Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty Member

Erjia Ge Ph.D.

Research Interests

• Spatial epidemiology
• Environmental health
• Air pollution and built environments

Education and Training History

• Ph.D.   The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Health Geography

Primary Teaching Responsibilities

• CHL5431H. Spatial epidemiology (course director)
• CHL5232. Applied spatial statistics for Public Health Data (course co-director)
• CHL7001H.S3. Application of GIS in Public Health (course director)

Awards

• 2018: CIHR-IPPH Travel Award for Early Career Development, Ottawa, Canada.
• 2010: Global Excellent Scholarship, University of Cambridge, U.K.
• 2009: Best Tutor Award, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.

Professional Summary & Appointments

I am an assistant professor in the Division of Epidemiology. I am a spatial epidemiologist with a multidisciplinary background in public health, computer science, and geography. My interest includes determinants of environmental exposures, climate change, built environments, and methodologies for improved environmental health surveillance. My current studies aim to provide insights into the relationship between environment and health in response to challenges of air pollution and climate change.

Current Research Projects

• Ge, E.(NPI), Brode, S.(Co-PI), Macdonald, L. (Co-I), Li, L. (Co-I), Lou, W. (Co-I), Upshur, R.(Co-I), Siddiqi, A.(Co-I), Liu, J. (Co-I), Rea, E.(PKU), Wei, X.(Co-I). Activation, recurrence, and mortality: Exploring impacts of air pollution and greenness on progressions of laten and active tuberculosis to inform interventions. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) — Project Grant: Fall 2022. (Funded 2023-2026, C$290,699).
• Ge, E.(NPI), To, T. (Co-PI), Luo, W. (Co-PI), Brook, J.(Co-PI), Villeneuve, P. (Co-I), Lavigne, E. (Co-I), Li, L. (KU), Lu, Z. (Co-I). Exploring inequalities of greenness accessibility to inform interventions to reduce avoidable development of allergic-related respiratory problems in children. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) — Operating Grant: Data Analysis Using Existing Databases and Cohorts. (Funded 2020-2022, C$75,000).
• Bassani, D. (NPI), Ge, E.(Co-PI), Kortenaar, J-L.(Co-I), Blumenberg, C.(Co-I), Cornelius, S. (Co-I). Allometric scaling of health status with population settlement size. New Frontier in Research Fund — Exploration. (Funded 2021-2023, C$243,984).
• Wei, X. (NPI), Khan, A (Co-I), Khan, N (Co-I), Ge, E (Co-I), Durrani, H (Co-I), Khan, H-J (Co-I), Laporte, A (Co-I), Lewis, G (Co-I), Wallace, J (Co-I), Haldane, V (Co-I). Implementing a telemedicine and remote-mentoring platform to provide integrated noncommunicable disease and COVID- 19 care in primary care facilities in rural Pakistan. Canadian Institutes of Health Research — Operating Grant: Emerging COVID-19 Research Gaps & Priorities. (Funded 2022-2023, C$499,886)

Representative Publications

• Ge.E., Gao, J., Wei, X., Ren, Z., Wei, J., Liu, X., Wang, X., Zhong, J., Lu, J., Tian, X., Fei, F., Chen, B., Wang, X., Peng, Y., Luo, M., Lei, J. Effect modification of greenness on PM2.5 associated all-cause mortality in a multi-drug resistant tuberculosis cohort. Thorax, Dec 2021, 0: 1-8. doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-216819.
• Ge, E., Li, Y., Wu S., Candido, E., Wei, X. Association of pre-existing comorbidities with mortality and disease severity among 167,500 individuals with COVID-19 in Canada: a population-based cohort study. PLoS ONE, Oct 2021, 16(10): e0258154. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258154.
• Ge, E., Gao, J., Ren, Z., Liu, X., Luo, M., Zhong, J., Fei F., Chen, B., Wang, X., Wei, X., Peng, Y. Greenness exposure and all-cause mortality during multi-drug resistant tuberculosis treatment: a population-based cohort study. Science of the Total Environment, Feb 2021, 771: 145422.
• Ge, E., Su, M., Zhao R., Huang, Z., Shan, Y., Wei, X.  Geographic disparities in access to hospital care in Ontario, Canada: a spatial coverage modelling approach. BMJ Open, Jan 2021, 0:e041474. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2020-041474.
• Ge, E., Li, D., Luo, M., Tsui, K.W., Waye, M.M.Y., Shen, X., Wei, X. Transmission of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: roles of internal migrants and permanent residents in Shanghai, China. International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Dec 2018, 22(12): 1462-68.
• Ge, E., Lai. K.-F., Xiao, X., Luo, M., Fang, Z.-F., Zeng, Y.-J., Ju, H., Zhong, N-S. Differential effects of size-specific particulate matter on daily emergency department visits for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in Guangzhou, China. Environmental Pollution, August 2018, 243: 336-345.
• Ge, E., Fan, M., Qiu, H., Hu, H., Tian, L., Wang, X., Xu, G., Wei, X. Ambient surfur dioxide levels associated with reduced risk of initial outpatient visits for tuberculosis: a population-based time series analysis. Environmental Pollution, May 2017, 228: 408-415.
• Ge, E., Zhang, R.,  Li, D., Wei, X., Wang, X., Lai,P.-C.. Estimating risk of inapparent avian exposure for human infection: Avian influenza virus A (H7N9) in Zhejiang Province, China. Scientific Reports, Jan. 2017, 7:40016, doi: 10.1038/srep40016.
• Ge, E., Zhang, X., Wang, X., and Wei, X..  Spatial and temporal analysis of tuberculosis in Zhejiang province, China, 2009-2012. Infectious Disease of Poverty, Feb. 2016, 5(11), doi: 10.1186/s40249-016-0104-2.
• Ge, E., Lai, P.-C., Zhang, X., Yang, X. , Li, X. , Wang, H., and Wei, X. Regional transport and its association with tuberculosis in the Shandong province of China, 2009-2011. Journal of Transport Geography, Jun 2015, 46: 232-243.
• Ge, E. and Leung, Y. The detection of crossover time scales in multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis. Journal of Geographical Systems, May 2013, 15(2): 115-147.
• Tian, L., Qiu, H., Pun, C.V., Lin, H.L., Ge, E., Chan, C.S., Louie, P., Ho, K.F., and Yu, T.S.I.  Ambient carbon monoxide associated with reduced risk of hospital admissions for respiratory tract infections. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Nov 2013, 188(10): 1240-1245.
• Ge, E., Haining, R., Li, C.-P. , Yu, Z.-G., Waye, M.M.Y., Chu, K.-H., and Leung, Y.  Using knowledge fusion to analyze avian influenza H5N1 in East and Southeast Asia. PLoS ONE, May 2012, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029617.
• Leung, Y., Ge, E., and Yu, Z.-G. Temporal scaling behavior of avian influenza (H5N1) – The multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Jul 2011, 101(6): 1221-1240.