The SDOH & PLACE Fellowship is a part-time virtual program of the new SDOH & Place Project, sponsored by the Healthy Regions & Policies Lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with funding in part from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Throughout this program, Fellows will learn how to develop a social determinants of health (SDOH) place-based visualization (e.g., asset map, story map, thematic map, or dashboard) based on a human-centered design (HCD) framework and participatory design principles. Fellows will additionally contribute to the SDOH & Place community toolkit's design, a core component of the SDOH & Place Project.

The Program

This program has six virtual modules that will enhance Fellows' design and technological skills, enabling them to create compelling place-based visualizations using SDOH data. The program features an introduction to human-centered design (HCD) and participatory design principles. HCD and participatory design principles emphasize social and spatial equity by advocating for the development of user-friendly applications in collaboration with the communities that will use them, rather than simply for them. Furthermore, given that a substantial portion of SDOH and place-related data is geospatial in nature, our program highlights essential skills in spatial data wrangling, place-based visualizations, and spatial analysis. Upon completing the program, Fellows will be capable of developing their own application or prototype, which they may potentially refine within the context of their SDOH projects.

Fellows will be introduced to a range of free and/or open source GIS technologies to enhance their design, analysis, and data communication skills. Fellows can choose from technologies that range from no-code options like StoryMapJS and uMap, to those that require coding such as R and MapBox GL, in order to create compelling place-based visualizations to communicate their SDOH findings and health initiatives.

Who We’re Looking For

We are seeking individuals in the field of health equity, regardless of their experience level. We welcome individuals who are part of larger organizations and have the time and enthusiasm to bring their data visualization projects to fruition. Given that this Fellowship is a collaborative initiative, we are particularly interested in individuals who can provide their current expertise within the field of health equity. Ideal candidates will have some experience with basic statistical software and database filters (e.g., Excel and Google spreadsheets) and simple web-mapping applications (e.g., Google Maps and Tripline). Above all, we highly value individuals who are determined to advance their skills in these areas—and bring their work in health equity—to a higher level.

Prospective candidates already have a general project in mind for their realm of health equity, but they might need more skills or knowledge to get started. These potential ventures could encompass diverse place-based visualizations and equity objectives, such as creating a resource map of healthy food options for a community-based group, translating research findings on pollution impacts in a neighborhood, or producing a story map to advocate for health initiatives within vulnerable populations. Moreover, these projects may be enhanced, expanded, or adapted with the assistance of the Healthy Regions and Policies Lab team during the program.

Who We Are

The Healthy Regions and Policies Lab, located at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is a dynamic research hub that employs cutting-edge techniques in GIScience, public health, and statistics to investigate, comprehend, and advocate for healthier communities. We’re experts in measuring the social determinants of health as community context and developing open resources. Recent initiatives include:

• The US Covid Atlas: a comprehensive map that monitors the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diverse communities throughout the United States.
• The ChiVes Project: an innovative tool designed for mapping and accessing data on environmental metrics in Chicago, developed with a research coalition.
• We also spearhead the Opioid Environment Policy Scan & lead the Geospatial Program at the JCOIN Methodology and Advanced Analytics Resource Center at the University of Chicago to improve understanding of the community context of the opioid epidemic and access to medications for opioid use disorder.

Our latest undertaking, The SDOH & Place project, reinforces our commitment to enhancing health equity and adds to our growing portfolio of projects.

Time Commitment

The SDOH & Place fellowship is a part-time virtual program that will span from February- early May. The total time commitment required from Fellows is about 40 hours split into the following:

• 2-hour virtual workshops held on the following 6 Fridays:

  • February 16th, 2024 from 9:00 AM- 11:00 AM CST
  • March 1st, 2024 from 9:00 AM- 11:00 AM CST
  • March 15th, 2024 from 9:00 AM- 11:00 AM CST
  • March 29th, 2024 from 9:00 AM- 11:00 AM CST
  • April 12th, 2024 from 9:00 AM- 11:00 AM CST
  • May 3rd, 2024 from 9:00 AM- 11:00 AM CST

• 5 hours of individual practice per session topic (learning & practice)

• 10 hours of development time to finalize and share the prototype

In addition, all fellows will be required to attend a 2-day conference in Chicago, IL, June 14th-15th to share and review their final prototypes. Travel stipends will be provided.

Stipend

All Fellows will be given the following for the development of their project:

• $5,000 for the development of the proposed project
• Travel funding to attend the 2-day conference in Chicago, IL June 14th-15th, 2024

How to Apply

The Fellowship application can be accessed here.

In addition to a completed application, the following items are required and will be attached to each application:

1. A 500-word MAX statement detailing the proposed SDOH and place-based equity project to be developed.
2. Provide availability for each workshop. Priority will be given to those who can attend all workshops.
3. Be able to attend the 2-day conference June 14th-15th, 2024.
4. Provide a Resume/CV detailing work in health equity. No experience in data dashboard development is required.
5. One letter of recommendation.

Applications are due on Friday, December 15th at 11:59 PM CST. The program will start in February 2024. If you have any additional questions, please contact Marc Astacio-Palmer (mastacio@illinois.edu).

Learn more:

• Keep up with the project
• Meet our Stakeholders
• Learn more about the SDOH & Place Project
• Learn more about our team