Population Health
Let’s Talk Pop Health
The Population Health Initiative is working to amplify population health-related education and training activities across the UW’s three campuses by offering, partnering to offer and/or promoting a range of events under the banner of, “Let’s Talk Pop Health.”
These offerings are a mix of virtual, in-person and hybrid workshops, lectures, seminars, film screenings, convenings and so forth, with the in-person activities to be held primarily in the Hans Rosling Center for Population Health, activating it as the University’s hub for population health.
The current “Let’s Talk Pop Health” offerings for academic year 2025-26 are:
Relational health during the prenatal through early childhood period which influence relationships throughout the life course
Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026
1:30 p.m.–2:50 p.m.
ECE 042
These seminars are open to the UW community! This is part of a seminar class on Youth Mental Health and Well-being. This week, Nucha Isarowong from the School of Nursing will present on relational health during the prenatal through early childhood period. No registration needed.
Extreme Heat in the Pacific Northwest: Strategies for Next Summer and Beyond
Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026
11 a.m.–Noon
Virtual
Extreme heat disasters are becoming increasingly common. What are the strategies for long-term risk-reduction and extreme heat preparedness?
Panel on Gun Violence
Friday, Jan. 16, 2026
12:30 p.m.
Parrington Hall (PAR) 360 and virtual
Avanti Adhia, Assistant Professor of Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing, University of Washington and Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, Bartley Dobb Professorship for the Study and Prevention of Violence of Epidemiology, University of Washington
How public and workplace policies influence family economic circumstances and child well-being in low-income families
Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026
1:30 p.m.–2:50 p.m.
ECE 042
These seminars are part of our seminar class on Youth Mental Health and Well-being and open to the UW community without registration. This week, Heather Hill from the Evans School will present on how policies influence family economic circumstances.
The Enduring Dilemma of Managing American High-level Nuclear Waste
Friday, Jan. 23, 2026
Gowen Hall (GWN) 1A
Barry Rabe
Arthur Thurnau Professor Emeritus of Environmental Policy
University of Michigan, Ford School of Public Policy
Non-Resident Senior Fellow in Governance Studies
Brookings Institution
Arthur Thurnau Professor Emeritus of Environmental Policy
University of Michigan, Ford School of Public Policy
Non-Resident Senior Fellow in Governance Studies
Brookings Institution
School-Based Support for Children’s Mental Health: Evidence from North Carolina
Friday, Jan. 23, 2026
12:30 p.m.
Parrington Hall (PAR) 360 and virtual
Using event-study and difference-in-differences designs, Sarah Komisarow shows that expanded access to support personnel reduced student absences and chronic absenteeism.
Info Session: 2026 Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026
11:30 a.m.
Founders Commons (FNDR 180)
Curious about the 2026 Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge and want to know what it takes to succeed? Join us for this in-person Info Session!
A Public Health Approach to Fiction
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026
2 p.m.
Virtual
In this webinar, Alejandro Varela, author of The Town of Babylon and Middle Spoon, UW Community-Oriented Public Health Practice MPH alum, and recipient of the 2023 School of Public Health Alumni of Impact Award will discuss how his book The Town of Babylon came to be, its connections to public health, and his trajectory from MPH to fiction.
Aging with Limited Kin: Childlessness and Care Arrangements in Singapore and Thailand
Friday, Jan. 30, 2026
12:30 p.m.
Parrington Hall (PAR) 360 and virtual
Bussarawan “Puk” Teerawichitchainan, Associate Professor of Sociology & Co-Director of the Centre for Family and Population Research, National University of Singapore
In the Land of Giants? Climate, Infrastructure, and Politics in Canada’s Oil Sands
Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026
3 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Thompson Hall (THO) 317
In his talk, Clinton will consider the politics and policy implications of this proposal at multiple scales: potential local impacts; Indigenous rights and consultation; federal-provincial relations; Canada-US relations. He will also examine the climate implications of these new infrastructure proposals, including claims to achieve net zero through increased oil production and export.
Occupations, Careers, and Opportunity: A Structural Approach to Studying Economic Mobility over the Life Course
Friday, Feb. 6, 2026
12:30 p.m.
Parrington Hall (PAR) 360 and virtual
Michael Schultz, Senior Research Scientist at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, University of Washington
The Hidden Private Safety Net: Shared Households and Older Adults’ Housing Costs
Friday, Feb. 13, 2026
12:30 p.m.
Parrington Hall (PAR) 360 and virtual
Kristin Perkins, Assistant Professor of Sociology & Public Affairs, Georgetown University
Human-Wildlife Coexistence
Friday, Feb. 20, 2026
Gowen Hall (GWN) 1A
Amanda Stronza
Professor, Associate Department Head for Graduate Programs
Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology
Co-founder of the Applied Biodiversity Science Program
Texas A&M University
Professor, Associate Department Head for Graduate Programs
Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology
Co-founder of the Applied Biodiversity Science Program
Texas A&M University
Gendered Dissent and Social Threat: Attitudes Towards Protest Repression in Colombia
Friday, Feb. 20, 2026
12:30 p.m.
Parrington Hall (PAR) 360 and virtual
Gabriella Levy, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Washington
The Journey into Adulthood in Uncertain Times
Friday, Feb. 27, 2026
12:30 p.m.
Parrington Hall (PAR) 360 and virtual
Robert Crosnoe, Rapoport Centennial Professor of Liberal Arts, Department of Sociology, University of Texas at Austin
New Directions for International Law of the Sea
Friday, Mar. 6, 2026
Gowen Hall (GWN) 1A
Elizabeth Mendelhall
Associate Professor, Joint appointment
Department of Marine Affairs; Political Science
University of Rhode Island
Associate Professor, Joint appointment
Department of Marine Affairs; Political Science
University of Rhode Island
CSDE Winter 2026 Lightning Talks & Poster Session
Friday, Mar. 6, 2026
12:30 p.m.
Raitt Hall (RAI) 221
CSDE Winter 2026 Lightning Talks & Poster Session
Infrastructures of Resettlement: How Bureaucratic Legacies Shaped Racial Disparities in Post-Cold War Refugee Selection
Friday, Mar. 13, 2026
12:30 p.m.
Parrington Hall (PAR) 360 and virtual
Jake Watson, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of California San Diego
Making Better Decisions about Sustainability
Friday, Apr. 3, 2026
Gowen Hall (GWN) 1A
Thomas Dietz
Professor of Sociology and Environmental Science and Policy
Founding Director of the Environmental Science and Policy Program
Michigan State University
Professor of Sociology and Environmental Science and Policy
Founding Director of the Environmental Science and Policy Program
Michigan State University
Katz Distinguished Lecture: Stephanie LeMenager
Tuesday, Apr. 28, 2026
6:30 p.m.
Kane Hall (KNE) 210
Stephanie LeMenager's work on climate change and the humanities has been featured in The New York Times, ClimateWire, Science Friday, NPR, the CBC, and other public venues.
Northwest Nature and Health Symposium
Wednesday, Apr. 29, 2026
9:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
Intellectual House
The UW Center for Nature and Health illuminates the connections between nature and human health and well-being. We work with community and decision-makers to translate our findings into programs and policies that ensure everyone can benefit from the healing power of nature.
Local Climate and Sustainability Policy: A Focus on Implementation
Friday, May 1, 2026
Gowen Hall (GWN) 1A
Rachel Krause
Professor University of Kansas School of Public Affairs and Administration
University of Kansas
Professor University of Kansas School of Public Affairs and Administration
University of Kansas
Please contact us if you are organizing population health-related events that you would like support in partnering and/or marketing under the “Let’s Talk Pop Health” banner.