Expertise

Health Geography, GIS, Epidemiology, Life Course, Health Disparities, Disease Mapping, Spatial Statistics, Geospatial Data Analytics

Biography

I am a geographer with expertise in health geography and geospatial methods, currently serving as a Professor in the Department of Geography, Environment and Urban Studies at Temple University and a member of the Fox Chase Cancer Center’s Cancer Prevention and Control program. I earned my Ph.D. in Geography from McGill University in 2005, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in biostatistics and epidemiology at McGill. Before joining Temple University in 2014, I served as a research scientist and Associate Director at the New Jersey State Cancer Registry, held faculty positions at the University of Utah and Rutgers University, and was also a member of the Rutgers Cancer Institute and Huntsman Cancer Institute.

My research focuses on describing and understanding geographic and place-based health disparities, particularly in cancer prevention and outcomes. I specialize in geospatial data analytic approaches and the development of innovative methods, including the incorporation of residential histories in cancer research. I also have significant expertise in studying geographic access to care, including mapping disparities in access to cancer screening and treatment facilities and evaluating geographic barriers and health outcomes. I have led and collaborated on interdisciplinary projects funded by the NSF, NIH, DOD, and ACS, contributing to advancements in cancer surveillance, HPV vaccination uptake, and life-course approaches to health disparities. My work has been featured in prominent journals and media outlets, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and CBS News.

At Temple University, I established the Medical Geography and Population Health Spatial Analytics Laboratory (MAPS), where I mentor students and conduct research using geospatial methods to address health disparities. I have also contributed to national data initiatives, served on advisory committees, and collaborated with organizations like the NCI, CDC, and NAACCR to advance cancer surveillance and inform health policy.

Website

Selected Publications

• Wiese D*, Escalante AA, Murphy H, Henry KA, Gutierrez-Velez VH (2019) Integrating environmental and neighborhood factors in MaxEnt modeling to predict species distributions: A case study of Aedes albopictus in southeastern Pennsylvania. PLOS ONE 14(10): e0223821. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223821
• Pinto N, Henry KA, Wei G, Sheng X, Greene T, Puchalski M, Byrne J, Kinney A.  Barriers to Sonographer Screening for Fetal Heart Defects: A National Survey’. Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy. 2019 Aug 15:1-10. doi: 10.1159/000501430. [Epub ahead of print]
• Swiecki-Sikora A*, Henry KA, Kepka D. HPV Vaccination Coverage Among U.S. Teens Across the Rural-Urban Continuum. J Rural Health. 2019 Jan 31. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12353. [Epub ahead of print].
• Li K, Wen M, Henry KA: Ethnic density, immigrant enclaves, and Latino health risks: A propensity score matching approach. Soc Sci Med 2017, 189:44-52.
• Henry KA, Swiecki-Sikora AL, Stroup AM, Warner EL, Kepka D: Area-based socioeconomic factors and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among teen boys in the United States. BMC Public Health 2017, 18(1):19.
• Stroup AM, Herget KA, Hanson HA, Reed DL, Butler JT, Henry KA, Harrell CJ, Sweeney C, Smith KR: Baby Boomers and Birth Certificates: Early-Life Socioeconomic Status and Cancer Risk in Adulthood. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017, 26(1):75-84.
• Schootman M, Gomez SL, Henry KA, Paskett ED, Ellison GL, Oh A, Taplin SH, Tatalovich Z, Berrigan DA: Geospatial Approaches to Cancer Control and Population Sciences. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017, 26(4):472-475.
• Roche LM, Niu X, Stroup AM, Henry KA: Disparities in Female Breast Cancer Stage at Diagnosis in New Jersey: A Spatial-Temporal Analysis. J Public Health Manag Pract 2017, 23(5):477-486.
• Boscoe FP, Henry KA, Johnson CJ, Sherman RL. The relationship between cancer incidence, stage, and poverty in the United States. International Journal of Cancer. 2016.
• Henry KA, Warner EL, Stroup AM,  Kepka D. Geographic Factors and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Initiation among Adolescent Girls in the United States. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 2015.
• Henry KA, Fagliano J, Jordan HM, Rechtman L, Kaye WE. Geographic Variation of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Incidence in New Jersey, 2009-2011. American journal of epidemiology. 2015.
• Roche LM, Niu X, Henry KA. Invasive Cervical Cancer Incidence Disparities in New Jersey – a Spatial Analysis in a High Incidence State. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved,  2015.
• Kohler BA,  Sherman R, Howlader N, Jemal A, Ryerson B, Henry KA, Boscoe FP, Cronin KA,  Lake A, Noone AM, Henley SJ,  Eheman CR,  Anderson RN, Penberthy L. Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2011. Featuring Incidence of Breast Cancer Subtypes by Race/Ethnicity, Poverty, and State. Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI), 2015 107 (6): doi: 10.1093/jnci/djv048. PMID: 25825511

Courses Taught

• Fundamentals of GIS
• Health and Medical Geography
• GIS for Public Health and Epidemiology
• Spatial Epidemiology
• Human Geography
• Environmental GIS
• Cartographic Design 
• Population Geography