People

Kim Lersch is a Professor of Criminology in the School of Information. For Prof. Lersch, no study of human behavior is complete without considering the influence of “where.” After earning her Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems from USF, GIS is at the center of everything she does.  She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses using the software; she has published numerous articles using GIS; and most recently, she has been working as a GIS Analyst on several grants and contracts. These research collaborations focus on the geography of behavioral health issues, such as involuntary commitments, suicides, and opiate overdoses. She also incorporates Risk Terrain Modeling in these analyses, a theoretically-based approach based on environmental criminology principles.  Her research has examined the impact of proximity and density of liquor outlets, treatments facilities, and places of worship on suicides, carjackings, and most recently, the locations of drug overdoses in the City of Detroit, MI.

When she is not working, Prof. Lersch enjoys fishing, kayaking, flying her drone, and tending to her bee hives.  She lives in Brooksville with her husband of 35 years and their dog, Padme.