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Latest news and updates

Latest news and updates

Planning climate change in China with more permeable stormwater systems

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Sometime, about 50 years from now, a threatening storm probably will push out of the South China Sea into southeast China’s Pearl River Delta, a densely populated region that includes Hong Kong, Macao and Zhuhai. The rains are expected to be even more intense by 2070 because the atmosphere will hold more moisture due to a warmer climate. A flash flood could be deadly. However, a downburst on the delta could be absorbed without serious flooding thanks to “sponge city”…

Spring undergraduate course to focus on humanitarian and disaster research

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A UW team installs a solar microgrid in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. The Population Health Initiative is again offering GEN ST 297, “Disasters: Approaches to Preparation, Response and Recovery,” during spring quarter 2020. This is a one-credit, credit/no-credit seminar-style course for undergraduate students that will require completion of short, weekly quizzes and a two- to three-page final paper. Natural and human-made disasters result in enormous human and economic costs, including immediate loss of lives, destruction of infrastructure, food shortages,…

Initiative offers honors course in social entrepreneurship

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The Population Health Initiative is partnering with the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance to offer an undergraduate course through the Honors Program, “Improving Population Health through Social Entrepreneurship,” in spring 2020. The course will offer students a fundamental understanding social innovation and the role that social enterprises can play in addressing population health challenges. Through a combination of lectures, guest speakers, case studies and a team project, students will learn how organizations can advance work that has a…

Initiative-funded 2018 pilot research grant awardees report final outcomes

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The Population Health Initiative awarded eight pilot research grants to faculty-led teams from 11 different UW schools and colleges in March 2018. These pilot research grants encouraged new interdisciplinary collaborations among investigators for projects that address population health grand challenges. The funded teams have now all completed their projects, and report on their results and their plans for sustaining the projects going forward.

Population Health Social Entrepreneurship Fellows call for applications

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The Population Health Initiative – in partnership with the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, CoMotion and the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance – is accepting applications for the summer quarter 2020 Social Entrepreneurship Fellows Program. The paid fellowship will be offered to four graduate students from different disciplines to explore various social enterprise models for innovations that are developed by University of Washington researchers. The projects for the summer 2020 cohort are being developed to benefit disadvantaged populations and…

Help generate content for the new Hans Rosling Center for Population Health

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A key component of the University of Washington’s efforts to improve population health is the new Hans Rosling Center for Population Health. The Rosling Center, which will open in summer 2020, will act as a central hub for faculty, students, staff, partners and visitors from a wide range of disciplines across the university, the region, the nation and the world to address important population health challenges. The Rosling Center will have feature walls (pictured) located next to main building entrances….

Initiative supports creation of safe motherhood program with the Somali community

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Mama Amaan (Somali for “safe motherhood”) is a partnership between the Somali Health Board of Tukwila and the University of Washington. Its goal is to test the feasibility of a community-developed and run program of pre- and postnatal care services to help reduce negative health outcomes for women and infants. The program brings together women in five different locations around South Seattle and South King County for monthly lessons in the physical, mental and emotional issues of pregnancy, childbirth and…

Developing a chatbot to support caregivers of children with chronic conditions

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Being a parent or caregiver to a child can be a stressful experience, with added challenges if a child has a chronic illness or medical condition. A tri-campus team of University of Washington researchers is attempting to help reduce this stress through development of a chatbot that supports caregivers of children with chronic conditions. “We imagine using an established behavioral intervention to help people, to give them tools to problem-solve challenges they encounter as caregivers,” shared Weichao Yuwen, assistant professor…

New funding aims to boost number of inclusive classrooms in Washington state

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Half of children with developmental disabilities in Washington state will never be in a classroom alongside their typically developing peers, despite research showing that inclusive education is beneficial to all children. A recent gift to the University of Washington’s Haring Center for Inclusive Education will support an effort to improve academic and life outcomes for children with developmental disabilities by strengthening high-quality professional development for educators and administrators across the state. Learn More >

Awardees of 2019 pilot research grants report on progress

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The Population Health Initiative awarded six pilot research grants in March 2019 to faculty-led teams from seven different schools and colleges, plus representatives of both UW Bothell and Tacoma. The pilot research grants encourage new interdisciplinary collaborations among investigators for projects that address different challenges the UW seeks to address in population health. Since receiving their awards, the six teams have made significant initial progress towards achieving their goals for their yearlong projects. Highlights of their work includes: