Digital health innovation workshop tackles population health challenges

Posted on December 1, 2021

Ideas turned into hands-on experience for students at a brand-new workshop focusing on improving the health of people around the world through digital innovations. Twenty-seven students from different disciplines came together on November 11, 2021 for an immersive experience hosted by the Foster School’s Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, in partnership with the Population Health Initiative at the University of Washington. Participating students generated ideas, analyzed best practices in digital innovation and pitched to stakeholders and influential members of the healthcare…

New study offers view into work life of app-based drivers during COVID-19

Posted on November 24, 2021

A new University of Washington study highlights the significant effects of COVID-19 on app-based drivers regarding their business and livelihood. Marissa Baker, an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the University of Washington, was senior author on this recent study wherein four app-based drivers conducted interviews of 100 fellow drivers to assess their thoughts on the challenges and pressures they face during the pandemic. The general concerns of the interviewees centered around health concerns due to the…

Initiative’s Applied Research Fellowship project assesses housing vulnerabilities in King County

Posted on November 22, 2021

The 2021 University of Washington Population Health Applied Research Fellows recently concluded their research on the effects of household growth, demographic and spatial distribution, environmental risks and COVID-19 on housing vulnerabilities in King Country. Their goal was to analyze the disparities created by these factors in an effort to better inform future access to affordable housing in King County and its communities. The team analyzed past and present factors to develop methods for projecting the number of households, average household…

Initiative announces relaunch of its interdisciplinary pilot grant program

Posted on November 17, 2021

The Population Health Initiative has relaunched its interdisciplinary pilot grant program, leveraging project savings from the construction of the Hans Rosling Center for Population Health to dramatically expand the initiative’s internal granting capacity in 2022 and 2023. The relaunched program now features three different tiers of grants with varying foci and awards ranging in size from $25,000 to $200,000. “We are delighted to have the funding capacity to be able to support the launch of roughly 75 innovative and interdisciplinary…

UW Community Circle kicks off a year of healing discussions with a virtual event

Posted on November 9, 2021

Several University of Washington programs kicked off a community circle on October 28, 2021, with a virtual event open to all UW faculty and staff. The purpose of the event was to invite attendees into an intentional space to participate in future conversations around processing and coping with the events of the past 20 months through the reading and discussion of My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem. Menakem’s book aims to engage readers in building a healing community through somatic…

New research and education hub to focus on coastal resiliency

Posted on November 4, 2021

The Cascadia Coastlines and Peoples Hazards Research Hub, which is based at the University of Washington and Oregon State University, has launched with the goal of studying dangers prevalent in coastal communities, specifically in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington, in order to increase safety and resiliency in the communities. These coastal areas are prone to environmental consequences of many geological hazards, which drives this project’s intention of increasing resiliency of these areas through research and education. The hub aims to…

Spotlight: Sara Curran’s exemplification of interdisciplinary collaboration

Posted on November 2, 2021

Sara Curran, professor of International Studies at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and Director of the Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology (CSDE), recognizes the merit and significance of interdisciplinary collaborations. Curran also holds a joint appointment as professor of Sociology, another joint appointment at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance and is an adjunct professor in the Department of Global Health. Through her own interdisciplinary background and career, Curran illustrates the…

Analyzing the impact of the pandemic on low-income housing security in Washington State

Posted on October 27, 2021

New research from of the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy & Governance analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on housing security in Washington State. Through a collaboration with the Tenants Union of Washington State, the researchers examined low-income tenants’ housing security. They discovered that current conditions had increased rental debts, reduced residential mobility, and poorer housing quality for low-income people. The researchers also uncovered that the pandemic had worsened the negative impacts of housing insecurity on…

Winter 2022 undergraduate course highlights UW population health research

Posted on October 19, 2021October 19, 2021

The Population Health Initiative is continuing its partnership with the University of Washington’s Undergraduate Research Program (URP) to offer a series of lectures during winter quarter 2022 that focus on the three pillars of population health: human health, environmental resilience and social and economic equity. The Research Exposed! (General Studies 391 D) course will feature faculty from a number of disciplines discussing their population health-related research. Undergraduates may take this course for credit (i.e., one credit/quarter; three quarters max). Each…