Together We Will
people standing near a water tank

In good hands

Led by UW faculty and researchers, the Clean Hands Collective team creates safe handwashing stations for the Seattle community.

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Kika Kaui and Dr. John McCarthy wearing blue masks

Social justice and medicine mix at NATIVE Project

UW Medicine student Kika Kaui spent her summer at the NATIVE Project clinic in Spokane, immersed in the practice of generational, integrated medical and mental health services.

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five young women standing in front of Chinatown gate in Seattle

Advocacy journalism during the pandemic

UW students Sabreen Abdullah and Isabel Wang were Advocacy Journalism Fellows at Seattle’s International Examiner, covering the API community through “journalism that adopts a more empathetic lens.”

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Jonathan Posner reviewing a student's medical device prototype

Engineering students tackle real-world COVID challenges

The UW Engineering Innovation in Health program connects health-care experts with engineering students and faculty. The result: innovative devices that meet health-related needs.

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Rachel Issaka

Treating racism in medicine

Physician and UW assistant professor Rachel Issaka knows firsthand how structural racism harms both patients and health-care workers. Her recent essay urges medical professionals to call out and dismantle it.

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Oscar Ochoa in graduation cap and gown

Seeing COVID-19 from inside an ambulance

UW Bothell senior Oscar Ochoa, ’20, is an EMT and plans to become a physician assistant serving the Latino community. He shares what it’s like to be a first responder during a pandemic.

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Ryan Dwyer and his stepdaughter

His cancer returned, but his drive to help was unstoppable

Ryan Dwyer and his stepdaughter both faced cancer treatment last year. Despite a relapse, Dwyer is giving back to caregivers at the UW and beyond — and helping restaurants stay afloat in the process.

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young woman sitting by window with laptop computer

 

UW women engineers mentor teens from a distance

Natalie Salazar, ’20, and the UW’s Society of Women Engineers responded to remote learning by connecting Seattle high school students with online mentoring in STEM.

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Mural saying It's Gonna Be OK by Stevie Shao

Mural by Stevie Shao

Public art: the future of Seattle’s murals

UW museology affiliate faculty member Kyana Wheeler and graduate student Dawn Dailey are helping shape a conversation about art, protest and ownership as the fate of Seattle’s pandemic and protest art is decided.

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man in wheelchair looking at a computer

UW-IT team helps make Zoom more accessible for millions of users

From advising the developers of Zoom to consulting with UW Medicine on accessible COVID-19 resources, the UW’s Accessible Technology Services helps improve tech access for people with disabilities.

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Jamila Johnson

 

Alumna helps strike down Jim Crow–era laws

Jamila Johnson, ’07, managing attorney at the Promise of Justice Initiative, was instrumental in the U.S. Supreme Court overturning a law designed to nullify the votes of Black jurors.

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Su-Yee Lee

 

From fruit flies to coronavirus testing

Thanks to her experience in biology and neuroscience labs, UW graduate student Su-Yee Lee was ready to answer the call when help was needed at UW Virology’s COVID-19 testing center.

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Zorn Taylor wearing flowers and a cloth face covering

Photo by Zorn B. Taylor

UW student and alum organize for Black healing

Reagan Jackson, ’01, and Mary Hall-Williams, ’21, created a Juneteenth day of healing for Seattle’s Black community, and their Blackout Healing events continue to offer space for joy, grief, remembrance and unity.

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four adults around a table

 

Making school systems more just

The College of Education’s new Learning Together 2020 initiative will address inequities made more visible during the pandemic.

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Older Asian woman wearing a medical mask, walking down the street

 

Protecting communities most vulnerable to COVID-19

The UW School of Public Health and Washington State Department of Health are partnering to reduce health-care barriers for those who are older, have medical conditions, or aren’t fluent in English.

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Colleen McElroy

 

A poet’s hope

Colleen McElroy, the first Black woman tenured professor at the UW, discusses the racism she’s seen in her 85 years and how this moment may be a turning point.

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six digital avatars of participants in a team

 

Hacking the pandemic

The inaugural Husky AI Hackathon put teams of business, engineering, computer science and design students to work on artificial intelligence solutions for a world transformed by COVID-19.

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A man and two women wearing masks and holding gold boxes labeled Pesona

 

International Huskies give back

The global pandemic inspired UW alumni and friends around the planet to pull together resources, rally support and pitch in from all over the world.

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Cabaret-19 via Zoom

 

The show must go online

From a childhood in Nicaragua to teaching outside the canon, UW Tacoma lecturer Maria-Tania Bandes-Becerra Weingarden brings her life experience to reimagining performing arts in the age of COVID-19.

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five members of the UW emergency medical staff at Harborview

 

Life in emergency

Emergency physician Nick Johnson describes working at Harborview Medical Center as COVID-19 cases surged: what changed, how his team prepared and how the UW led the response.

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Carol Xie and her father of Purple Dot Cafe

 

Keeping the home fires burning

During the challenges of the pandemic, many restaurant owners rely on family support. Two UW alums are helping keep their family businesses afloat — from making drinks to applying for aid to managing social media.

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red and purple tulips

 

Maintaining strength and hope

UW Facilities staff share how they’re finding the resilience they need to keep campus running. From gardening and meditation to making time to connect, read what keeps them going.

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Illustration of Patty Hayes holding a silver shield at the winding staircase inside Suzzalo Library

 

UW’s 2020 Alumna Summa Laude Dignata is front and center

As director of Public Health–Seattle & King County, alumna Patty Hayes, ’76, ’80, is leading our community’s pandemic response — and improving lives across the region.

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Jessica Thorne, Hailey Henderson, Semaj Miller, Alyssa Franks and Brandon Pascal in a group embrace

 

The showcase must go on

A performance showcase is a crucial opportunity for student actors to make professional connections. With their live event canceled, UW School of Drama grads are showing off their skills online.

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Man in a mask assembling personal protection headgear

 

Protecting lives with 3D printers

UW faculty, students and staff have harnessed the power of 3D printing to help create crucial personal protective equipment for health-care workers on the COVID-19 front lines.

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Tim Salzman conducting music

 

UW Wind Ensemble plays on

How do the UW’s finest wind and percussion players find meaningful ways to pursue their art during a pandemic? They start by exploring improvisation, technology and composition.

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Selam Misgano on microphone

 

Finding aid across language barriers

COVID-19 has hurt small businesses, but assistance is out of reach for those not fluent in English. Selam Misgano, ’10, manager of the Othello–UW Commons in Southeast Seattle, is helping bridge the language gap.

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Empty restaurant with chairs on top of tables

 

Navigating COVID-19 resources for entrepreneurs

Nonprofits and entrepreneurs are navigating a sea of pandemic-related details and regulations. UW Law’s Entrepreneurial Law Clinic created a comprehensive COVID-19 Resource List to help.

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Liam Malpass

 

Nursing education on the front lines

UW School of Nursing graduate students like Liam Malpass, D.N.P. ’21, are getting a real-world education with Public Health–Seattle & King County, volunteering on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Array of children's book covers

 

Small children, big questions

People of all ages have questions about loneliness, death and uncertainty. The UW Center for Philosophy for Children is helping families talk about them together.

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Two women

 

UW education experts on how COVID-19 impacts schools

Educators from the UW’s Leadership for Learning (Ed.D.) program discuss disrupted school systems, strategies for adapting and the importance of equity.

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screenshot of four people in a video chat

 

Grad students put their public-health expertise to work

UW epidemiology students on the Student Epidemic Action Leaders (SEAL) Team are using their skills and training to help with Washington state’s COVID-19 testing, case contacts and more.

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A woman wearing a mask operating a sewing machine

 

Refugee artisans create PPE for health-care workers

Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman, a clinical pharmacist with a UW certificate in fashion design, and her Refugee Artisan Initiative are
making thousands of masks and shields to protect health-care workers.

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Kim Peifer and Hannah DeKay

 

Foster students provide leadership in COVID-19 response

Two Technology Management MBA students are playing leading roles in the local response to COVID-19: managing a quarantine site for patients who are homeless, and leading data management for the state’s COVID-19 response team.

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woman wearing headphones, sitting in front of computer, two other people in background

 

UW nursing students volunteer for the front lines

During National Nurses Week and year-round, we’re grateful for the crucial work of nurses. UW School of Nursing students are finding ways to gain experience and aid in the COVID-19 response.

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Alexandra Rochester standing in front of an open refrigerator

 

Grad students serve up help at UW Food Pantry

As the pandemic has increased food insecurity and a shortage of food bank volunteers, UW graduate students are helping to ensure that Huskies don’t go hungry.

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Emily Ford, Chase Cannon, Jenelle Stewart, wearing medical scrubs, goggles and masks

 

Protecting vulnerable seniors

Infectious-disease experts from UW Medicine and Global Health are volunteering at senior facilities where COVID-19 has been detected, helping with on-site testing and prevention.

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Female teacher with two young boys at a table in a classroom

 

UW Together: Haring Center hosts child care for UW Medical staff

The UW’s Haring Center for Inclusive Education has worked quickly to provide quality emergency child care for medical personnel — supporting critical staff on the frontlines of the pandemic.

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Faces of four men in a video chat screen

 

Alumni launch campaign to support small business

The Pledge 1200 campaign encourages Americans to spend stimulus checks at small businesses. Its co-founders include a trio of Foster School alums who wanted to make a difference in their communities.

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Man wearing a mask and holding a mask

 

Interdisciplinary innovation for PPE production

UW Medicine, Engineering, Allen School, GIX and Design that Matters are joining forces to make personal protective equipment for health-care workers.

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Portage Bay Restaurant

 

U-District restaurants band together to support COVID-19 response

Up and down the Ave, local businesses are joining with the community to raise money for critical protective equipment and provide meals for health-care workers.

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man wearing medical mask, woman wearing ski googles and mask

 

With their season cut short, skiers donate protective gear

UW medical student and avid skier Aaron Robertson may be missing the slopes, but he’s making a difference — helping get ski goggles to doctors in need of protective eyewear.

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Nikolas Ioannou and Sage Khanuja

 

Young scholars make it easy to track COVID-19 locally

Two 16-year-old students at the UW’s Robinson Center for Young Scholars launched a tool that texts daily COVID-19 updates, localized based on your area code. Their next project: a mobile screening tool.

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University of Washington volunteers for COVID-19

 

Husky community rallies to support COVID-19 response

A broad network of Huskies has jumped into action to support health-care workers and the whole community in a time of need.

 
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UW alums harness biz to send health-care workers ‘bits of buzz’

Chocolatiers Sam Tanner, ’16, and Peter Keckemet, ’16 — and their customers — are partnering to ship cases of chocolate to health-care workers across the country.

 
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Luly Yang lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.

 

Fashion designer sources surgical masks from around the globe

In less than a week, Luly Yang, ’90, sourced 20,000 surgical masks for hospitals in need — and she’s on a quest to track down hundreds of thousands more.
 
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UW scientists rally together to process tests

UW Medicine produced its own COVID-19 tests to make up for the national shortage, but it ran into another challenge: processing them. An outpouring of UW scientists stepped up to help — from lab techs to postdocs to graduate students.

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Melissa Miranda, '07 in front of her restaurant Musang

 

Feeding families in need

When restaurants were shut down to slow the spread of COVID-19, chef Melissa Miranda, ’07, knew she could make a difference. She began using her restaurant’s kitchen to make meals for kids and families in need.

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Julianne Dalcanton, chair of the UW Astronomy Department

 

UW astronomer sets sights on medical supplies

When Julianne Dalcanton, chair of the UW Astronomy Department, saw health-care workers facing a shortage of protective equipment, she set about tracking down hundreds of masks to donate.

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