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Centers and Institutes

Cardiovascular Clinical Trials Center
Cardiovascular Health Research Unit (CHRU)
Center for Child Environmental Health Risks Research (CHC)
Center for Disability Policy and Research (CDPR)
Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental Health (CEEH)
Center for Genomics and Public Health (CGPH)
Center for Public Health Informatics (CPHI)
Center for Public Health Nutrition (CPHN)
Collaborative Health Studies Coordinating Center (CHSCC)
Comparative Effectiveness, Cost and Outcomes Research Center
End of Life Care Research Program
Global Health Resource Center (GHRC)
Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center (HIPRC)
Health Alliance International (HAI)
Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC)
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)
Institute for Public Health Genetics (IPHG)
Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication (IRARC)
International Clinical Research Center (ICRC)
International Training and Education Center on HIV (I-TECH)
National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC)
Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety
Northwest Center for Public Health Practice (NWCPHP)
Occupational Epidemiology and Health Outcomes Program
OSHA Training Institute Education Center
Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (PNASH)
Pacific Northwest Center for Human Health and Ocean Studies (CH2O)
Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy Program (PORPP)
Resource Center for Health Policy (RCHP)
Seattle Quality of Life Research Group (SEAQOL)
Superfund Basic Research Program
Toxicogenomics Research Consortium (TRC)
University of Washington Center for AIDS Research (CFAR)
UW - Center for Obesity Research (UW-COR)

Cardiovascular Clinical Trials Center
Scott Emerson, Director
1107 NE 45th St, Ste 505, Seattle, WA, 98105 USA
Phone: (206) 685-1302
Fax: (206) 543-0131

  • Aims:
    To coordinate the design and conduct of multi-site, randomized clinical trials of new treatments & therapies for cardiovascular diseases, including quality control, data management, analysis and dissemination of results.
  • Administering Department: Biostatistics
  • Support: NIH/NHLBI, St. Jude Medical, American Heart Association, Medtronic Physio-Control, Cardiac Science/Survivalink, Philips Medical Systems/Heartstream, Laerdal, Medic 1 Foundation
Cardiovascular Health Research Unit (CHRU)
Bruce Psaty, Co-Director; David Siscovick, Co-Director
1730 Minor Ave, Suite 1360, Seattle, WA, 98101 USA
Phone: (206) 287-2777

  • Aims:
    CHRU seeks to further the development and application of knowledge related to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. CHRU projects enhance bridges between medicine and public health that foster research on the epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
  • Administering Departments: Epidemiology, Department of Medicine
  • Support: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institute on Aging (NIA), American Health Association
Center for Child Environmental Health Risks Research (CHC)
Elaine Faustman, Director
4225 Roosevelt Way, NE, #100, Seattle, WA, 98105 USA
Phone: (206) 543-9394
Fax: (206) 616-4875

  • Aims:
    The Center aims to understand the mechanisms that define children's susceptibility to pesticides, to identify the implications of this susceptibility for development and learning, and to partner with communities to translate our findings into risk communication, risk management and prevention strategies.
  • Administering Department: Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
  • Support: National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Center for Disability Policy and Research (CDPR)
Donald Patrick, Director
146 N. Canal St., Suite 313, Seattle, WA, 98103 USA
Phone: (206) 685-7260
Fax: (206) 616-3135

  • Aims:
    To shape disability policy and service delivery through policy analyses, research, surveillance, training, and dissemination.
  • Administering Department: Health Services
  • Support: DSHS-DDD (WA state), CDC, and NIDCR
Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental Health (CEEH)
David Eaton, Director
4225 Roosevelt Way, NE, #100, Seattle, WA, 98105 USA
Phone: (206) 543-4383
Fax: (206) 685-4696

  • Aims:
    Foster collaborative research in the area of "gene-environment interactions," with an emphasis on molecular and population-based studies related to: drug & chemical metabolism, cancer, birth defects, chronic neurological diseases, and pulmonary diseases such as asthma.
  • Administering Department: Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
  • Support: NIH/NIEHS
Center for Genomics and Public Health (CGPH)
Karen Edwards, Director
4225 Roosevelt Way NE, Ste 100, Seattle, WA, 98105 USA
Phone: (206) 616-6917
Fax: (206) 616-0688

  • Aims:
    Integrate advances in genetic technology into public health practice and offer research and educational opportunities for public health students and professionals.
  • Administering Department: Epidemiology
  • Support: CDC-NOPHG
Center for Public Health Informatics (CPHI)
Mark Oberle, Co-Director; Sherrilynne Fuller, Co-Director
1100 45th Ave NE, Suite 405, Seattle, WA, 98105 USA
Phone: (206) 221-7444
Fax: (206) 616-5249

  • Aims:
    The purpose of the interdisciplinary Center for Public Health Informatics in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine is to create a rich environment that supports innovative research into information strategies and technologies to improve the health of the public throughout the Pacific Northwest. The mission of the Center will be to link practitioners, faculty, staff, and students from a wide variety of disciplines to enhance public health informatics research, training and practice.
  • Administering Department: Health Services
  • Support: CDC, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NLM, NIH
Center for Public Health Nutrition (CPHN)
Adam Drewnowski, Director
306 Raitt Hall, Box 353410, Seattle, WA, 98195-3410 USA
Phone: (206) 616-1569
Fax: (206) 685-1696

  • Aims:
    Provides technical assistance to local and state government agencies and community groups; supports and coordinates research, teaching, and outreach activities in public health nutrition. The Center is dedicated to improving the health and well being of all Washington residents through better nutrition.
  • Administering Department: Epidemiology / Nutritional Sciences
  • Support: NIH, US Department of Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Collaborative Health Studies Coordinating Center (CHSCC)
Richard Kronmal, Director
Box 354922, Seattle, WA, 98195-4922 USA
Phone: (206) 685-7123
Fax: (206) 616-4075

  • Aims:
    The Center is dedicated to the design, operations, data management, and statistical support for multi-site epidemiologic studies for the prevention and treatment of health conditions and disease.
  • Administering Department: Biostatistics
  • Support: Contracts and grants from NIH, EPA, and other foundations.
Comparative Effectiveness, Cost and Outcomes Research Center
Jeffrey Jarvik, Director
PSB Suite 5076, 325 9th Ave, Seattle, WA, 98104 USA
Phone: (206) 744-1800
Fax: (206) 744-9889

  • Aims:
    The mission of CCOR is to discover the most cost-effective approaches to improving the health of patients and populations, and to identify ways to put these improvements into practice.
  • Administering Departments: Health Services, Department of Medicine
  • Support:
End of Life Care Research Program
J. Randall Curtis, Co-Director; Donald L. Patrick, Co-Director
Harborview Medical Center, 325 Ninth Avenue, Box 359762, Seattle, WA, 98104 USA
Phone: (206) 744-9516
Fax: (206) 744-9982

  • Aims:
    Program personnel conduct research and clinical education for medical and nursing staff interested in improving patient-clinician communication about end-of-life care and improving the quality of care at the end of life. The ultimate goal of research and assessment tools developed by the program is to improve care at the end of life.
  • Administering Departments: Department of Medicine, Health Services
  • Support: NIH/NINR, AHRQ, RWJ Foundation
Global Health Resource Center (GHRC)
Daren Wade, Director
1959 NE Pacific St., Box 356355, Seattle, WA, 98195-6355 USA
Phone: (206) 616-1159
Fax: (206) 543-3473

  • Aims:
    To coordinate activities and information about global health education, training, research, funding, employment opportunities and events; to connect undergraduate, graduate/professional students, faculty, staff, individuals, communities and organizations; and to catalyze opportunities for international, interprofessional collaboration and exchange. The GHRC manages events and the Training & Education programs for Puget Sound Partners for Global Health.
  • Administering Department: Health Sciences Administration
  • Support: Puget Sound Partners for Global Health, Health Sciences Administration, School of Medicine and the School of Public Health and Community Medicine
Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center (HIPRC)
Beth Ebel, Director
Harborview Medical Center, 325 Ninth Avenue, Box 359960, Seattle, WA, 98104 USA
Phone: (206) 744-9430
Fax: (206) 744-9962

  • Aims:
    HIPRC is one of the premier institutions researching how and why people suffer injuries and what can be done to prevent them.
  • Administering Department: Harborview Medical Center
  • Support:
Health Alliance International (HAI)
Stephen Gloyd, Executive Director; Mary Anne Mercer, Deputy Director; Daniel Chang, Director of Headquarter Operations
4534 11th Ave NE, Seattle, WA, 98105 USA
Phone: (206) 543-8382
Fax: (206) 685-4184

  • Aims:
    Our vision is a just world that promotes health and well-being, including universal access to quality health care. Our mission is to support the development of policies that foster social and economic equity for all with a focus on public-sector health systems and a progressive realization of the right to health. Additional information about our work and philosophy is available on our web site.
  • Administering Department: Global Health
  • Support: USAID/PEPFAR, NIH, World Bank, UNICEF, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, The World Food Program, the William Jefferson Clinton Foundation, and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC)
Jeffrey Harris, Director; Sheryl Schwartz, Deputy Director; Elizabeth Phelan, Associate Director
1107 NE 45th Street, Suite 200, Seattle, WA, 98105 USA
Phone: (206) 543-2891
Fax: (206) 543-8841

  • Aims:
    To conduct research that promotes healthy aging and is incorporated into community practice. Our work focuses on five areas: older adult physical health, falls prevention, older adult depression management, workplace health promotion, and cancer prevention and control. In collaboration with partners in diverse communities and settings, we develop, test, and disseminate innovative health promotion strategies, with an emphasis on improving health and reducing disparities among vulnerable populations.
  • Administering Department: Health Services
  • Support: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WA State Department of Health, American Cancer Society, Retirement Research Foundation, WA State Health Care Authority, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, Public Health - Seattle & King County, National Council on Aging
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)
Christopher J.L. Murray, Director
2301 5th Avenue, Suite 600, Seattle, WA, 98121 USA
Phone: (206) 897-2800
Fax: (206) 897-2899

  • Aims:
    The mission of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington is to monitor global health conditions and health systems, as well as to evaluate interventions, initiatives, and reforms. The Institute will provide high quality and timely information on health so that policymakers, researchers, donors, practitioners, local decision-makers, and others can better allocate limited resources to achieve optimal results.
  • Administering Department: Global Health
  • Support: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Institute for Public Health Genetics (IPHG)
Melissa Austin, Director
F363 Health Sciences Bldg, Box 357236, Seattle, WA, 98195-7236 USA
Phone: (206) 616-9286
Fax: (206) 685-9651

  • Aims:
    The mission of the Institute is to provide broad, multidisciplinary training for future public health professionals, to facilitate research in public health genetics, and to serve as a resource for continuing professional education.
  • Administering Department: Epidemiology
  • Support: UW
Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication (IRARC)
Elaine Faustman, Director
4225 Roosevelt Way, NE #100, Seattle, WA, 98105-6099 USA
Phone: (206) 543-9394

  • Aims:
    IRARC strives to improve risk assessment methods and the scientific foundation behind risk assessments. IRARC emphasizes science?s contribution to understanding biological processes and their perturbation by chemicals, and also stresses the essential role science must play in improving risk assessment methods.
  • Administering Department: Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
  • Support: includes support from US DOE (see CRESP), EPA, NIEHS (see Center for Child Environmental Health Risks Research) and other non-federal foundation support
International Clinical Research Center (ICRC)
Connie Celum, Director
901 Boren Ave, Suite 1300, Seattle, WA, 98104 USA
Phone: (206) 520-3800
Fax: (206) 520-3831
Website:

  • Aims:
    The International Clinical Research Center conducts biomedical research focused on infectious disease prevention in international settings.
  • Administering Department: Global Health
  • Support: Public and private sources
International Training and Education Center on HIV (I-TECH)
Ann Downer, Director
901 Boren Ave., Suite 1100, Seattle, WA, 98104 USA
Phone: (206) 221-4944
Fax: (206) 221-4945

  • Aims:
    I-TECH, a collaboration between the University of Washington and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), is a global AIDS training program working at the invitation of ministries of health and the U.S. government to increase human and institutional capacity for care and treatment in countries hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic. I-TECH sponsors training and educational programs in 25 countries with over 300 staff working in 10 local offices in the Caribbean, Southern and Eastern Africa, and Asia in partnership with more than 100 non-governmental organizations. I-TECH's Principal Investigator, King Holmes, MD, PhD, is the chair of UW?s new Dept. of Global Health and director of the Center for AIDS and STD, one of the largest AIDS clinical training and research programs in the world. Director Ann Downer, EdD, is based at UW and Co-Director E. Michael Reyes, MD, MPH, is based at UCSF.
  • Administering Department: Global Health
  • Support: Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Agency for International Development, Agency for Education Development, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, EngenderHealth
National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC)
Walter Kukull, Director
4311 11th Ave NE #300, Seattle, WA, 98105 USA
Phone: (206) 543-8637
Fax: (206) 616-5927

  • Aims:
    NACC is the data coordinating center for the 29 NIA-funded Alzheimer's Disease Centers (ADCs) in the U.S., and its database holds information on over 50,000 research subjects. NACC also peer reviews and funds collaborative pilot studies among ADCS, and approximately $400K is made available each year to fund collaborative studies and secondary analyses of the data.
  • Administering Department: Epidemiology
  • Support: NIH/NIA
Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety
Noah Sexias, Director; Joel Kaufman, Deputy Director
4225 Roosevelt Way NE, Suite 100, Seattle, WA, 98105 USA
Phone: (206) 543-1069
Fax: (206) 685-3872

  • Aims:
    NWCOHS provides graduate training and research training support for academic programs in Industrial Hygiene, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Occupational Health Nursing and Occupational Health Services. The Center also organizes and supports a Continuing Education program for occupational and environmental health professionals throughout the Pacific Northwest.
  • Administering Department: Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
  • Support: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Northwest Center for Public Health Practice (NWCPHP)
Susan Allan, Director
1107 NE 45th St, Seattle, WA, 98105 USA
Phone: (206) 685-1130
Fax: (206) 616-9415

  • Aims:
    The mission of the Northwest Center is to improve the quality and effectiveness of public health practice by linking public health academic and practice communities.
  • Administering Department: Health Services
  • Support: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and other sources of support.
Occupational Epidemiology and Health Outcomes Program
Gary Franklin, Director
Box 358772, Seattle, WA, 98195-8772 USA
Phone: (206) 543-3686

  • Aims:
    To reduce the incidence and disability related to occupational injuries and illnesses.
  • Administering Department: Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
  • Support:
OSHA Training Institute Education Center
Mike Willis, Director
4225 Roosevelt Way, NE, #100, Seattle, WA, 98105 USA
Phone: (206) 685-3089
Fax: (206) 685-3872

  • Aims:
    The Region X OSHA Training Institute Education Center offers high quality, standards-based OSHA training for both the private sector and government agencies. Trainers for each course have been authorized by OSHA, and come from a broad background in conducting high-quality, effective training programs.
  • Administering Department: Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
  • Support: Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (PNASH)
Richard Fenske, Director
Box 357234, Seattle, WA, 98195-7234 USA
Phone: (800) 330-0827
Fax: (206) 616-2687

  • Aims:
    The Center aims to prevent occupational disease and injury among farming, fishing and forestry operators, workers and their families in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Center faculty and staff work with stakeholders to identify and prioritize occupational health problems; lead innovative research and intervention programs; and develop education, outreach and evaluation programs.
  • Administering Department: Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
  • Support: NIOSH, NIH, MAAF, EPA
Pacific Northwest Center for Human Health and Ocean Studies (CH2O)
Elaine Faustman, Co-Director; Virginia Armbrust, Co-Director
4225 Roosevelt Way, NE, #300, Seattle, WA, 98105 USA
Phone: (206) 616-3439

  • Aims:
    The aim of this Center to understand how environmental conditions trigger blooms of harmful algae in our marine waters and ultimately, how these blooms impact public health through the consumption of contaminated seafood, especially in sensitive populations like children.
  • Administering Department: Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
  • Support: National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF)
Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy Program (PORPP)
Sean Sullivan, Director; Beth Devine, Associate Director
H375 Health Sciences Bldg., Box 357630, Seattle, WA, 98195-7630 USA
Phone: (206) 616-1383
Fax: (206) 543-3835

  • Aims:
    Program faculty and professional staff provide medical facilities, health insurance providers, pharmaceutical and device companies and governmental agencies with analyses on the cost effectiveness and health policy implications of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, in order to achieve a better understanding of the risks and benefits of these interventions.
  • Administering Department: Department of Pharmacy (School of Pharmacy)
  • Support: Funded primarily by research grants and contracts, private industry contributions, and individual contributions
Resource Center for Health Policy (RCHP)
Carolyn (Cindy) Watts, Director
1107 NE 45th St., Suite 400, Box 354809, Seattle, WA, 98195-4809 USA
Phone: (206) 685-2371

  • Aims:
    The Resource Center for Health Policy facilitates exchanges of information, translates research and science into health policy practice, and disseminates policy-relevant information.
  • Administering Department: Health Services
  • Support: Public and private sources
Seattle Quality of Life Research Group (SEAQOL)
Donald Patrick, Director
146 N. Canal Street, #313, Seattle, WA, 98103 USA
Phone: (206) 685-6530
Fax: (206) 616-3135

  • Aims:
    To improve the health and quality of life of youth and adults through research, service, surveillance, and policy analysis.
  • Administering Department: Health Services
  • Support: CDC, NIH
Superfund Basic Research Program
Harvey Checkoway, Director
F561 Health Sciences Bldg., Seattle, WA, 98195 USA
Phone: (206) 685-1991
Fax: (206) 685-3990

  • Aims:
    The goals of this program are to develop and validate biomarkers that have applicability for assessing toxicant exposures, physiological damage in humans and wildlife, human disease risk susceptibility, and applicability for bioremediation strategies.
  • Administering Department: Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
  • Support: NIH/NIEHS
Toxicogenomics Research Consortium (TRC)
David L. Eaton, Director
4225 Roosevelt Way, NE, Seattle, WA, 98105 USA
Phone: (206) 543-4383
Fax: (206) 685-4696
Website:

  • Aims:
    This NIEHS Consortium is designed to develop collaborations and common techniques and protocols for the use of expression arrays in the field of toxicogenomics. The UW/FHCRC is one of 6 institutions nation-wide to participate in the NIEHS Toxicogenomics Consortium.
  • Administering Departments: Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
  • Support: NIH/NIEHS
University of Washington Center for AIDS Research (CFAR)
King K. Holmes, Director
Harborview Medical Center, 325 Ninth Avenue, Box 359931, Seattle, WA, 98104-2499 USA
Phone: (206) 744-4239
Fax: (206) 744-3693

  • Aims:
    Our mission is to foster collaborative and interdisciplinary research, support HIV research career development of young investigators, and serve HIV investigators at our affiliated institutions. The UW/FHCRC CFAR is one of 19 CFARs that comprise a national consortium of NIH-funded AIDS research centers. Our members are HIV/AIDS investigators from the University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, and several affiliated international institutions.
  • Administering Departments: Center for AIDS & STD, Global Health
  • Support: NIH
UW - Center for Obesity Research (UW-COR)
Adam Drewnowski, Director
1107 NE 45th, Suite 215, Seattle, WA, 98105 USA
Phone: (206) 221-3716
Fax: (206) 221-5596

  • Aims:
    Our mission is to transform the research environment by fostering new transdisciplinary teams working toward real solutions to the obesity epidemic. Our vision is the integration of basic and applied research, clinical and community practice, and public policy into a comprehensive and effective approach to reducing obesity.
  • Administering Department: Epidemiology / Nutritional Sciences
  • Support: NIH