Dr. Jason Gilliland, PhD
Children’s Health Research Institute
Scientist, Child Health and Well-Being Program
Lawson Health Research Institute
Scientist, Children’s Health Research Institute
University of Western Ontario
Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Science
Director, Urban Development Program
Director, Human Environments Analysis Laboratory
Contact Information
Tel: 519) 661-2111 Ext. 81239
Fax: 519) 661-3750
E-mail: jgillila@uwo.ca
Web: www.spatialists.com
Brief Biography
After receiving his BA (Honours) degree from McMaster University in 1991, Dr Gilliland enrolled at McGill University, where he earned a Master of Arts (Geography) in 1993, Master of Architecture (Affordable Homes) in 1996, and PhD (Urban Geography) in 2002. His graduate work was funded by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Between 2001 and 2003, he held a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship in Geography and Urban Planning at the University of Toronto. Dr Gilliland joined the University of Western Ontario as Assistant Professor of Geography in 2003, became Director of the Urban Development Program in 2005, and was promoted to Associate Professor of Geography in 2008.
Dr Gilliland is an executive council member of the International Seminar on Urban Form and an editorial board member of the Canadian Geographer and the Urban History Review. He has served as board member of numerous non-profit committees/organizations, including the City of London’s Urban Design Steering Committee, Placemaking Committee, and Child and Youth Network, the County of Middlesex’s Geography Network, and the YMCA’s Youth Gambling Awareness Program.
Research Interests
• Social and environmental influences on children’s physical activity and obesity
• Geographical patterns and determinants of pediatric trauma
• ‘Food deserts’, impacts of food insecurity among disadvantaged populations
• Geography of youth gambling
• Patterns and processes of residential segregation
• Innovative techniques of Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Research Activities
Dr. Gilliland is Director of the Human Environments Analysis Laboratory (HEAL), which specializes in: 1) state-of-the-art analytical techniques and mixed methodologies for studying environmental patterns and processes; and 2) the examination of how different elements of social and physical environments influence the health and quality of life of children and other vulnerable populations. His most recent work has focussed on how prevailing patterns of city planning and neighbourhood design are impacting children’s behaviours and contributing to a global epidemic of childhood obesity. His work has been published in journals such as the American Journal of Public Health; Canadian Journal of Public Health, Health & Place, and the International Journal of Health Geographics. He has presented his work at national and international conferences and has been an invited speaker to academic, professional, governmental, and public audiences at both the national and international level.
Awards and Recognition
Funding in support of “Putting Children's Health on the Map" - Awarded by Green Shield Canada
Funding in support of “Race and space in Victorian Victoria" - Awarded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Funding in support of “Social mobility in Canadian Cities" - Awarded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Funding in support of "Environmental inequity in Canada: patterns and experiences" - Awarded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Funding in support of "Geographical analysis of paediatric trauma in Southwestern Ontario" - Awarded by Lawson Health Research Institute
Funding in support of "Environmental influences on obesity-related behaviours in youth" - Awarded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research
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