Research Summary
I am an urban health researcher who studies the built environment and human health. My work bridges urban planning and public health to develop an equitable and sustainable place-based approach to healthy aging and resilient places.
Education
- B.S., Informatics, Information School , University of Washington
- B.S. (minor), Department of Geography, University of Washington
- Master of Public Administration (MPA), Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington
- Master of Urban Planning (MUP), Department of Urban Design and Planning, University of Washington
- Ph.D., Department of Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis, University of Southern California
Biography
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of City & Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah. I am also a PEAK urban researcher at the University of Oxford. Currently, I serve as the Director of the Healthy Aging and Resilient Places (HARP) Lab at the University of Utah.
My research focuses on the connection between the built environment and human health, with a particular interest on the social and environmental determinants of health. I have been working on two research streams to push the boundary of interdisciplinary urban health research. One stream is related to applying the concept of “cities as data” to understand cities as invisible grids and overlapping networks made up of vast quantities of data from sensors to crowdsourcing platforms. Another stream uses “cities as a living lab” to assess the impact and effectiveness of place-based approaches to addressing the wider determinants of health inequalities. My goal is to work with local communities and stakeholders to develop a more equitable and sustainable place-based approach to health and resilience across the lifespan.
Previously, I held positions at the University of Oxford, the University of British Columbia, the Korea Transport Institute, and Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates. I completed my Ph.D. at the University of Southern California and my graduate and undergraduate studies at the University of Washington.