Biography

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Dr. Young is a medical geographer interested in human-environment interactions (broadly defined) as they relate to public health. His research attempts to identify the spatiotemporal patterns and trends created by these interactions. With a strong quantitative background in GIS and remote sensing, he applies spatial statistics and geospatial modeling to uncover relationships between the environment and health outcomes across both space and time. Incorporating population, behavior, and environmental characteristics, his work extends across a number of diseases and health topics such as COVID-19, influenza, various cancers and screening programs, the opioid epidemic, environmental exposures, and spatial accessibility modeling. The focus of his current and future research is to explore how complex interactions between people and their environments impact disease outcomes and spatial health disparities.

Research Interest

  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
  • Landscape Genetics
  • Medical Geography
  • Spatial Accessibility Modeling

Publications

Featured Publications LegendFeatured Publications

Methylsulfonylmethane Serves as a Donor of Methyl Groups for Methylation of DNA in Human Liver HepaRG Cells.
Clement K, McGill MR, Miousse IR, Young SG, Melnyk S, Koturbash I, J Diet Suppl 2022 Dec 1-13
Influenza vaccination during pregnancy and risk of selected major structural congenital heart defects, National Birth Defects Prevention Study 2006-2011.
Palmsten K, Suhl J, Conway KM, Kharbanda EO, Scholz TD, Ailes EC, Cragan JD, Nestoridi E, Papadopoulos EA, Kerr SM, Young SG, Olson C, Romitti PA, Birth Defects Res 2022 Nov
Cytogenetic and epigenetic aberrations in peripheral lymphocytes of northwest Arkansas Marshallese.
Ewing LE, Pathak R, Landes RD, Skinner CM, Binz R, Young SG, Riklon S, Stahr S, Su J, Boerma M, McElfish PA, Hauer-Jensen M, Koturbash I, Int J Radiat Biol 2022 Aug 1-12
Influenza vaccination during pregnancy and risk of selected major structural noncardiac birth defects, National Birth Defects Prevention Study 2006-2011.
Palmsten K, Suhl J, Conway KM, Kharbanda EO, Ailes EC, Cragan JD, Nestoridi E, Papadopoulos EA, Kerr SM, Young SG, DeStefano F, Romitti PA, Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2022 Aug 31 8 851-862
Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence in Arkansas Over the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Boehme KW, Kennedy JL, Snowden J, Owens SM, Kouassi M, Mann RL, Paredes A, Putt C, James L, Jin J, Du R, Kirkpatrick C, Modi Z, Caid K, Young S, Zohoori N, Kothari A, Boyanton BL, Craig Forrest J, J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc 2022 Jun 11 6 248-256
Temporal Variations in Seroprevalence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infections by Race and Ethnicity in Arkansas.
Kennedy JL, Forrest JC, Young SG, Amick B, Williams M, James L, Snowden J, Cardenas VM, Boothe D, Kirkpatrick C, Modi Z, Caid K, Owens S, Kouassi M, Mann R, Putt C, Irish-Clardy K, Macechko M, Brimberry RK, Nembhard WN, McElfish PA, Du R, Jin J, Zohoori N, Kothari A, Hagrass H, Olgaard E, Boehme KW, Open Forum Infect Dis 2022 May 9 5 ofac154
Geospatial Assessment of Pesticide Concentration in Ambient Air and Colorectal Cancer Incidence in Arkansas, 2013-2017.
Su LJ, Young SG, Collins J, Matich E, Hsu PC, Chiang TC, Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 Mar 19 6
Molecular detection of influenza A viruses and H5 subtype among migratory Amur falcons (Falco amurensis) and captive birds of prey.
El Zowalaty ME, DeBeauchmp J, Jeevan T, Franks J, Friedman K, Pretorius R, Young SG, Webster RG, Webby RJ, Transbound Emerg Dis 2022 Mar 69 2 369-377
Collaborating With Community Scientists Across Arkansas to Update Tick Distributions and Pathogen Prevalence of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia and Ehrlichia.
Dowling APG, Young SG, Loftin K, J Med Entomol 2022 Mar 59 2 565-575
COVID-19 vaccination rates vary by community vulnerability: A county-level analysis.
Brown CC, Young SG, Pro GC, Vaccine 2021 Jun

Books

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Honors & Awards

  • Service Award
    Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (2022)
  • Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching
    Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (2021)
  • Jacques May Thesis Prize (Master's Division)
    Health and Medical Geography Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers (2014)
  • NSF IGERT: GEEMaP (Geoinformatics for Environmental and Energy Modeling and Prediction)
    (2013-2017)
  • University of Iowa Presidential Graduate Research Fellowship
    (2013-2017)

Professional Associations/Affiliations

  • American Association of Geographers (AAG) (2011)
  • American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) (2012-2014)
  • Heterodox Academy (2019)