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Executive Council selected for the UW’s Population Health Initiative

University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Jerry Baldasty announced today the selection of the 30-member Executive Council for the University’s new Population Health Initiative. The council’s members will lead the development of a 25-year vision for population health at the UW, as was originally announced in President Cauce’s remarks on May 3, 2016.

“Population health is not just about treating diseases and afflictions,” said Cauce. “Significant contributions from a number of different disciplines are required to truly improve health and well-being. We have tremendous strengths in those disciplines at the UW and in our region, and that’s reflected in the team of collaborators from across the University who will lead our work on this initiative.”

Executive Council members will work closely with students, faculty, staff and key leaders to create a shared vision for the UW as the leading university for improving the health and well-being of populations here and around the world. The five key areas targeted for achievement in this vision are education and capacity building, diagnostics and critical assessment, developing and testing innovations, implementation sciences, and strategy and planning.

“Selecting the council is our first step toward engaging the entire University community in the development of this groundbreaking initiative,” shared Baldasty. “Together we are well positioned as a university to lead improvements in the health and well-being of people here and around the world.”

The council represents all three UW campuses as well as the undergraduate and graduate student populations. Its members are:

  • Ana Mari Cauce, president; chair
  • Jerry Baldasty, provost and executive vice president
  • Ali Mokdad, professor of Global Health, Epidemiology, and Health Services (IHME); vice chair
  • Thaisa Way, associate professor of landscape architecture; Faculty Senate liaison
  • David Anderson, executive director, Health Sciences administration
  • Norm Beauchamp, professor and chair, Department of Radiology
  • Kendra Canton, undergraduate student representative
  • Alison Cullen, professor, Evans School of Public Policy and Governance and adjunct professor, School of Public Health and College of the Environment
  • Sara Curran, professor, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, and director, Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology
  • Dave Eaton, dean and vice provost, Graduate School
  • James Fogarty, associate professor, Computer Science and Engineering
  • Ceci Giachelli, professor and W. Hunter and Dorothy Simpson Endowed Chair, Department of Bioengineering
  • Eric King, graduate/professional student representative
  • Vicky Lawson, professor of geography; director of University Honors
  • Hedwig Lee, associate professor of sociology
  • Joe Lott, associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies
  • India Ornelas, assistant professor of health services, School of Public Health
  • David Reyes, assistant professor of nursing & healthcare leadership, UW Tacoma
  • Sallie Sanford, associate professor of law and adjunct associate professor of health services
  • Jane Simoni, professor of psychology and adjunct professor of global health
  • Clarence Spigner, professor of health services, School of Public Health
  • Bruder Stapleton, professor and chair, Department of Pediatrics, Seattle
  • Children’s Hospital and UW Medicine

  • Emiko Tajima, associate dean for academic affairs and associate professor, School of Social Work
  • LuAnne Thompson, professor of oceanography
  • Wadiya Udell, associate professor, Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, UW Bothell
  • Jurgen Unutzer, professor and chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
  • Judy Wasserheit, professor and William H. Foege Endowed Chair, Department of Global Health
  • Lee Heck, associate vice president of individual giving programs, University Advancement
  • Mary Gresch, chief marketing & communications officer, University Marketing & Communications
  • Derek Fulwiler, director of project strategy and communications, Office of the President and Provost; project director

The council will also work closely with the UW Faculty Senate to develop new financing sources to further the vision priorities as well as to incentivize collaborative teaching and research in support of the vision. It will collaborate with Faculty Senate committees to address student needs, facilitate faculty contributions and ensure alignment with the imperatives of diversity, equity and inclusivity. Additional work will occur between the council and with the UW Board of Regents and other stakeholders, partners and donors to advance the visibility and impact of the initiative.

To learn more about this initiative, please visit President Cauce’s website.