Jay Christian, a Lexington, KY native, earned a BA in Anthropology & Russian Studies from Washington University in Saint Louis in 1998, and a Master's degree in Public Health (Epidemiology concentration) from the University of Kentucky in 2003.  His interests include urban, transportation, and health geographies.  His research applies spatial statistical techniques and GIS to explore the relationships among health, transportation systems, and urban planning and design.
Currently he is investigating the spatial distributions of retail food outlets (supermarkets, fast food restaurants, convenience stores,
etc.) as they relate to individuals' activity spaces to understand how the accessibility of food influences consumption.  This research considers factors such as socioeconomic status, travel mode, and body weight.

Jay recently completed his second year in the Geography PhD program.
He is also currently employed as an epidemiologist by the Markey Cancer Control Program of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.