UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — With the risk of disease outbreaks growing in global importance, scientists are fostering international ties to improve the detection and treatment of diseases.

To increase the sharing of disease detection knowledge and technology, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a fellowship to Chris Goranson, a Penn State World Campus student in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), through the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes. As part of the fellowship, Goranson, who serves as the director of the GIS Center at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, will team up with scientists from Japan’s National Institute of Public Health on a project to compare cluster detection methods used in syndromic surveillance. 

Syndromic surveillance is an early-detection system that uses computer modeling to detect patterns that may indicate an outbreak of disease or the existence of another health concern. 

Goranson said that the Penn State online courses, especially the GIS Analysis of Health (GEOG 597K) and Geographical Information Analysis (GEOG 586), were instrumental in attaining the fellowship.

“I enjoyed the online GIS program immensely,” Goranson said. “I honestly think that the only way I could even be considering this fellowship, at this point in time, is because of those courses.” 

According to Goranson, health professionals are discovering that GIS technologies can help detect rapidly evolving disease outbreaks and emergencies. 

“There’s been a recent explosion of uses in GIS and a corresponding urgency in public health because they can be so instrumental,” Goranson said. “GIS has a long history in the oil and gas industry, for example, but public health is different because you’re looking at health outcomes among a population that is more fluid.” 

David DiBiase, senior lecturer in Penn State’s Department of Geography and faculty coordinator of the postbaccalaureate certificate and master’s programs in geographic information systems, said that epidemiologists recognize the geographic component of many public health problems, from AIDS to avian flu to certain cancers. 

“Chris is in the vanguard of analysts who are leveraging the analytical capabilities of geographic information systems (GIS) and related tools to advance the state of the art in epidemiology and public health security,” DiBiase said. “We are very proud to be able to help Chris master the knowledge and skills he needs to make a difference in his important field.” 

Penn State World Campus Director Ken Udas said that Goranson is another example of Penn State online students who are making their mark on the world in profound ways.

“Receiving a National Science Foundation Fellowship is quite an accomplishment and we’re proud of Chris,” said Ken Udas, director of Penn State World Campus. “We’re also proud of the work that Chris is doing and how his efforts can make the world a better, safer place.” 

For more information, visit www.worldcampus.psu.edu/ online.

Penn State World Campus specializes in adult online education, delivering 62 of Penn State's most highly regarded graduate, undergraduate and professional education programs through convenient online formats. Founded in 1998, Penn State World Campus is the University's 25th campus serving more than 7,000 students in all 50 states, in 42 countries, and across six continents. For more information, visit the World Campus online at http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/. Penn State World Campus is a part of Penn State Outreach, the largest unified outreach organization in American higher education. Penn State Outreach serves more than 5 million people each year, delivering more than 2,000 programs to people in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and 80 countries worldwide.