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Shamayeta Bhattacharya, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Community Engagement
Director of the Ph.D. in Community Engagement program 


Pictured is Shamayeta Bhattacharya. Submitted photo.Contact information

Education

  • Bachelor of Science, Geography, Minor in Sociology and Economics, Presidency University
  • Master of Science, Geography, Presidency University
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Geography, University of Connecticut 
  • Certificates in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Human Rights

Courses Taught

  • Qualitative Research Methods
  • Quantitative Research Methods
  • Introduction to Women and Gender Studies

Background

Shamayeta Bhattacharya (she/her) is a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Community Engagement and Leadership at Point Park University. She is also the director of the Ph.D. in Community Engagement program. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut's Department of Geography and completed graduate certificates in human rights and women’s gender and sexuality studies.

She is a broadly trained health and gender geographer. Her research and teaching focuses on the impact of health disparity, alcohol and substance use behavior, social support on mental health outcomes and health care access among transgender people. Her research has regional focus in South Asia, with ongoing projects in Kolkata and Cooch Behar in India. She uses mixed methods (a range of quantitative and qualitative techniques), health models, human rights framework and intersectional approaches for identifying inequities in health access among vulnerable populations.

She has published work in a variety of journals including, Social Science and Medicine, Journal of Human Rights. Her dissertation was funded by American Association of Geographers, UConn’s Human Rights Institute, and UConn’s Women’s Center writing fellowships. Learn more about her work on her website. 

Curriculum Vitae


Research Interests

  • Health geography
  • LGBTQI studies
  • Minority health
  • Mixed (qualitative and quantitative) methods
  • Community engaged participatory research
  • Feminist and participatory geographic information systems (GIS)

Selected Publications

  • Bhattacharya, S., Purkayastha, B. and Ghosh, D. “Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act of India: A critical analysis of the Act using trans people’s perspectives.” Journal of Human Rights Practice (accepted) 2022.
  • Bhattacharya, S., “Becoming an Ally and Understanding the Geographies of Gender Identity: Lessons from Fieldwork.” The Geographical Bulletin 62(2). 2021. https://gammathetaupsilon.org/the-geographical-bulletin/2020s/volume62-2/A/article5.pdf.  
  • Das, S. and Bhattacharya, S., “Factors affecting beach walkability- Tourists’ perception study at selected beaches of West Bengal, India.” Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. 35, 100423. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2021.100423 
  • Bhattacharya, S. and Ghosh, D. “Studying physical and mental health status among hijra, kothi and transgender community in Kolkata, India.” Social Science and Medicine. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113412 

Selected Presentations

  • Bhattacharya, S. and Ghosh, D.  “Barriers and facilitator in accessing healthcare among gender diverse people using a critical accessibility framework.” Annual American Association of Geographers Meeting. (Virtual) Session Chair. 2022.
  • Bhattacharya, S. “SHAKTHI: Studying Healthcare Accessibility among Kothi, Transgender, and Hijra Individuals” Invited Talk, University of Oklahoma. (Virtual). 2022.
  • Bhattacharya, S. and Ghosh, D.  “Understanding healthcare access among gender diverse people using a critical accessibility framework." Race Ethnicity and Place conference. 2021.
  • Bhattacharya, S. and Ghosh, D. “Emerging direction in trans studies, geography and beyond: A review of progress in trans scholarships in South Asia.” Annual American Association of Geographers Meeting. (Virtual). 2021.
  • Bhattacharya, S. Purkayastha, B. and Ghosh, D. “Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act of India: A critical analysis by trans people.” Race Ethnicity and Place conference. (Virtual). 2020.
  • Bhattacharya, S. and Ghosh, D. Studying physical and mental health issues among Hijra, Kothi, and Transgender community in urban India. Annual American Association of Geographers Meeting. (Virtual). 2020.
  • Ghosh, D. and Bhattacharya, S. Spatial relative probability pattern of cancer-screening behavior among African Americans in the United States. Annual American Association of Geographers Meeting. Washington D.C. 2019.
  • Das, S. and Bhattacharya, S. Exploring walkability and Tourists’ health. Annual American Association of Geographers Meeting. New Orleans. 2018.
  • Bhattacharya, S. and Das, S. “Factors affecting beach walkability: A Tourists' perception study”. The New England-St. Lawrence Valley Geographical Society (NESTVAL). Central Connecticut State University. 2017.
  • Bhattacharya, S. and Banerjee, P. “Unveiling the cultural imprint and present social position of the Anglo-Indian of Kolkata”, 23rd West Bengal State Science Congress Kolkata, India. 2016.
  • Bhattacharya, S. and Banerjee, P. “Determinants of Souvenir Purchase: Ideology, Product and Store.” 23rd West Bengal State Science Congress Kolkata, India. 2016.
  • Bhattacharya, S. and Banerjee, P." Human- Resource Management through Trans-genderism: A case study on South-Kolkata’s transgender community" at Institute of Landscape, Ecology, and Ekistics (ILEE) International Seminar on Environmental Perspectives and Resource Management, Kolkata, West Bengal. 2014. 

Selected Awards and Honors

  • Melinda Meade travel award of Health and Medical Geography specialty group, 2022
  • American Association of Geographer (AAG) dissertation grant, 2021
  • Asian Geography specialty group of AAG graduate student paper award, 2021
  • Latinx geography of AAG student travel award, 2021
  • Queer and Trans Geography specialty Group of AAG student travel award, 2021
  • ESRI ArcGIS map competition finalist, 2021
  • Race, Ethnicity, and Place, National conference Best Student Paper Award, 2020
  • Peter Gould Graduate Student Paper Award finalist of AAG, 2020
  • Graduate Student Paper Award, NESTVAL Conference, Central Connecticut State University, 2017
  • Junior Research Fellowship National Eligibility Test (N.E.T.) conducted by the University Grants Commission (U.G.C.) of India, 2015

Professional Memberships

  • Member of the American Association of Geographers (AAG), 2017-2023
  • Graduate Representative of Mental Health Affinity Group of the AAG, 2021-23
  • Awards Committee Chair of Queer and Trans Geography Affinity group of the AAG, 2021-22
  • Graduate Student Representative of Health and Medical Geography Affinity group of AAG, 2020-2022
  • President of ‘Tarang’ University of Connecticut’s South Asian Student association, 2019-2020