March 1, 2016
The Animals to Hendrix: Authors discuss soundtrack of Vietnam War at March 7 event
For soldiers serving in the Vietnam War, music was a salve, a connection to home and a temporary respite from the horrors of combat. In “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” Rolling Stone’s #1 Best Music Book of 2015, Doug Bradley and Craig Werner explore the importance of music to U.S. troops in Vietnam,…
February 26, 2016
Transgender children supported in their identities show positive mental health
Studies of mental health among transgender people in the United States have been consistently grim, showing higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicide. But almost nothing is known about the mental health of a new and growing generation of transgender Americans — prepubescent children who are living openly as transgender with the support of their…
February 11, 2016
Male biology students consistently underestimate female peers, study finds
Female college students are more likely to abandon studies in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines than their male classmates, and new research from the University of Washington suggests that those male peers may play a key role in undermining their confidence. Published this week in the journal PLOS ONE, the study found that…
February 1, 2016
UW hosts daylong public ‘teach-in’ on mass incarceration
The acclaimed 2012 book “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” is the foundation for a daylong “teach-in” at the University of Washington Feb. 9. The event is titled “Perpetual Displacement and Bondage: Understanding Historical and Contemporary Intersections of Mass Incarceration, Racism, and Health.” It’s free and open to the public,…
January 28, 2016
Study shows U.S. has greater link between low birth weight and inequality
Health disparities are common in developed countries, including the U.S., but at what age those inequities take root and how they vary between countries is less clear. New research from the University of Washington compares the link between income, education and low birth weight in the United States with those in three comparable countries: the…
January 22, 2016
UW’s Forefront backs effort to engage gun dealers and pharmacies on suicide prevention
Patty Yamashita was a vivacious, sweet, high-energy woman who balanced a career as an IT manager with a steadfast dedication to her family. She worked long hours but was always home to put dinner on the table and read a bedtime story for her children. “My mother was my hero,” said her son, David. “Usually…
January 8, 2016
UW law school Dean Kellye Y. Testy to serve as national group president
Kellye Y. Testy, dean of the University of Washington’s law school, will give her inaugural address as president of the Association of American Law Schools tomorrow night in Washington, D.C. Testy previously served on the association‘s executive committee and was voted in as its president in October 2014. She takes over from 2015 president Blake Morant,…
January 6, 2016
UW faculty members join Inslee in gun violence announcement
Two University of Washington faculty members joined Washington Gov. Jay Inslee Wednesday as he announced a new initiative to reduce gun-related deaths by strengthening background checks and implementing a statewide suicide prevention plan. Jennifer Stuber, an associate professor at the UW School of Social Work, and Monica Vavilala, director of the Harborview Injury Prevention and…
January 4, 2016
UW class pairs students and inmates for unique learning experience
On a rainy December afternoon, a group of students in the University of Washington’s Law, Societies & Justice program sit in a classroom discussing what elements might be included in a restorative justice program. The conversation is lively, the comments thoughtful. But this isn’t any ordinary classroom, and it isn’t your usual group of university…
December 29, 2015
No easy answers in UW study of legal marijuana’s impact on alcohol use
Does legal marijuana tempt pot users to consume more alcohol — or are they likely to opt for cannabis instead of chardonnay? A University of Washington team of researchers sought to address those questions in the context of evolving marijuana policies in the United States. Their findings, published online Dec. 21 in the journal Alcoholism:…
December 17, 2015
Study: Safety net fails impoverished grandmothers raising children
Increasing numbers of grandmothers across the United States are raising their grandchildren, many of them living in poverty and grappling with a public assistance system not designed to meet their needs. LaShawnDa Pittman, an assistant professor in the University of Washington’s Department of American Ethnic Studies, interviewed 77 African American grandmothers living in some of…
December 15, 2015
Forefront launches suicide prevention effort in three rural Washington counties
Suicide is a tough issue to broach. How could an adult know if a child in the community might be suicidal and when to intervene? Is it appropriate to ask a friends or colleagues if they’re considering suicide? If someone is in crisis, what’s the best way to respond? Forefront: Innovations in Suicide Prevention hopes…
December 4, 2015
UW project focuses on fines and fees that create ‘prisoners of debt’
Criminals are meant to pay their debts to society through sentencing, but a different type of court-imposed debt can tie them to the criminal justice system for life and impact their ability to move forward with their lives. Though debtors’ prisons were eliminated in the United States almost two centuries ago, a modern-day version exists…
November 30, 2015
UW sociology professors part of White House, DOJ events on criminal justice reform
President Obama has been leading the charge for criminal justice reform in recent months, calling for sweeping changes to reduce mass incarceration and commuting sentences for non-violent offenders. This week, the White House and Department of Justice are bringing together researchers, legal system practitioners and advocacy organizations at events focused on criminal justice system reform…
November 23, 2015
Public talk Nov. 24 urges solidarity with Syrian refugees
Interested in the Syrian refugee crisis? A public discussion at the University of Washington Tuesday, Nov. 24 aims to provide information about how local residents and communities can help advocate for Syrian refugees. Sponsored by UW Law’s Immigrant Families Advocacy Project, the “Social Justice Tuesday” event will be held from 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. in…
November 10, 2015
UW psychology professor Anthony Greenwald receives award for social cognition work
University of Washington psychology professor Anthony Greenwald is one of two researchers chosen to receive the most prestigious award of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. Greenwald and Mahzarin Banaji, a social psychologist at Harvard University, recently were named joint recipients of the 2016 Kurt Lewin Award for distinguished research on social issues….
November 6, 2015
UW women studies department marks 45th anniversary
Nancy Kenney came to the University of Washington in 1976 with a joint appointment in psychology and women studies. The arrangement was typical — women studies professors at the UW then had joint appointments, Kenney said, because the program wasn’t expected to be around long. “Women studies was not expected to be a viable academic…
November 4, 2015
Krispy Kreme crack and luxury food fever: new book links overeating to consumer culture
In an era of Fitbits, Skinnygirl margaritas and kale mania, isn’t overeating simply a failure of willpower, an unwillingness or inability to make good choices? It’s not that simple, says Kima Cargill, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Washington in Tacoma. In her new book “The Psychology of Overeating,” Cargill places the…
November 3, 2015
UW social work professor named among nation’s top 50 Influencers in Aging
University of Washington social work professor Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen is among 50 people nationwide named on the first Next Avenue Influencers in Aging list. Compiled by Next Avenue, a public media website aimed at older Americans, the list recognizes people “who are changing how we age and think about aging in America.” Fredriksen-Goldsen, director of the…
October 29, 2015
UW President Cauce receives Greater Seattle Business Association social justice award
Even before she became the University of Washington’s 33rd president earlier this month, Ana Mari Cauce was a leader who broke down barriers and inspired students and other community members. That’s why Cauce was selected to receive the Greater Seattle Business Association’s 2015 Special Recognition: Voice for Social Justice Award, said Louise Chernin, the association’s…
October 28, 2015
UW team to lead research efforts on initiative for incarcerated parents
The University of Washington will play a key role in a new initiative aimed at helping inmates with children transition back into society, be successful parents and partners and remain out of prison. Partners for Our Children, a UW School of Social Work center that works to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families…
October 27, 2015
UW initiative aims to tackle city, region’s most pressing urban issues
When Thaisa Way put a call out last spring to see if University of Washington faculty members working on urban issues wanted to join forces, she wasn’t sure what the response would be. “There were a lot of people who said, ‘You’re not going to get anyone to show up,’” said Way, a UW associate…
October 21, 2015
UW autism expert helped shape new ‘Sesame Street’ initiative
During its almost half-century on television, “Sesame Street” has tackled thorny issues ranging from divorce to death, food insecurity and parental incarceration. The show is now turning its attention to autism, and a University of Washington expert played a pivotal role in the effort. Wendy Stone, director of the UW’s Research in Early Autism Detection and Intervention…
October 9, 2015
UW summit highlights poverty, eroding middle class in state
Poverty rates in Washington dropped between 2013 and 2014 for the first time in six years, but many people are increasingly struggling to get by, particularly in Seattle. Poverty in King County and around the state was the focus of the West Coast Poverty Center’s first annual summit Sept. 29. The University of Washington-based group…
October 6, 2015
UW study finds LGBTQ older adults in Seattle/King County face higher health risks
The number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) older adults in Seattle and King County is expected to double by 2030, and they face higher risks of disability, poor health, mental distress and isolation — along with a social service sector unequipped to deal with their needs. That’s the conclusion of a study…
October 1, 2015
UW professor emeritus Cheryl Richey shows abstract art in solo exhibit
As an academic, Cheryl Richey was empirical and analytical, dogged in her insistence on backing up practice with evidence. So it’s perhaps not surprising that as an artist, the University of Washington professor emeritus of social work lets her spontaneous, experimental side loose. “I think that absence of control is what I needed, because my…
September 30, 2015
Ballmers’ support for UW School of Social Work reaches $32 million
The University of Washington will help more social work graduate students pay for their studies and start their careers without staggering debt loads, thanks to significant support from Connie and Steve Ballmer. The Ballmers’ contributions include a new gift of $20 million, bringing the couple’s support for the UW School of Social Work to $32…
September 25, 2015
Forefront hosts state’s first higher education suicide prevention conference
Each year, around 1,100 undergraduate students around the United States die by suicide; in the last six years alone, 18 University of Washington students have taken their own lives. “That number sounds horrific, and it is, but it’s also squarely in line with the national average,” said Lauren Davis, director of school and campus programs…
September 23, 2015
UW team links two human brains for question-and-answer experiment
Imagine a question-and-answer game played by two people who are not in the same place and not talking to each other. Round after round, one player asks a series of questions and accurately guesses the object the other is thinking about. Sci-fi? Mind-reading superpowers? Not quite. University of Washington researchers recently used a direct brain-to-brain…
September 17, 2015
Poverty decreases in Washington state
The share of Washingtonians living in poverty dropped from 14.1 percent to 13.2 percent between 2013 and 2014, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday. Washington was one of 12 states with significant declines in their poverty rates during that period. Among the remaining states, the vast majority saw no change in their…
September 8, 2015
UW seventh-largest driver of Teach for America corps
The University of Washington is the 7th-largest contributor of college graduates to the 2015 Teach For America corps, according to the annual list of top contributors released today by the national nonprofit organization. Graduates who join Teach For America commit to teach for at least two years in under-resourced schools. Among large schools, the University of California–Los Angeles…
UW scientists are pioneering research on ‘body maps’ in babies’ brains
For more than half a century, scientists have studied how the surface of the body is mapped in parts of the brain associated with touch. That research has focused largely on “body maps” that show how certain parts of the brain correspond point-for-point with the body’s topography. These body maps have been studied extensively in…
September 1, 2015
UW professor Marsha Linehan to receive National Alliance on Mental Health award
University of Washington psychology professor Marsha Linehan has been chosen to receive the 2015 Scientific Research Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). The award, given annually since 2005, honors excellence in research for mental illnesses. Linehan, who is also an adjunct professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the UW, is the…
August 31, 2015
UW students put data science skills to use for social good
They could easily spend their days poring over statistical methods for a genetic study or sorting through data about consumer behavior on the other side of the globe. But this summer, data scientists at the University of Washington’s eScience Institute took a break from their typical work helping researchers and professors to incorporate cutting-edge technologies…
August 25, 2015
Study: Mixed-race couples with black partners more likely to live in poor neighborhoods
Though the number of mixed-race couples in the United States has nearly quadrupled since 1980, relatively little research has been done about where those couples live — and specifically, the level of poverty within their neighborhoods. That dearth of data prompted Ryan Gabriel, a doctoral student in sociology at the University of Washington, to look…
August 24, 2015
Blacks hit hardest by public-sector job losses during recession, study finds
The public sector has long served as an equalizer in American society, a place where minority workers could find stable employment that offered advancement and a reliable path to a middle-class life. But the Great Recession wiped out many of those jobs, as tax revenues declined and anti-government sentiment added to a contraction that continued…
August 20, 2015
Maltreated children’s brains show ‘encouraging’ ability to regulate emotions
Children who have been abused or exposed to other types of trauma typically experience more intense emotions than their peers, a byproduct of living in volatile, dangerous environments. But what if those kids could regulate their emotions? Could that better help them cope with difficult situations? Would it impact how effective therapy might be for…
August 11, 2015
Behaviors linked to adult crime differ in abused girls and boys, study finds
The signs that an abused child might later commit crimes might not be obvious — that boisterous playground behavior from a third-grade boy, for example, or the 10-year-old girl who seems a little anxious or withdrawn. But new research from the University of Washington suggests that troubling behaviors exhibited by abused children can be predictors…
August 6, 2015
Abusive men put female partners at greater sexual risk, study finds
Abusive and controlling men are more likely to put their female partners at sexual risk, and the level of that risk escalates along with the abusive behavior, a UW study found. Published in the Journal of Sex Research in July, the study looked at patterns of risky sexual behavior among heterosexual men aged 18 to…
August 3, 2015
UW-developed program boosts community-wide prevention, study finds
Almost 30 years ago, two University of Washington researchers developed a program that aimed to reduce problem behaviors among young people by implementing preventive measures at the community level. That program, Communities That Care, is now being used in states across the nation and has been shown to reduce risk factors that lead to problems…
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