February 28, 2019
Initiative piloting a summer social entrepreneurship fellows program
The Population Health Initiative, in partnership with the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, CoMotion and the Evans School, will pilot test a Social Entrepreneurship Fellows Program during summer quarter 2019. The paid fellowships will be offered to three graduate students from different disciplines who will explore various social enterprise models for innovations developed by University of…
February 22, 2019
Spring undergraduate course to highlight disaster research
A home in Puerto Rico with a temporary roof after Hurricane Maria. The Population Health Initiative is offering a one-credit, credit/no-credit seminar-style course for undergraduate students during spring quarter called, “Disasters: Approaches to Preparation, Response and Recovery.” Natural and human-made disasters result in enormous human and economic costs, including immediate loss of lives, destruction of…
February 19, 2019
Memorandum of understanding signed with the Karolinska Institutet
The University of Washington announced today the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Karolinska Institutet that is intended to deepen collaboration in areas of teaching and research impacting population health. The five-year agreement details a range of possible collaborative projects and activities to explore, including faculty and student exchanges, joint research activities and…
February 14, 2019
Inaugural pilot research grant awardees close out their yearlong projects
The Population Health Initiative pilot research grant encourages new interdisciplinary collaborations among investigators for projects that address critical components of different grand challenges the University of Washington seeks to address in population health. The initiative funded an inaugural round of five pilot research grants to faculty-led teams from 10 different UW schools and colleges in…
February 6, 2019
Massive wildfires have strikingly unequal effects on minority communities
Researchers at the University of Washington and The Nature Conservancy used census data to develop a “vulnerability index” to assess wildfire risk in communities across the U.S. Their results, which were published in the journal PLOS ONE, show that racial and ethnic minorities face greater vulnerability to wildfires compared with primarily white communities. In particular,…
January 30, 2019
UW researcher explores how communities can build back better after a disaster
New research led by Dr. Nicole Errett (pictured), lecturer in the University of Washington Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, explores how a natural disaster can serve as a catalyst for a community to build back better, healthier and more resilient. She recently assessed 28 state disaster recovery plans in a research study funded…
January 23, 2019
New app creates educational bathroom humor
A group of University of Washington Civil & Environmental Engineering students, led by assistant professor Jessica Kaminsky, have created a mobile application called LoosePoops to help educate the public about sanitation issues around the world. Loosely modeled after the popular game Fruit Ninja, where players slice fruit using a touch screen controlled blade, LoosePoops players…
January 17, 2019
New suite of resources supports tribes in preparing for climate change
The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group and regional tribal partners have developed a collection of resources that may be useful to tribes at any stage in the process of evaluating their vulnerability to climate change. The project is a partnership among tribes, tribal associations, universities and the federal government. This new suite of resources…
January 14, 2019
Pilot research grant awardees report progress on projects
The Population Health Initiative awarded eight pilot research grants to faculty-led teams from 11 different UW schools and colleges in March 2018. The pilot research grants encourage new interdisciplinary collaborations among investigators for projects that address grand challenges the UW seeks to impact in population health. Since receiving their awards, the eight teams have made…
January 10, 2019
Latina immigrants practice mindfulness together to combat depression and anxiety
A University of Washington Latino Center for Health project encourages self-soothing techniques as part of a mindfulness program that helps Latina immigrant women build coping skills to combat depression and anxiety, which they face at higher rates than other ethnic groups. Called Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma (ALMA), or Latina Friends Motivating the Spirit, the…