Enabling geographic research for health professionals at Harvard University

This paper will detail how the Center for Geographic Analysis, Harvard Map Collection, and Harvard Geospatial Library work together to enable medical and public health research across Harvard University. It will discuss geographic concepts that apply to medicine and public health, pertinent data available in geographic format, and analytical techniques. The workflow methodology the CGA has developed for conducting medical research with geographic data will be presented, highlighting successful practices to follow and pitfalls to avoid. Applications of this workflow will be illustrated through the documentation of specific projects in medical and public health research at the University.