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Addressing and assessing the impact of COVID-19 on Latino immigrant families

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As of February 2021, Latinos comprise 32% of all confirmed COVID-19 cases in Washington State, despite accounting for only 13% of the state’s total population. These statistics allude to the disproportionate impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Latino communities in Washington State and beyond. To address the pandemic’s impact on Latino communities, researchers from the University of Washington departments of Health Sciences, Global Health and Epidemiology sought to research the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latino immigrant households…

Community groups support frontline workers’ public health needs throughout pandemic

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New research from the University of Washington Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences reveals that community-based organizations’ outreach efforts have met critical public health needs among Washington’s agricultural and other frontline communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the study, 68% of agricultural community members in Yakima and Chelan counties received public health information from community-based organizations during the pandemic. These results demonstrate the helpfulness of community organizations in health crises and suggest their potential utility in supporting vaccination…

New mapping tool helps City of Seattle prioritize equitable access to COVID-19 vaccination

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To ensure equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, Seattle city officials have collaborated with researchers from the University of Washington Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) to create a mapping tool that will locate historically underserved groups. Seattle city officials will use the mapping tool to determine where to locate vaccine sites to effectively reach historically underserved populations and inform subsequent decision-making related to vaccine distribution. This work draws on previous DEOHS research that analyzed the relationship between socioeconomic…

Application period open for Graduate Certificate in International Humanitarian Response

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The Population Health Initiative is now accepting applications for the 2021-22 cohort of students for the Graduate Certificate in International Humanitarian Response. Applications can be submitted until 11:59 p.m. (Pacific) on Friday, May 14, 2021. The 15-credit certificate is intended to provide University of Washington graduate and professional students from a variety of disciplines with an integrated body of study to better support prevention, mitigation, response and recovery from crises to assist those affected by disasters to recover their “normal”…

Race, income, and education all affect access to 3D mammography

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A new study from the University of Washington School of Medicine reveals disparities in access to 3D mammography, which is a highly accurate technology for breast cancer detection. The researchers sought to determine if the technology is equitably distributed and found that women of minority races and ethnicities, those with less education and lower-income status were less likely to have access to the technology. These findings reveal continuing disparities in breast cancer screening outcomes, which holds implications for historically underserved…

Helping minority-owned small businesses survive and thrive post-COVID-19

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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had a profoundly negative impact on small businesses and entrepreneurs, placing an approximated 4.2 million businesses and 47.8 million jobs at immediate or near-term risk of not surviving. To address this economic challenge, an interdisciplinary project at the University of Washington worked to connect business and legal support to assist and empower historically marginalized business owners and entrepreneurs in Washington state. The project, “Helping Minority-Owned Small Businesses Survive and Thrive Post-COVID-19,” was launched with a…

Study finds higher COVID-19 infection rates in pregnant women

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A University of Washington-led study finds that the COVID-19 infection rate in pregnant women is 70% higher than that of similarly aged adults in Washington. This study marks the first to address COVID-19 infection rates in pregnancy through the study of a large population representative of most pregnancies in the state. The researchers’ findings will inform vaccine policy and guide public health efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in vulnerable populations. This study was supported by a Population Health…

Spotlight: Ali Rowhani-Rahbar’s pivot to firearm-related injury and crime research

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Dr. Ali Rowhani-Rahbar has devoted much of his career to preventing and reducing the lethality and recurrence of interpersonal violence and self-directed harm. Born and raised in Iran, Rowhani-Rahbar began his career by earning a medical degree from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2002. While in medical school, he completed his dissertation on the prevalence of bloodborne infections among incarcerated injection drug users in Iran. This work piqued his interest in population health, allowing him to recognize the intersection…

Application period open for 2021 summer applied research fellowships

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The Population Health Initiative, in partnership with the University of Washington’s Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology, is accepting applications for the summer 2021 Population Health Applied Research Fellowship Program until April 22, 2021. This paid fellowship program will offer a multidisciplinary team of undergraduate and graduate students training in data analysis techniques as well as in research and presentation skills while they develop a work product for an external partner. The summer 2021 project team’s external partner will…

Collaboration offers incoming students an understanding of population health

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An ongoing collaboration between the University of Washington Population Health Initiative and First Year Programs offers incoming undergraduate students the opportunity to research and learn about the concept of population health within the local Seattle community. This partnership reaches approximately 3,000 incoming freshmen and transfer students, offering students a preliminary introduction to the concept of population health and its interdisciplinarity. “The basic premise behind First Year Programs is to help create smaller academic communities for incoming students,” Meghan Coletta, program…