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Latest news and updates

Latest news and updates

Spotlight: Jennifer Atkinson supports the processing of anxiety from climate change

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Channeling environmental anxiety into action to address pressing climate and environmental crises influences Dr. Jennifer Atkinson’s numerous pursuits and achievements. Her career centers on the intersections between mental health and climate science, as she seeks to help others process their anxiety surrounding the constantly evolving environmental crisis the world faces. Atkinson is an associate teaching professor of environmental humanities at the University of Washington Bothell, where she has taught for the past 12 years. She employs a variety of interdisciplinary…

Workers in tropical regions facing increasing dangers due to deforestation

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Findings from a new University of Washington study suggest that rising temperatures due to climate change are responsible for increased fatalities and heat-related illnesses in outdoor workers in lower-latitude tropical forests. The study focuses on Berau Regency, Indonesia, as this region has experienced significant deforestation and subsequent warmer temperatures over the past several years. They found that the increased heat exposure combined with the intensity of outdoor labor led to a significant number of workers experiencing heat exhaustion, kidney and…

Minorities hit harder by COVID-caused mammography delays

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New research from the University of Washington School of Medicine found that women of color were disproportionately affected by the mass postponement of mammograms in the U.S. due to COVID-19. When the pandemic emerged, routine screenings were pushed back to allow health care facilities and workers to prioritize COVID-19 patients. After a few weeks, guidelines for resuming mammograms were released based on the local impact of COVID-19, availability of specific equipment, and breast surgeon and oncologist availability. Overall, these guidelines…

Spring course uses social entrepreneurship to tackle population health challenges

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The Population Health Initiative is partnering with the Honors Program and Evans School of Public Policy & Governance once again this spring to offer an undergraduate course, “Improving Population Health through Social Entrepreneurship.” This five-credit course will provide students with a fundamental understanding of social innovation and the role that social enterprises can play in addressing population health challenges. The course will combine lectures, guest speakers, case studies and a team project, allowing students to learn how organizations can strike…

Spotlight: Ali Mokdad’s dedication to improving population health locally and globally

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Ali H. Mokdad, the University of Washington’s Chief Strategy Officer for Population Health and Professor of Health Metrics Sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), has dedicated his career to improving the health of populations both locally and globally. His expertise and zeal posit him as an inspiring leader for the Population Health Initiative and the broader UW community. Mokdad began his career in epidemiology after receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Biostatistics from the American University…

Survey shows disproportionate food insecurities in Washington tribal communities

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Food insecurity and barriers are prevalent issues tribal communities have long faced due to the history of colonization and removal of tribal people from their native lands. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated these challenges due to disproportionate economic effects and resource distribution for these communities. The recently concluded Washington State Tribal Food Project (WATRIBAL) seeks to minimize these barriers by highlighting the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food disparities and food sovereignty among American…

Hans Rosling Center receives accolades for its unique design and project approach

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The University of Washington’s Hans Rosling Center for Population Health has been recognized multiple times at the state and national level for its unique architectural design and success in cultivating a center that seeks to promote collaboration across disciplines to discuss and solve population health related issues. The accolades awarded to the Hans Rosling Center for Population Health this year are a reflection of the way its design intentionally invites interdisciplinary collaboration. It will continue to grow in serving as…

UW partners with virus detection project to help prevent future pandemics

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The University of Washington has become a partner in the recently launched Discovery & Exploration of Emerging Pathogens – Viral Zoonoses (DEEP VZN) project led by Washington State University. The project is a five-year collaboration with the U.S. Agency for International Development with the purpose of researching and developing capabilities for identifying infectious diseases in wildlife that have the potential to affect human populations. The DEEP VZN project plans to conduct research by collecting over 800,000 samples from wildlife in…

First-year students recognized for outstanding population health research projects

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Each fall quarter, thousands of first-year students at the University of Washington participate in a population health project called The Communities & Research (CoRe) where they analyze the various factors impacting the population health of different neighborhoods in Seattle. This year, UW First Year Programs (FYP) and the Population Health Initiative partnered to introduce a new aspect of the CoRe project – the CoRe Recognition Award to recognize the projects that go above and beyond in exploring population health through…

Researchers find unsafe arsenic levels found in some south Puget Sound lakes, fish

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Researchers at the University of Washington and UW Tacoma have been studying arsenic levels in lakes in the south Puget Sound region to assess possible health risks related to eating fish and other organisms from those lakes. By assessing arsenic levels across multiple lakes at different depths, they found that sea life that lives in shallower lakes – such as snails, crayfish and sunfish – possess arsenic levels associated with increased cancer risks. The research team is now working with…