Research Using Applied Spacial Statistical Methods

Dr. Corey Sparks and Dr. Johnelle Sparks are assistant professors at UTSA’s, College of Public Policy, Department of Demography and Organization Studies. Both received their doctorate degrees from The Pennsylvania State University. Johnelle has been with the program for three years and Corey for two years.

 

Dr. Corey Sparks' research focuses on the interaction between humans and their environment, and how this interaction affects behavior.  He also focuses on the use of mathematical and statistical methods to examine human health and reproduction.  His teaching is primarily focused on the use and application of advanced statistical techniques including hazards analysis, multivariate methods and spatial statistics in human population analysis.  Dr. Sparks has also recently been named a fellow at the UTSA Mexico Center.

 

His current projects include:

• The analysis of mortality and fertility in Orkney, Scotland.
• The application of spatial regression methods to the variation in U.S. mortality rates.
• Analyzing health and migrant behavior in Mexican municipios.
• The use of the variable-r method to problems of small scale population growth.

Dr. Johnelle Sparks is interested in early childhood health and development with an emphasis on health disparities and the interaction of individual level risk factors with the local environment to predict health outcomes. Theoretically, she is interested in the role that spatial inequality plays in determining different health outcomes across populations. Dr. Sparks has recently received funding from the Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin, USDA RIDGE grant which will be supported through July 2009. This project will examine the impact WIC usage plays in alleviating food insecurity in low income families and long term health benefits of the WIC program on preventing childhood morbidity. Her teaching is aimed at preparing graduate students to use appropriate statistical methods and survey methodology to conduct population based research. She also teaches seminars in health and mortality, and health disparities. She is excited to have her first student prepare for comprehensive exams in the fall.

 

Her current projects include:

• Validity studies to establish a measure of childhood morbidities.
• Health disparities research with specific attention given to prematurity status, asthma, and childhood morbidities.
• Redefining a spatial matrix to examine infant mortality in U.S. counties.
• National examination of WIC usage from birth until age 4.

Together, Drs. Corey and Johnelle Sparks are interested in applying spatial statistics methods to explore applied demographic problems.  They currently have a paper under review that states the rationale for using spatial statistics to examine demographic problems that have an inherent spatial dimension.  The couple will chair a session at the upcoming Applied Demography Conference, co-sponsored by the department of Demography and Organization Studies and held in San Antonio, which deals with the appropriate use of spatial statistical methods when approaching applied demographic problems.  They will present a paper that uses these methods to consider placement of specialized health care facilities across the state of Texas. The Sparks are also continuing work on health outcomes in Mexico from a population perspective using multilevel and spatial statistical models.