populations
• Medical/Clinical Research
• Nosocomial and antibiotic-resistant infections

Healthy Communities and Social Factors in Health

• Urban air quality and asthma
• Obesity and urban spaces
• Census demographics
• Health disparities and race
• Land use change and health
• Community Health Status Assessment

Maternal and Child Health

• Infant and child mortality
• Birth outcomes
• Access to social services
• WIC and other social programs
• Immunizations
• Domestic violence
• Fertility and multiple births

Public Policy and Health Advocacy

• Community involvement
• Legal issues
• Planning and health
• Public participation GIS
• Data confidentiality, ethics and privacy
• Health and Human Services

Models, Methods and Spatial Data Infrastructure

• Predictive and statistical spatial models
• Spatial statistics and disease clusters
• Survey-based data (NHIS, BRFSS, PRAMS)
• GIS implementation in public health
• Geocoding and data accuracy
• Public health linkages in the broader geospatial world
• Multi-level modeling
• Web-based delivery of health data and applications

Selection Criteria

The following items must be explicitly addressed for an abstract submission to be considered:
a. Basic Theme: Is the presentation about a project, a system application activity, a methodology, or the evaluation of a technology? Does it address the technical, policy or organizational aspect of the subject?

b. Value of the Subject: The presentation’s scope and originality must be of interest to a significant number of expected conference attendees. Your proposal should indicate which audience segment would be most interested in your presentation and what will be learned from the presentation.

Please note:

a. Presentations that market specific products and services will not be accepted, nor are presentations of this nature acceptable at the conference. Case studies should be presented by the sponsoring organization, not by vendors.

b. All abstract submissions are due on or before October 31, 2008.

c. Abstracts should be no more than 250 words in length and should not include figures nor tables.

d. If accepted, expect to provide a full paper for publication in the Conference Proceedings no later than June 26, 2009. (The Proceedings will be distributed after the conference)

e. All accepted presenters must register at the regular conference registration fee.

Presentation Format

Four presentation formats will be considered:

Single presentation – Each presenter is allotted 20 minutes, plus 10 minutes for questions. Presentations of this type will be scheduled with two other presentations to form a cohesive session of 90 minutes in length.

Complete session – Comprised of three individual presentations, SUBMITTED TOGETHER, with a common theme. A complete session is 90 minutes in length.

Panel – A 90 minute presentation which encourages interaction and discussion between the panelists and the audience. Panel presentations should include at least three panelists all speaking on different aspects of a particular topic.

Poster presentation – Those accepted for presentation within the poster session will prepare posters for display within the exhibition and will be asked to be prepared to discuss their presentations informally with conference attendees during assigned times during the conference.

Presenter’s Calendar

Abstract Submissions Due: October 31, 2008
Acceptance Notification: December 1, 2008
Conference: June 5-8, 2009
Paper/Presentation Due for Conference Proceedings CD: June 26, 2009

For budgeting purposes —
Conference Location: Westin Providence
Conference Hotel Rate: $149 single / double
Early Registration Rates: URISA Member: $295; Nonmember: $395
Preconference Workshops: Member Rate $195; Nonmember Rate: $245

Note: All accepted presenters must register and pay the regular conference registration fee. Acceptance as a presenter does not register you for the conference — registration fees are required.

The conference program and registration form will be available by the end of this year.

Information about exhibiting and sponsorships in support of this conference will be available in November.

2009 URISA GIS in Public Health Conference Committee

This conference is guided and organized by an esteemed group of professionals. Without their expertise and enthusiasm, this conference would not be possible.

Conference Chair
Marilyn Ruiz, GIS and Spatial Analysis, University of Illinois – Pathobiology – Urbana, IL

Program Chair
Ric Skinner, GISP, The Stoneybrook Group - Sturbridge, MA

Committee Members:

• Jason Blackburn, California State University Fullerton

• Alex Charleston, Centers for Disease Control Environmental Public Health Tracking - Atlanta, GA

• Ellen K. Cromley, PhD, Institute for Community Research - Hartford, CT

• Carrie Dolan, VA Dept of Health – Richmond, VA

• Michael Dow, Tennessee Dept of Health – Nashville, TN

• Joan N. Gardner, Gardner Associates – Concord, MA

• Kevin Gibbs, City of Chicago Public Health – Epidemiology

• Mandy Green, Oregon Public Health Division – Portland, OR

• Timothy Hare, Morehead State University – Morehead, KY

• Wansoo Im, Vertices LLC - New Brunswick, NJ

• Nicholas F Jones, MBChB MPH , Office of Informatics and Information Resource Management , National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control - Atlanta, GA

• Carl Kinkade, MCRP, GISP, GIS Consultant to the National Center for Public Health Informatics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Atlanta, GA

• Russell S. Kirby, PhD, MS, FACE, Professor and Marrell Endowed Chair, Department of Community and Family Health, SF College of Public Health -  Tampa, FL

• Uriel Kitron, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois - Urbana, IL

• C. Virginia Lee, MD, MPH, MA, Geospatial Research, Analysis, & Services Program, DHS, ATSDR - Atlanta, GA

• Yan Liu, HSSE National Institute of Education - Singapore

• John B Malone, DVM, PhD, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge, LA

• Dr. Alan Melnick, Oregon Health Sciences University and Clackamas County Health Officer – Portland, OR

• Adrienne Perry, San Diego County Health & Human Services Agency

• Lars Skog, Royal Institute of Technology - Sweden

• James L Tobias, GISP, CDC – Atlanta, GA

• Leah M. Vaughan, M.D., M.P.H. - San Francisco, CA

• Sacoby Wilson, University of South Carolina

Abstract Submission Deadline: October 31, 2008

Online Abstract Submission Form