Sigrid Van Den Abbeele

  • Assistant Teaching Professor in Public Health
  • PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM
Dr. Van Den Abbeele

Research Interests

I am a health geographer whose research examines how public policy, population composition, and systemic inequality shape access to healthcare in the United States. My previous work explored the relationship between residential segregation and access to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in U.S. metropolitan areas. One branch of my current research investigates how state-level variation in the adoption of the Medicaid Expansion under the Affordable Care Act relates to the county-level supply of FQHCs. Another branch focuses on shifting geographic patterns in the older adult population and the implications for health and aging-related resource needs across the country.

In addition to my health geography research, I study inclusive pedagogical practices and the use of generative artificial intelligence in higher education. This work aims to develop resources that support faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates in navigating the hidden curriculum and fostering more equitable learning environments.

Recent Publications

  • Van Den Abbeele, S. (2025). Exploring the Role of Population Dynamics and Policy Context on Access to Healthcare in the U.S. (Dissertation)
  • Van Den Abbeele, S. (2022). Assessing the Impact of Residential Segregation on the County-Level Supply of Federally Qualified Health Centers (Master’s Thesis)
  • Cassels, S. and Van Den Abbeele, S. (2021) A call for epidemic modeling to examine historical and structural drivers of racial disparities in infectious disease. Social Science and Medicine.
  • Van Den Abbeele, S., Grafton, D., Avila, M., Benoit, G., Casimiro Vieyra, E., Chan, B., Kaloper, S., Moscona-Remnitz, B., Cassels, S. Teaching and Learning about Geo-Spatial Determinants of Health (Book chapter in Place & the Social-Spatial Determinants of Health, In-press)
  • Ackert, E., Van Den Abbeele, S., Malak, H. Resources for Health within Latinx Communities: A Social-Spatial Determinants of Health Perspective. (Book chapter in Place & the Social-Spatial Determinants of Health, In-press)