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Latest news and updates

Latest news and updates

Building authentic relationships between academic researchers and communities

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History is fraught with repeated violations of researchers breaching the trust of minority communities. From the well-known cases of the 1932 Tuskegee Syphilis study to the more recent Havasupai Genetic Diabetes Research, these ethical violations underscore the importance of prioritizing and fostering respectful and culturally competent relationships between researchers and the communities with which they engage. By embracing relationship-centered research, the genuine prioritization of the needs of the population can occur, advancing efforts to dismantle health disparities. In Spring 2023,…

Winter quarter 2023 Tier 1 pilot grantees report progress in their projects

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Four $25,000 Population Health Initiative Tier 1 pilot grants were awarded to interdisciplinary University of Washington research teams in winter quarter 2022 to investigate pressing population health challenges. Since then, each team has made progress in their respective projects, with the tabs below describing work completed to date. The purpose of Tier 1 pilot grants are to support researchers in laying an interdisciplinary foundation for a future project to generate proof-of-concept.

UW researchers seek to adapt AI-driven caregiver support tool for Latino community

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Weichao Yuwen, an associate professor in the School of Nursing & Healthcare Leadership at the University of Washington Tacoma, and Maggie Ramirez, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington, are collaborating to adapt the program, Caring for Caregivers Online (COCO), for Latino communities. COCO is a mobile-based chat platform that offers support to people caring for chronically ill individuals. This program shares wellness practices and connects caregivers with tips from healthcare professionals. Yuwen…

Spring quarter 2022 Tier 1 pilot grant awardees report final impact of funded projects

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The 11 University of Washington research teams who received $25,000 Population Health Initiative Tier 1 pilot grants in spring 2022 have completed their respective projects and reported the impact of their work. Research teams for these projects featured expertise from eight different UW schools and colleges as well numerous community-based partners. The purpose of the Tier 1 pilot grant program is to support researchers in laying an interdisciplinary foundation for a future project to generate proof-of-concept. Reported project outcomes and…

Initiative awards six proof-of-concept grants to interdisciplinary teams of UW researchers

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The University of Washington Population Health Initiative announced today the award of six Tier 2 pilot grants to teams representing researchers from seven different UW schools and colleges as well as multiple community-based partners. A total of $350,000 was awarded, which included $300,000 in funding from the initiative and additional matching funds from different schools, colleges, departments and the Office of Global Affairs. “We are delighted to support these six project teams to realize impactful findings on topics ranging from…

Initiative invites grant applications that seek to apply AI to population health challenges

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The University of Washington Population Health Initiative announced today a special funding call for pilot projects that seek to accelerate the application of large language models and generative artificial intelligence to seemingly intractable grand challenges in population health. Awards of up to $100,000 each are available to UW researchers for interdisciplinary projects that propose exploratory research that serves the public good. “The rapid advances we’re seeing in technological innovation holds great promise for advancing our health and well-being,” shared Ali…

Winter 2022 pilot grant awardees report their final project outcomes

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The Population Health Initiative’s Tier 2 pilot grant program support researchers in developing preliminary data or the proof-of-concept needed to pursue follow-on funding to scale one’s efforts. Eight pilot grants were awarded to interdisciplinary teams in April 2022, with the total value of those awards reaching roughly $677,000 in a mix of initiative and additional matching funds from different schools, colleges and departments. Each of the teams have now closed out their projects and offered reports on their results and…

First-year students explore communities, earn recognitions for outstanding projects

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The University of Washington Communities & Research (CoRe) project is an opportunity for incoming first-year students at the UW to examine population health on a personal level. In interdisciplinary and collaborative groups, students analyze various factors impacting population health in different Seattle neighborhoods, all through the lens of their expertise, discipline and experience. For the third year in a row, UW First Year Programs and the Population Health Initiative have partnered to recognize CoRe projects that excelled in their exploration…

Utilizing drones to incorporate youth perspectives in disaster planning

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The same geologic forces that shaped Washington State hold the potential to devastate the Pacific Northwest, which necessitates thorough disaster planning to prepare the region to mitigate, respond to and recover from future catastrophes. At the same time, structural barriers continually lead to significant gaps in knowledge of how to prepare for disasters, with the perspectives of youth populations often being forgotten. To empower these overlooked voices, Matias Korfmacher, a Master’s in Public Health and Master’s in Urban Planning candidate…

Summer 2024 Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship applications due March 29

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The University of Washington Population Health Initiative is again partnering with the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, CoMotion and the Evans School for Public Policy & Governance to offer its summer Social Entrepreneurship Fellows Program. Applications are due by the end of day, March 29, 2024. The program offers each graduate or professional student $10,000 each over the course of 10 weeks to explore social enterprise models with the potential to support innovations developed by UW researchers. The four fellows will…