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:
Developing feasible metrics for monitoring mental health policy implementation
1 p.m.–2 p.m.
Global Mental Health Speaker Series with David Watkins, MD, MPH and Kristen Danforth, MPH, PhD.
Idea to Impact: Women Innovators in Health
2 p.m.–4 p.m.
Join WE Lead and the Population Health Initiative for a conversation with women entrepreneurs building in health from completely different angles, followed by a hands-on chance to practice the skill of innovation yourself.
Climate in Washington Webinar
1 p.m.–2 p.m.
Topics will include climate change’s impact on various climate hazards as well as the human and ecosystem impacts of these changes.
Endowed DELV Lecture and Faculty Exchange in Global Health
4 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
Global WACh presents the 5th annual Endowed DELV Lecture and Faculty Exchange in Global Health: “How to improve health for children exposed to HIV in Botswana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe – from clinical trials to implementation and policy”
“A More Proper Place of Refuge”: Rethinking Asylum History through African American Migration to Haiti
12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m.
In this seminar, Randolph will discuss how Haitian historical actors challenged the uneven geographies of freedom of the era by positioning their country as a promised land to Black communities in North America.
Webinar: The Past, Present, and Future of Digital Accessibility
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
This session will trace the evolution of digital accessibility through three questions: How did we get here? (the past); Where are we now? (the present); and Where do we go from here? (the future).
AI Beyond the Hospital: Opportunities and Risks in Digital Health
Noon–1 p.m.
First event in the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship’s 2026 Digital Health Innovation Series presented by Mindful Therapy Group. How can AI improve healthcare beyond the walls of hospitals and clinics? Lunch provided!
From surveillance to prevention: Interdisciplinary strategies for occupational health and safety
12:30 p.m.–1:20 p.m.
The UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) welcomes Dr. Robert Harrison as our 2026 Breysse Lecture speaker.
Reclaiming Urban Waterfronts: Lessons from Seattle and San Francisco
6 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Drawing on projects in Seattle and San Francisco, speakers will share lessons on infrastructure, urban design, community engagement and the partnerships required to move large civic projects forward.
Here We Go Again: Repeated Wildfire Smoke Exposure and Health Risks in the US
12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m.
Joan Casey will present research using nationwide Medicare claims and electronic health records from Kaiser Permanente Southern California to examine repeated wildfire smoke exposure and neurological disease.
Digital & Data Humanities Showcase
2 p.m.–4 p.m.
This event will highlight the innovative work of the Simpson Center’s 2026 Digital & Data Humanities Summer Fellowship recipients. This showcase will be of interest to anyone involved in digital humanities at UW, offering a dynamic snapshot into the breadth and creativity of the work being done here.
Bridging AI & Science: Networking Event with eScience Institute and AI@UW
Noon–3 p.m.
We invite PI-eligible researchers across the three UW campuses to apply to participate in this networking opportunity where researchers in AI theory and methodology will have the opportunity to connect with researchers from other scientific domains.
What Feeds Us: Science, Climate, and the Future of Food with Pamela Ronald
6:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Climate change is threatening the crops that feed us all. UC Davis geneticist Pamela Ronald reveals how her discovery of flood-tolerant rice is helping millions of farmers adapt — and what plant science means for the future of food.
Applying an Implementation Science Lens to Extreme Heat Interventions: Challenges and Ways Forward
10 a.m.–11 a.m.
Jeremy Hess, MD, MPH, of the University of Washington, will present his team’s work on using implementation science to assess intervention effectiveness and to evaluate a decision support tool delivery platform for local health departments.
Civic Health Initiative Student Programming Convening
1 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
The Civic Health Initiative is hosting a Tri-Campus Student Programming Gathering with program staff, faculty, and student representatives across the three campuses who are working and leading programs within the space of civic health and civic engagement at the University of Washington.
The Dividend and the Denominator: Why Demography Matters in Public Policy
12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m.
Drawing on her last decade in public policy, including eight years at USAID, and subsequent work across think tanks, philanthropy, and multilateral advisory bodies, Apoorva Jadhav illustrates this combination in practice through twelve examples, organized around four things this work actually demands: counting what gets measured, narrating what gets believed, strategizing what gets built, and brokering what gets resolved.
The Patient Path: Where Digital Health Meets Real Life
Noon–1 p.m.
Second event in the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship’s 2026 Digital Health Innovation Series presented by Mindful Therapy Group. What does it take to create digital health solutions that truly work for patients? Lunch provided!
Leveraging Metabolomics and Proteomics to Advance Our Understanding of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet: Objective Biomarkers and Potential Mediators
12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m.
In this presentation, Hyunju Kim discusses projects that used metabolomics and proteomics, technologies that allow simultaneous measurement of thousands of small molecules (metabolites) and proteins in biofluids, to discover objective biomarkers of the DASH diet.
The Future of “Trust & Safety”: Examining the Shift to AI in Online Safety Efforts
12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m.
This project examines the shift toward AI through in-depth interviews with T&S professionals who build and use AI systems for online safety. We document the range of AI-enabled tools currently in use and assess professional attitudes toward their effectiveness.
Digital Health Innovation Workshop: Care Beyond the Hospital
9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Third and final event of the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship’s 2026 Digital Health Innovation Series presented by Mindful Therapy Group. Spend a day turning your team’s idea into a pitch-ready digital health solution.
The Effects of Receiving Rental Assistance on Early Adulthood Outcomes
12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m.
Raheem Chaudhry, Assistant Professor at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, University of Washington
Navigating the Double-Edge of Statistics: Indigenous Health, Patient Activism, and Collective Care in Chile
12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m.
Paula Saravia, Assistant Teaching Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology, University of Washington
CSDE Fall 2026 Lightning Talks & Poster Session
12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m.
CSDE Fall 2026 Lightning Talks & Poster Session
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.