Shenjing He (The University of Hong Kong) and Xiang Yan (The University of Hong Kong)

Public health scholars and geographers examine healthcare inequalities using different approaches, leaving salient research gaps due to disciplinary divide. Through a presentation of three studies, we develop a synthesized approach to understand the multi-dimensional and multiscalar healthcare inequalities in urban China through combining the strengths of both public health and geography. The first study examines multi-scalar unevenness in the distribution of China’s high-quality healthcare resources and the underlying mechanisms. The second study investigates cross-city patient mobility in China and its impacts on healthcare equity and efficiency. The third study explores the divergent distributions of physicians and healthcare beds in China and the determinants. These three studies present a synthesized approach underpinned by an in-depth engagement with the complex healthcare system through geographical lenses. To conclude, we propose several ways to break disciplinary silos.