Globe Gathers in Seattle

Creating tangible impact at an institution as large and far reaching as the UW is no easy task. “How do you use that power of being a really big diverse university? How do we bring the different pieces together to make sure that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts?” asked President Cauce. The answer, she said, lies in creating an “impact ecosystem” where good ideas can thrive and create positive change.

“We know how it is that these ideas turn into impact. It really does happen when people from different disciplines, when researchers who are university-based go out and work with communities outside. That’s how the serendipity happens,” she said. The impact ecosystem allows the University to transform its solid foundation of basic research into impact. Impact that President Cauce says we owe to the community.

“We can take this basic research and turn it into impact we owe the community.”

– UW President Ana Mari Cauce

Dr. Mokdad added that he hoped the UW would become known as a place to turn when seeking solutions. “We want to be that place where people come to us to know what works and what doesn’t. We want to accumulate the evidence to be able to tell you, if you are facing this problem, this is what has been proven to work. We want the UW to be able to tell you, that intervention is better than this intervention, that policy is better than this policy, this will change your life, and investment today here will save you a lot of money in the long run,” he said.

The new Hans Rosling Center for Population Health.

President Cauce and Dr. Mokdad called attention to the University’s Population Health Initiative as one example of an impact ecosystem at work. “Population Health has been a perfect example of how we’re trying to have impact,” said President Cauce.

Dr. Mokdad emphasized the initiative’s power to bring people together from across the University to address some of the world’s most pressing issues related to human health, environmental resilience and social and economic equity. “We want the best engineers to graduate from our school, we want to graduate the best lawyers, but also at the same time we want them to know that they have a role to play in Population Health,” he said.

Everything we invested before COVID-19 in the Population Health Initiative became a big advantage to us.

– UW Population Health Initiative Chief Strategy Officer, Ali Mokdad

Investing in basic research and impact ecosystems like the Population Health Initiative played a critical role in preparing the UW to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our faculty did an amazing job. Many faculty were involved in the vaccine. Our school of medicine was prepared for the surge. We had testing here, genetic sequencing here, the CDC comes to us to do tests when they cannot handle the volume. We took patients from other states. Our faculty were innovative in terms of the response,” said Dr. Mokdad.

President Cauce said the UW’s work on COVID-19 had positive impacts far beyond campus. “COVID has affected the state of Washington less than others partly because of the work that we’ve done, but also it has had less of an effect on the rest of the world,” she said. Pointing to the UW’s work on vaccines, she highlighted their potential to make a difference in countries without advanced medical infrastructure. “Right now we’ve got a vaccine that’s being used in South Korea, that doesn’t need to be refrigerated which is going to make a huge difference in some developing countries.”

A display of protective equipment and Husky Spirit.

President Cauce pointed to the UW’s pandemic response as proof that a foundation of research and collaboration creates impact. “There can be no better way in describing what we do in terms of basic research. Dozens of years of NIH-funded basic research lead to the mRNA vaccines but also — people talk about how universities are glacial in terms of impact — think about in what short a period of time we were able to have diagnostic tests, we were able to have vaccines, we were able to have projections, and the University of Washington really played a leadership role. I just don’t think I’ve had a prouder moment as president.”

Beyond the positive change created by initiatives like Population Health, the keynote conversation also showcased the impact UW students and alumni make, and why giving them a global perspective is critically important. “I know many of you have come from across the world to be here. The work we’re doing right here can make an impact where you are and the work you’re doing can make an impact where we are,” said President Cauce.

“All of you are doing a great job and having an impact on students and inspiring students in your countries. Our alums are absolutely amazing.”

– UW President, Ana Mari Cauce

Highlighting study abroad programs, President Cauce said they are changing students’ perspective on the globe. “Our students are looking at themselves as citizens of the world and they know we’re all interconnected. We have classes where half the students are here and half the students are in another country and they’re sharing on the internet. They view themselves very much as global citizens because they know that the problems of the world, no matter where they are, will end up affecting us no matter where we are,” she said. “We really need these global networks because a wave that starts in Asia can end up affecting us. We share the ocean and if we want to have clean oceans, we have to work across them.”

UW Students on a study abroad in Croatia.
Credit: Dani Slowik

Addressing major issues such as protecting oceans is one benefit of building global networks. President Cauce also stressed its importance for students as they enter the workforce. “If you were born in Seattle and never go further than 100 miles from your home, if you work at Starbucks, if you work at Amazon, if you work Boeing, if you work at Microsoft, you’re going to be working with people from all over the world. You’re going to be traveling all over the world, learning how to partner, doing research together with people from other countries that are coming in with other ideas. Not only does it spark innovation, but those cultural skills that you learn will be skills employers are looking for. It’s absolutely vital,” she said.

Dr. Riedinger added that the UW approaches international collaboration with a sophistication that understands both the promises and risks. “The world’s greatest problems — but also greatest opportunities — know no boundaries of geography, of discipline, or of institution. That is when we are most impactful,” he said.

Breaking down barriers of geography is something President Cauce sees as a significant opportunity for the UW. “I was invited to be on the advisory board of a conference that takes place in Glion Switzerland and brings together university presidents from around the world. A lot of what we were talking about was the importance of knowledge diplomacy at a time when politicians can’t work together across countries,” she said.

Knowledge diplomacy is when education institutions are able to work together across borders when traditional diplomatic channels are blocked. “Where there is huge polarization between countries, scientist are still working together, universities are still working together. Our governments can’t talk to each other, but our students can talk to each other, our faculty can talk to each other,” said President Cauce. “All these countries that are enemies, the people want the same things we do. They want their children to be fed. They want their children to be educated. They want to drink clean water. They want healthy lives.”