CUPC Research Presentation: Colleen Reid

Colleen Reid, Department of Geography, CU Boulder

It’s Not Easy Assessing Green: An exploration into different measures of exposure to urban vegetation and how that may differentially affect health

Abstract:

Numerous studies document various health benefits associated with living near vegetation, often called ‘green space’ or greenness. Studies have found that people who live in areas with more versus less surrounding greenness live longer, have better mental health, fewer adverse birth outcomes, and better self-rated health. But the conceptualization of what exposure to ‘green space’ or ‘greenness’ varies by study and it is unclear if study findings differ by how the exposure was measured and by the type of vegetation. My talk will detail findings from my work trying to understand what we mean by greenspace in urban areas and if this differentially affects health.

Bio:

Colleen Reid’s research focuses on the interaction of environmental and social exposures on population health with a particular focus on the health impacts of exposures influenced by global climatic changes and society’s responses to those changes. Specifically, she has led research projects on the health impacts of the 2008 northern California wildfires, and the creation and evaluation of a national neighborhood-level map of vulnerability to extreme heat events. Trained in environmental epidemiology and spatial exposure assessment at the University of California, Berkeley, her post-doctoral training was in social epidemiology as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholar at Harvard University. Dr. Reid is currently an assistant professor in Geography at the University of Colorado, Boulder.