Michael Shin, PhD, is a faculty associate at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the faculty director of the Geospatial @ UCLA initiative, the mission of which is to meet the growing demand for mapping and geospatial perspectives across campus and beyond. Shin is a professor in the UCLA Department of Geography, faculty affiliate in the Department of Statistics, and faculty research affiliate at the California Center for Population Research (CCPR). He is also a board member of the Cartography and Geographic Information Society.
Shin’s work integrates mapping and geospatial analyses to examine geographic disparities in health. Such work includes studies looking at the geographic variations and factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates in Los Angeles, and racial and ethnic disparities in the prescription of opioids and other controlled medications in California. He also has published on the politics of health, and in particular, the association between voting and obesity.
As a recognized expert in geospatial analysis, Shin worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations supporting their early warning system efforts. He also worked for McKinsey & Company as a geospatial specialist and consultant on projects in the pharmaceutical and retail health care industries.
Shin received a BA in international affairs and an MA and PhD in geography from the University of Colorado at Boulder.