{"673222":{"#nid":"673222","#data":{"type":"event","title":"PhD Defense by Michael M. Thomas","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EPh.D. Thesis Defense Announcement\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EINVESTIGATING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT\u2019S ROLE IN CONTEMPORARY PUBLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBy\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u0026nbsp;Michael M. Thomas\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAdvisor:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EDr. John E Taylor (CEE)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ECommittee Members:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u0026nbsp; B. Aditya Prakash (CSE), Dr. Yichang James Tsai (CEE),\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDr. Lance A Waller (Emory, Biostat) Dr. Neda Mohammadi (CEE)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EDate and Time:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u0026nbsp; March 12, 1:00 PM\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ELocation: *\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ECODA Building, C1308 Cabbagetown,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.zoom.us\/j\/8645436884?pwd=T3A5aFkyYzY3dHpwZDNlR091NU5kZz09\u0022 title=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.zoom.us\/j\/8645436884?pwd=T3A5aFkyYzY3dHpwZDNlR091NU5kZz09\u0022\u003EZoom\u003C\/a\u003E: \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMeeting ID: 864 543 6884, Passcode: 439317\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe impacts of built environment risk factors on public health outcomes have been the center of varying research efforts as early as industrialization changed the way humans live. The COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid crisis are two examples of twenty-first century public health crises that exemplify the longevity of these issues in spite of strides towards healthier communities. Addressing the root causes of these emergencies through public health intervention necessitates untangling the associations between urbanization\u0027s externalities and the diseases\u0027 sequelae. This dissertation aims to bring into focus a cross section of epidemiology, computing, and civil engineering that considers the impact of crowding and the effects of the built environment on physical and behavioral health.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nIn the first of three studies, this dissertation investigates a potential link between mass transit attitudes as a proxy for transit crowding and COVID-19 incidence in a national study of U.S. metropolitan areas. This work adds to the web of risk factors and interactions that were pinpointed to determine which public health interventions, behavioral recommendations, and resources are needed to protect against disease spread in respiratory disease epidemics. The second study builds on this inference by suggesting a method to leverage information on human behavior and the built environment to better predict the transmission of diseases in the early stages of novel infectious disease pandemics. This second study provides a framework for making these predictions in locations that do not yet have any cases or have an extremely small number of cases despite other locations having established outbreaks. Finally, a third study outlines a novel approach to evaluate theory around the built environment\u0027s impacts on a different public health outcome that has relentlessly evaded numerous interventions in recent decades. Researchers and the behavioral health community alike have been vexed by the changing proliferation of opioids in different formats the more recent ones, synthetics, proving more deadly than many of the last. The risk factors for opioid mortality have varied over time and region and require sophisticated modeling approaches to parse out which communities are in need of which type of interventions. This third study aims to understand crucial differences between the way theorized risk factors for opioid overdose mortality change across urban and rural counties in Georgia: a task that has proved difficult due to unstable mortality rates in low-population areas.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCities and public health risks share common origins as the proliferation of the former led to an explosion of the latter. These studies together aim to continue efforts at uncovering the hidden associations between the built environment and contemporary public health emergencies by filling key gaps in knowledge pertaining to the most pressing challenges to our communities\u0027 progress and vitality.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E*\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ECODA is a secure building. If you need access, please contact Michael in advance so he can make arrangements for you.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EINVESTIGATING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT\u2019S ROLE IN CONTEMPORARY PUBLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"INVESTIGATING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT\u2019S ROLE IN CONTEMPORARY PUBLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES"}],"uid":"27707","created_gmt":"2024-02-27 20:00:29","changed_gmt":"2024-02-27 20:00:29","author":"Tatianna Richardson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2024-03-12T13:00:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2024-03-12T15:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2024-03-12T15:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2024-03-12 17:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2024-03-12 19:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2024-03-12 19:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"*CODA Building, C1308 Cabbagetown,  Zoom: Meeting ID: 864 543 6884, Passcode: 439317","extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"100811","name":"Phd Defense"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1788","name":"Other\/Miscellaneous"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78771","name":"Public"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}