Department of Geography and Planning

Research Interests

Caleb Blackburn’s research examines how extreme weather and climate-related disasters affect population health, mental health, and community recovery. His work applies spatial analysis, large-scale health and environmental datasets, and quantitative methods to study the health effects of hurricanes, heatwaves, flooding, and compounding climate events. His current research focuses on mental health help-seeking following repeated and sequential weather exposures, inequities in disaster assistance and recovery, and the impacts of Hurricane Helene on rural Appalachian communities. More broadly, his interests include medical geography, climate and health, disaster resilience, and the use of geospatial data to support public health preparedness and decision-making.