Arthi Rao

Arthi Rao serves as a Part-Time Lecturer in the School of City & Regional Planning at Georgia Institute of Technology and holds the position of Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development (CQGRD). Her research focuses on Health and Environment, integrating spatial methods with urban planning and epidemiology. She holds an interdisciplinary background from Georgia Tech in Urban Planning, Epidemiology, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Her research interests emphasize social determinants of health, healthcare access, and healthy communities, employing methods like spatial clustering, data mining, and hierarchical modeling. She collaborates with institutions including The Morehouse School of Medicine and the American Planning Association (APA) to advance geospatial methodologies in public health.

Rao teaches Public Health and the Built Environment and Public Health Analytics at Georgia Tech. Her work bridges academia and industry through decision-support tools addressing health equity, sustainability, and urban planning challenges. She has contributed to influential studies on health impact assessments (HIA), walkability analysis, and regional planning strategies.

• Key Collaborations: Morehouse School of Medicine, APA, CQGRD
• Geospatial Expertise: GIS applications in health equity analysis
• Recent Focus: Megaregion governance, pandemic response planning, and healthcare access disparities

Rao’s publications span journals addressing HIA frameworks, therapeutic landscapes, and sustainable transportation systems. Her work consistently advocates for place-based health interventions to reduce preventable chronic diseases and improve quality of life.