October 1, 2019
Pop-up galleries will visualize the bond between homeless humans and their pets
A series of pop-up galleries featuring autobiographical photographs made by people experiencing homelessness with their pets will launch on Friday, October 4, 2019 in the University of Washington’s Red Square. The galleries, which will appear in public spaces around Seattle in October, will help illustrate the connections homeless people share with their companion animals. The…
September 24, 2019
Air pollution can accelerate lung disease as much as a pack a day of cigarettes
A new study co-led by the University of Washington found that long-term exposure to major air pollutants, and especially ozone air pollution that is increasing with climate change, accelerates the progression of emphysema of the lung. Emphysema is a condition in which destruction of lung tissue leads to wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath, and…
September 16, 2019
Social Entrepreneurship Fellows program creates business models for faculty projects
The Population Health Initiative’s summer 2019 Social Entrepreneurship Fellows Program concluded in August with the fellows presenting their findings to students, faculty and staff from schools and colleges across campus. The fellows spent 10 weeks analyzing population health innovations developed by University of Washington researchers to determine how these innovations could be financially sustainable while…
September 10, 2019
Initiative announces inaugural cohort for new humanitarian graduate certificate
The Population Health Initiative today announced the admission of five students into the new Graduate Certificate in International Humanitarian Response. The certificate, which is offered through the University of Washington Graduate School, is intended to train an interdisciplinary group of UW graduate and professional students to become that next generation of leaders in international humanitarian…
September 4, 2019
New study shows gun stores can help prevent suicides
Firearms are commonly used and the most lethal means of suicide nationwide. A new University of Washington study has found that firearm retailers around Washington state are willing to learn about suicide prevention and to train their employees in how to spot and act on suicide warning signs. The findings from the survey of nearly…
August 28, 2019
Assessing nature’s impact on mental health
Interactions with nature are beginning to be recognized as one way to improve mental health. However, it has been difficult to identify ways to quantify these benefits in a useful manner for cities or organizations that want to integrate nature to improve mental health. A new study from an international team that included University of…
August 20, 2019
UW initiatives seek to help families deal with psychosis
UW Medicine is pursuing multiple mechanisms of care for individuals, and their caregivers, who are going through a psychotic episode. All of this is viewed as welcome news for families in the trenches of psychosis. Among the new resources are: The nation’s first program to teach evidence-based skills to help people whose relatives or friends…
August 14, 2019
Court-imposed fees and fines may create a cycle of poverty and incarceration
New research from the University of Washington’s School of Public Health supports the argument that court-imposed fees and fines may keep the most vulnerable people ensnared in a vicious cycle of poverty and incarceration. The researchers found that, among a group of adults experiencing homelessness in the Seattle area, people with outstanding legal debt spent…
August 7, 2019
Food security of Cambodians threatened by hydropower demands
The lower Mekong River Basin produces more than two million tons of fish annually, making it the largest freshwater fishery — and one of the most productive ecosystems — in the world. The basin also support a number of rice production powerhouses. With a handful of new hydropower dams completed, and more than 135 either…
August 2, 2019
New Population Health Building topped out and artists selected
The University of Washington announced today the topping out of its new $230 million Population Health Building. The UW also has selected two artists whose work will help tell the story of the education and research that will take place within the new facility. Construction of the eight-story building began in April 2018. Workers today…