W. Jay Christian

Associate Professor

Dr. W. Jay Christian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology. 

Dr. Christian’s past professional career includes serving as a staff epidemiologist at the UK Markey Cancer Control Program and at the Kentucky Injury Prevention & Research Center. His PhD research in Geography was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and investigated innovative techniques for characterizing and analyzing the accessibility of food stores and restaurants based on GPS tracking of individuals.  

His experience also includes research in injury prevention, smoking-related cancers, health disparities in Appalachia, and environmental exposures associated with chronic respiratory diseases. 

He primarily contributes to research studies through environmental exposure assessment, and spatial analysis of health-related data, using geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial statistics. These include projects funded by non-profit foundations, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and the National Institutes of Health. 

Dr. Christian teaches both undergraduate and graduate students, primarily in disease mapping, spatial analysis, and data visualization, using a variety of software applications.