June 26, 2025
New UW research links early-life ozone exposure to asthma
New UW research has revealed a concerning association between early-life ozone exposure and childhood asthma. The study, led by Logan Dearborn, a doctoral student in the University of Washington’s Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, found that children exposed to higher ozone levels in their first two years of life were at a 31%…
June 23, 2025
Initiative jointly funds two spring 2025 Innovation Gap Fund projects with CoMotion
The Population Health Initiative announced with CoMotion the joint funding of two Innovation Gap Funds of $75,000 each to teams of University of Washington researchers. This $150,000 in collective funding will support projects that simultaneously support the UW’s vision for improving population health while also fulfilling the CoMotion Innovation Fund’s goal of enabling research that…
June 16, 2025
Initiative announces awardees of spring quarter 2025 Tier 3 pilot research grants
The Population Health Initiative has announced the award of four Tier 3 pilot grants to interdisciplinary teams of University of Washington population health researchers. The total value of this round of awards is roughly $900,000, which included $750,000 in funding from the initiative plus additional matching funds from different schools, colleges and units. “We are…
June 12, 2025
Initiative-supported research reveals link between tenant legal representation and health
New research conducted by Will von Geldern, a Ph.D. candidate in the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, that was recently published in Social Science & Medicine found an interesting link between Right to Counsel (RTC) programs and population health. Utilizing a mixed methods approach, von Geldern analyzed interviews with 45…
June 4, 2025
Winning papers announced for 2025 Population Health Library Research Awards
The Population Health Initiative announced today that four University of Washington undergraduate students have been honored with 2025 Population Health Library Research Awards for outstanding scholarship. The Population Health Library Research Award program was created in 2017 in partnership with the University of Washington Libraries and is open to undergraduates from all three UW campuses….
May 27, 2025
DecarbCityTwin: A platform for urban decarbonization
A project between the University of Washington, Southern Illinois University and the City of Seattle is developing a groundbreaking platform to improve urban decarbonization efforts. DecarbCityTwin merges advanced technologies to help cities implement effective carbon reduction measures while simultaneously addressing ever-important equity concerns. “DecarbCityTwin is a pilot platform developed as a proof-of-concept to support building…
May 21, 2025
Initiative-led research highlights disparities in childhood vaccinations
A new study conducted by the University of Washington’s Population Health Initiative has revealed the persistent racial disparities in childhood vaccination programs in Canada and the United States, stressing the need for comprehensive policy interventions addressing immunization barriers. Published in the journal Vaccine, the research compared both countries’ immunization programs over the past decade. The…
May 13, 2025
UW student is building an autonomous robotic assistant to support with surgeries
Niveditha Kalavokonda (pictured), a University of Washington Electrical & Computer Engineering Doctoral student, is developing an autonomous robotic assistant for surgical suction. While robots are currently utilized in surgical settings, and praised for their minimal invasion, reduced risk of infection, faster recovery time and lessened scarring, they are currently only an extension of physicians’ hands….
May 6, 2025
Honorees announced for 2025 undergraduate research recognition awards
The Population Health Initiative announced today the 21 University of Washington students who received Population Health Recognition Awards as part of their participation in the 2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium. These awards, representing 18 separate projects, recognize each of the students for their innovative and well-presented research projects. This award, which was created in partnership with…
April 30, 2025
Winter 2023 Tier 2 pilot grant awardees share their final project findings
The University of Washington Population Health Initiative awarded pilot grants to four teams of interdisciplinary researchers in April 2023 who were seeking findings in areas ranging from maternal health to student disciplinary outcomes. The teams represented researchers from four different UW schools and colleges, plus multiple community-based partners, with the total dollar value of the…