Faculty and Staff Impact Statements

Norman Breslow, PhD (deceased), Professor Emeritus, former Chair, Biostatistics

An international leader in the field of biostatistics during his 50-year career, Breslow made pioneering contributions to statistical theory, research study design and cancer epidemiology. His formulas were instrumental in identifying what is now known about the causes and risk factors for cancer and many other diseases. As a founding member of the National Wilms Tumor Study, Breslow also played a key role in improving the lives of thousands of young patients with kidney cancer.  

John M. Kobayashi, MD, MPH, Clinical Associate Professor, Epidemiology 

For 15 years, Kobayashi served as the state epidemiologist for communicable diseases at the Washington State Department of Health. He directed investigations of foodborne disease outbreaks, including the landmark E. coli outbreak in 1993. Sickening over 700 people across four states, this outbreak and the resulting investigation led to the National Food Safety Initiative, an interagency collaboration designed to reduce the incidence of foodborne illness. 

Charles D. (Chuck) Treser, MPH, Principal Lecturer Emeritus, DEOHS

Treser devoted much of his career to bridging the gap between academia and the practice of public health. He helped establish the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, serving as a faculty member there for several years. Treser was also instrumental in transforming the Washington State Department of Health into a free-standing agency. His work has bolstered a strong, long-standing relationship between the UW School of Public Health and the Washington State Department of Health. 

Jeffrey Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, Professor and Chair, Health Services

Harris has conducted epidemiologic investigations all over the world. He served as a co-investigator of a 120,000-person cholera vaccine trial and led development of an international AIDS prevention program. Since joining the UW SPH, he has focused on increasing health equity and improving population health. In collaboration with the American Cancer Society, he developed several evidence-based interventions for workplace health promotion that have been implemented in more than 1,700 work sites, benefitting 6.9 million employees. 

Clarence Spigner, DrPh, MPH, Professor & MPH Program Director, Health Services

A faculty member at the UW for 25 years, Spigner serves as an adviser to historically underrepresented students at the graduate and undergraduate level. He has also played an important role in supporting the recruitment and retention of students of color on the UW campus. An accomplished scholar, Spigner’s work focuses on the intersections of race and popular culture. He develops and teaches an array of groundbreaking classes, such as “Black Lives and Police Violence.” 

Thomas Koepsell, MD, MPH, Professor Emeritus, Epidemiology and Health Services

Former chair of the Department of Epidemiology, Koepsell has led multiple federally funded research projects. His studies generated new knowledge about research methodology, specific diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, and other public health topics, such as pedestrian safety. In addition to his research contributions, Koepsell is well known for mentoring graduate students in Epidemiology and Health Services and has received numerous teaching accolades. He has held leadership positions for several national organizations, such as the Society for Epidemiologic Research. 

Peggy Hannon, PhD, MPH, Professor, Health Services

Hannon collaborated with the American Cancer Society on a series of research projects to enhance workplace health. Since then, her intervention has been implemented in thousands of workplaces across the country, benefitting millions of employees by instituting evidence-based polices and prevention activities. Hannon’s research has been critical in identifying key issues related to workplace wellness and recognizing the impact that prevention and wellness have on health outcomes. 

Prakash Tyagi, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Global Health 

Prakash Tyagi is executive director of GRAVIS, a nonprofit that supports rural, impoverished communities in the Thar Desert region of India. GRAVIS has played a pivotal role in addressing the dire health and socio-economic consequences of silicosis. Associated with mining, silicosis is a prevalent disease in the region that leads to irreversible loss of lung function and premature death. GRAVIS strives to raise awareness about silicosis and reduce the incidence of this disease through medical care, research and advocacy.

Richard Deyo, MD, MPH, Affiliate Professor, Health Services

Deyo’s research has focused on the overuse of clinical services, such as medical imaging and surgery. He went on to coauthor a book, Hope or Hype: The Obsession with Medical Advances and the High Cost of False Promises, which helped draw attention to the misuse of medical technology. Deyo has received awards from the Society of General Internal Medicine and the International Society for Study of the Lumbar Spine in recognition of his work.  

Donna Porter, Associate Director of Academic Program Operations, Health Services 

Porter has served the UW for over two decades. In her current role, she oversees the administration of nine academic degree programs and their corresponding budgets. A skillful manager of projects and people, she has helped lead the UW Department of Health Services through a number of organizational changes to maximize efficiency and productivity. A consummate team player, Porter embraces innovation and embodies the spirit of UW excellence. 

Lee Monteith, MS, Senior Faculty Emeritus, DEOHS

Monteith has been a faculty member at the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences since 1965. For 15 years, he led the UW Environmental Health Laboratory, which supports local communities and industries by measuring a wide variety of contaminants. Through his research and participation in national environmental and health safety organizations, Monteith has helped usher in improvements to the way gases, vapors, and other substances in the air are detected.

Caleb Banta-Green, PhD, MPH, MSW, Affiliate Associate Professor, Health Services

The focal point of Banta-Green’s career has been drug overdose prevention and the opioid epidemic. In addition to serving as a principal research scientist at the UW Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, he has created and evaluated online opioid overdose training tools for more than 3,000 drug courts on behalf of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. Banta-Green has also served as an adviser for the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the Executive Office of the President in 2012.

Jeffrey (Jeff) Sconyers, JD, Associate Teaching Professor, Health Services

Since 2014, Sconyers has served on the board of directors of the Northwest Healthcare Response Network, a coalition of public health agencies and other partners that prepares for and responds to region-wide emergencies. The coalition is leading the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Western Washington. Throughout the pandemic, Sconyers has served as an adviser to local public health organizations, the Washington Department of Health and the health care provider community. 

Kathryn Calderwood, Administrative Assistant 3, Health Services

Kathryn Calderwood has worked for the UW since 1983. She is a pillar of the university community whose contributions have had an enormous impact on the faculty, staff and students in the UW Department of Health Services. An expert in UW policies, Calderwood solves problems big and small, ensures procedures are followed correctly and keeps the department running smoothly. She meets every question and inquiry with friendly, patient advice and detailed instructions.

Janet Daling, MS, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Epidemiology

For 30 years, Daling co-led a team whose research advanced knowledge in a number of important areas: induced abortion and subsequent pregnancy outcomes, intrauterine device (IUD) use and infertility, and the viral causes of certain types of cancer, among other areas. In addition to conducting research that has informed medical and public health practice, Daling designed an innovative course about the analysis of pregnancy outcomes that has become a centerpiece of the Department of Epidemiology’s curriculum. 

Lianne Sheppard, PhD, ScM, Professor, DEOHS, Biostatistics

Sheppard has dedicated her career to upholding research ethics and advancing environmental health in the public sphere. She has served on several scientific advisory panels for the Environmental Protection Agency, including the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee. She has also taken a central role in the lawsuits against Monsanto and Bayer regarding the health impacts of glyphosate exposure, clarifying the scientific basis of the lawsuit and serving as an expert witness. 

Scott McClelland, MD, MPH, Professor, Global Health, Medicine, Epidemiology

McClelland is a pioneer in the field of global health. He founded a decades-long research partnership between the University of Washington and Kenya that continues to grow today. This collaboration has led to studies that have improved the care of patients with HIV and other infectious diseases both in Kenya and around the world. 

Peter Gilbert, PhD, MS, Research Professor, Biostatistics

Gilbert is an international expert in vaccine trial design and analysis. Throughout his career, he has developed cutting-edge statistical methods to advance vaccines for several infectious diseases, from dengue fever to influenza to COVID-19. As principal investigator of the Statistics and Data Management Center for the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, Gilbert has accelerated HIV vaccine research by improving the rigor and interpretability of these studies. His methods have also set the standard for vaccine research as a whole.   

Connie Celum, MD, MPH, Professor, Global Health, Medicine Epidemiology 

A renowned epidemiologist, clinical researcher and infectious disease physician, Celum has made significant contributions to the field of HIV prevention. She uses data about behavioral and biologic risk factors for HIV acquisition and transmission to identify and then test intervention strategies. She routinely leads multicenter clinical trials, and her research has contributed to the approval of an oral prophylactic drug combination for HIV, helping to quell the spread of the disease. 

Carey Farquhar, MD, MPH Professor, Global Health, Medicine and Epidemiology

Farquhar has had a lasting, real-world impact on the lives of women and adolescent girls in Kenya through her HIV research. In addition to advancing HIV prevention, testing and care in sub-Saharan Africa, Farquhar leads multiple international training initiatives, including the NIH/FIC International AIDS Research and Training Program. This program has graduated more than 65 Kenyans from the University of Washington over the last 20 years.

Tim Knight, Public Health Communications, Office of the Dean

Over four decades affiliated with the UW, Knight was an early adopter of technology. With a focus on scientific collaboration, his career ranges from establishing research labs and mentoring students to creating educational websites and sharing the impact of public health. Knight serves as a liaison for the UW IT accessibility group – promoting equitable access to information technology.  He is actively involved with health equity, diversity, and social justice issues. His collaborative projects range from cancer biology and science education (Fred Hutch) to early learning and brain sciences (I-LABS) to science communications and the coronavirus pandemic (UW SPH).

Annette Fitzpatrick, PhD, MA, BS, Research Professor, Epidemiology, Global Health and Family Medicine

Fitzpatrick was one of the first faculty in the School of Public Health to recognize the huge burden that non-communicable diseases, primarily cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors, were having on vulnerable populations in low-income countries. After having worked with large cohort studies in the U.S., she began conducting community surveillance and other epidemiologic studies in countries including Nepal (2008 Royalty Research Grant), Vietnam (2009 NIH grant) and Cambodia (2016 NIH Grant). She was one of the founders of the Dhulikhel Heart Study in Nepal using experience gained from work on the UW's Cardiovascular Health Study (Department of Biostatistics). She has mentored many Master's and PhD students from countries outside the U.S. She continues to mentor former students in Nepal where they are developing the first school of Public Health at Kathmandu University. Her students remain on the forefront of addressing treatment and prevention of hypertension and diabetes, among other non-communicable diseases, in remote underserved communities. She is currently the Principal Investigator of a Forgarty International Center (NIH) training grant designed to bring students to UW to complete graduate degrees focusing on cardiometabolic disorders.

Jerry Cangelosi, PhD, BS, Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. Adjunct Professor, Epidemiology and Global Health

Working in both the public and private sectors, Cangelosi's research teams have generated 10 patents and over 80 publications in relevant areas including tuberculosis and related diseases, COVID-19, oral microbiology, water-borne pathogens and health care-associated infections. These activities share strong emphases on translation and global health impact. In recent years he has led or co-led infectious disease studies in the United States, Bangladesh, South Africa, Uganda and Kenya. Among the outputs are novel, non-invasive tuberculosis screening methods that are now in expanded clinical studies worldwide. In the Spring of 2020, amidst the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, his team helped demonstrate similarly non-invasive methods for COVID-19 screening. These methods received accelerated FDA clearance and have become widely implemented in the United States and throughout the world. Non-invasive screening for TB and COVID-19 could help to significantly reduce the global burdens of both diseases.

Noel Weiss, MD, DrPH, Professor Emeritus, Epidemiology

For nearly five decades, Noel has been at the forefront of teaching students, postdoctoral trainees and faculty in epidemiologic methods. In addition, his epidemiologic scholarship in cancer research, especially his innovative approaches to assess the effectiveness of screening, is unmatched. Thousands of those who have been mentored and trained by him over the years have gone to be a source of inspiration and change in different corners of the world, all striving to save lives and improve the safety and well-being of diverse communities. The scope of Noel's impact on our school, the field of epidemiology, and the science and practice of public health is immeasurable. -Ali Rowhani-Rahbar