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Learning environmental lessons in the wild

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A course in the University of Washington’s College of the Environment, “Wildlife Conservation in Northwest Ecosystems,” teaches UW students about the intertwined ecosystem of Yellowstone National Park through experiential learning. Students complete a week of intensive fieldwork, which is then followed by research projects and presentations that demonstrate how research in Yellowstone is relevant to Washingtonians. Research topics from the last cohort of students included studying how human roads and trails affect the hunting habits of predators, the impact of climate…

Nursing advances local population health through King County partnership

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Best Starts for Kids is a levy-funded initiative to improve the health and well-being of King County, Washington by investing in prevention and early intervention for children, youth, families and communities who are at risk for a host of chronic diseases. The UW School of Nursing and Public Health – Seattle & King County have partnered to advance the research base of Best Starts for Kids by having nursing graduate students translate evidence into practical application and generate evidence that guides…

Collecting perishable natural disaster data

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The analysis of infrastructure damaged by natural disasters allows researcher to gain insights that helps inform development of more resilient communities. However, data for this type of analysis must be gathered quickly after a disaster to ensure it is useful, meaning research teams must get on the ground before clean up and repair work progresses too far. A research team from the University of Washington’s Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering recently traveled to Mexico in the aftermath of the…

Evaluating the connection between toxic air and mental health

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New research from a University of Washington-led study found that the risk of psychological distress increased alongside the amount of fine particulate matter in the air of a specific neighborhood. The research also indicated that black men and white women show the most significant correlation between air pollution and psychological distress. This study is believed to be the first to use a nationally representative survey pool, cross-referenced with pollution data at the census block level, to evaluate the connection between…

Initiative partners with CoMotion on pilot funding

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The Population Health Initiative has partnered with CoMotion’s Innovation Fund to offer a $50,000 Population Health Innovation Award for the Fund’s next round of funding. The Population Health Innovation Award will fund projects that support the initiative’s vision of creating a world where all people can live healthier and more fulfilling lives. Projects will also need to fulfil the criteria of CoMotion’s Innovation Fund, which acts as bridge funding between research grants and seed stage investments. Seed stage investment could…

Initiative announces funding call for pilot research grants

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The Population Health Initiative seeks to create a world where all people can live healthier and more fulfilling lives. In support of that vision, the initiative is pleased to announce a funding call to University of Washington faculty for population health pilot research grants of up to $50,000 each. Applications for this round of funding are due on Friday, February 8, 2018. These grants are intended to encourage the development of new interdisciplinary collaborations among investigators for projects that address…

Nursing schools prioritize population health education

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The leaders of nursing schools and programs at 20 colleges and universities across the State of Washington recently developed a white paper agreeing to focus on population health in nursing education. The University of Washington Bothell School of Nursing & Health Studies’ dean, Shari L. Dworkin, was one of the contributors, as was UW Seattle School of Nursing executive dean Azita Emami. The paper calls for an increased focus on population health concepts to prepare future nurses to provide the…

Making engineering accessible to all

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Since 2014, the University of Washington College of Engineering’s AccessEngineering program has supported the development of a diverse, well-prepared workforce of engineering graduates and faculty by increasing the participation of people with disabilities. The program is also working to improve engineering education by integrating disability-related and universal design content into engineering courses. Ultimately, the AccessEngineering leadership team hopes that the program will assist the UW and other universities in graduating more diverse and prepared engineers. Learn More >

HydroShare allows better analysis of extreme weather events and water scarcity

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HydroShare, an online collaborative environment for sharing water-related data, allows researchers to better analyze extreme weather events and water scarcity such as hurricanes, flooding and droughts. The HydroShare research team, which includes University of Washington researchers from the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, recently received a $4 million National Science Foundation grant to fund enhancements to this tool. HydroShare was first deployed in 2015 and is used by more than 1,500 researchers and students to share hydrologic data and…

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences funds population health pilots

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Faculty from the University of Washington’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences were involved in 21 of the 60 applications received earlier this year by the Population Health Initiative for its inaugural round of pilot research grants. Department Chair Jürgen Unützer was impressed with the quality of 19 proposals that were not funded by the Population Health Initiative, so he invited all department faculty with unfunded proposals to submit them for review and scoring by peer faculty as part of…