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Air pollution can accelerate lung disease as much as a pack a day of cigarettes

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A new study co-led by the University of Washington found that long-term exposure to major air pollutants, and especially ozone air pollution that is increasing with climate change, accelerates the progression of emphysema of the lung. Emphysema is a condition in which destruction of lung tissue leads to wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath, and increases the risk of death. “We were surprised to see how strong air pollution’s impact was on the progression of emphysema on lung scans, in…

Social Entrepreneurship Fellows program creates business models for faculty projects

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The Population Health Initiative’s summer 2019 Social Entrepreneurship Fellows Program concluded in August with the fellows presenting their findings to students, faculty and staff from schools and colleges across campus. The fellows spent 10 weeks analyzing population health innovations developed by University of Washington researchers to determine how these innovations could be financially sustainable while also having a substantial societal impact. R – L: Esborn, Dey, and Masciel. The Social Entrepreneurship Fellows Program was developed by the Population Health Initiative…

Initiative announces inaugural cohort for new humanitarian graduate certificate

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The Population Health Initiative today announced the admission of five students into the new Graduate Certificate in International Humanitarian Response. The certificate, which is offered through the University of Washington Graduate School, is intended to train an interdisciplinary group of UW graduate and professional students to become that next generation of leaders in international humanitarian response. The inaugural cohort of students admitted into the certificate program are: Name Degree Program Kim Baker Master of Public Health (Global Health Track) Stephen…

New study shows gun stores can help prevent suicides

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Firearms are commonly used and the most lethal means of suicide nationwide. A new University of Washington study has found that firearm retailers around Washington state are willing to learn about suicide prevention and to train their employees in how to spot and act on suicide warning signs. The findings from the survey of nearly 200 independent firearm retailers across the state demonstrate the potential for key community members to be proactive in helping to prevent people from taking their…

Assessing nature’s impact on mental health

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Interactions with nature are beginning to be recognized as one way to improve mental health. However, it has been difficult to identify ways to quantify these benefits in a useful manner for cities or organizations that want to integrate nature to improve mental health. A new study from an international team that included University of Washington researchers has created a framework for how city planners and municipalities around the world can start to measure the mental health benefits of nature…

UW initiatives seek to help families deal with psychosis

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UW Medicine is pursuing multiple mechanisms of care for individuals, and their caregivers, who are going through a psychotic episode. All of this is viewed as welcome news for families in the trenches of psychosis. Among the new resources are: The nation’s first program to teach evidence-based skills to help people whose relatives or friends have psychotic disorders was launched May 14. A promising smartphone-based intervention for people with schizophrenia is being deployed at 20 health clinics across the state….

Court-imposed fees and fines may create a cycle of poverty and incarceration

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New research from the University of Washington’s School of Public Health supports the argument that court-imposed fees and fines may keep the most vulnerable people ensnared in a vicious cycle of poverty and incarceration. The researchers found that, among a group of adults experiencing homelessness in the Seattle area, people with outstanding legal debt spent two more years without stable housing than those without legal debt. Learn More >

Food security of Cambodians threatened by hydropower demands

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The lower Mekong River Basin produces more than two million tons of fish annually, making it the largest freshwater fishery — and one of the most productive ecosystems — in the world. The basin also support a number of rice production powerhouses. With a handful of new hydropower dams completed, and more than 135 either under construction or forthcoming, the Mekong’s waterways will soon be altered dramatically. Cambodia in particular is especially vulnerable to changes in waterflow due to its…

New Population Health Building topped out and artists selected

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The University of Washington announced today the topping out of its new $230 million Population Health Building. The UW also has selected two artists whose work will help tell the story of the education and research that will take place within the new facility. Construction of the eight-story building began in April 2018. Workers today will “top out” the building — a term builders use to mark the completion of the structural parts of the building — by installing a…

How the private sector shapes ‘offender-funded justice’

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Fines and fees are standard procedure in the criminal justice system — and the greater an accused person’s involvement, from challenging a traffic ticket to a felony conviction, the higher the costs. In addition, the entities levying those fines and fees are not always the public agencies in charge. Private companies often contract to provide the very services that citizens are required to pay for: a bail bondsman after an arrest, a drug and alcohol assessment for a DUI, phone…