SPH in the News

Headlines featuring UW SPH people and research.

March 15, 2024
USA Today
Even as Florida and others impose restrictions, a safe house in Tallahassee is providing transgender people with shelter and more. Elle Lett, clinical instructor in health systems and population health at the UW, is quoted.
March 11, 2024
Popular Science
A court battle brings to the forefront a federal report on fluoride safety, which some say has been stymied by politics. David Eaton, professor emeritus of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
March 10, 2024
NBC News
The Olympics are planned for the same stretch of days as a catastrophic 2003 heat wave. Continued global warming has only increased the odds of another heat wave. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
February 26, 2024
The Seattle Times
Like state and county governments maintaining jails and prisons, the federal government is legally responsible for the health care of people in its custody. Violations of that duty can be deemed “cruel and unusual punishment” and therefore unconstitutional. Dr. Marc Stern, affiliate assistant professor of health services at the UW, is quoted.
February 22, 2024
KREM
Idaho's attorney general is asking the highest court in the U.S. to allow the state to ban gender affirming care for minors. Diana Tordoff, a doctoral student in epidemiology at the UW, is quoted.
February 2, 2024
Wired
Stanley says it uses some lead in its “industry-standard” manufacturing process, so we asked if other brands do the same. Marty Cohen, teaching professor and assistant chair of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
January 29, 2024
Smithsonian Magazine
In contrast to a common theory, new findings suggest Columbus-led expeditions may not have transported syphilis to Europe from the Americas, though they cannot disprove the claim with certainty. Sheila Lukehart, professor emeritus of global health and medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
January 26, 2024
Northwest Asian Weekly
UW Medicine doctors and University of Washington engineers are on a mission to provide answers by developing a smartphone app designed to distinguish COVID-19 coughs, for instance, from other respiratory illnesses. Dr. David Horne, associate professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted. The UW's Manuja Sharma, a doctoral student in electrical and computer engineering, and Dr. Thomas Hawn, adjunct professor of global health and of laboratory medicine and pathology in the UW School of Medicine, are mentioned.
January 24, 2024
Nature
Ancient DNA recovered from Brazilian remains shows that treponemal diseases originated some 10,000 years earlier than previously thought. Sheila Lukehart, professor emeritus of global health and medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
January 26, 2024
CNN
The origins of syphilis — a sexually transmitted infection that devastated 15th century Europe and is still prevalent today — have remained murky, difficult to study and the subject of some debate. Sheila Lukehart, professor emeritus of global health and medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
January 23, 2024
CBS News
Every year, wildfires across the western U.S. and Canada send plumes of smoke into the sky. When that smoke blows into southwestern Idaho's Treasure Valley, it blankets Boise-area residents in dirty air. Savannah D’Evelyn, a postdoctoral researcher at the UW's Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center, PNASH, is quoted.
January 22, 2024
HealthDay
Gene therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD) below $2 million is likely to be cost-effective, according to a study published online Jan. 23 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Anirban Basu, professor of health economics at the UW, is mentioned.
January 15, 2024
NPR
There's a simple reason why a lot of people don't buy fruits and vegetables: they're expensive. In Boulder, Colo., the local health department decided to address that very old problem in a new way. It uses money from the local soda tax to give low-income families coupons for fresh produce. Dr. Jim Krieger, clinical professor of health services at the UW, is interviewed.
January 3, 2024
Washington State Standard
The Department of Corrections wants to offer medications like methadone and Suboxone to more incarcerated people. Will lawmakers provide the funding? Dr. Marc Stern, affiliate assistant professor of health services at the UW, is quoted.
December 30, 2023
Bellingham Herald
The HeartMate3 is considered the safest mechanical heart pump of its kind, but a federal database contains more than 4,500 reports in which the medical device may have caused or contributed to a patient's death. Larry Kessler, professor of health services at the UW, is quoted. [This story was originally published in KFF Health News.]
December 29, 2023
NPR
This summer, millions of people across the eastern U.S. woke up one June morning to apocalyptic orange skies and thick, choking wildfire smoke. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
December 28, 2023
NPR
Though temperature records from December have yet to be finalized, climate scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have found there's a more than 99% chance that 2023 will have the hottest recorded global average temperature, beating out 2016, the previous leader. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
December 19, 2023
Scientific American
The colors of lines on COVID tests can show whether you’re getting healthy or staying sick—if they’re interpreted the right way. Dr. Paul Drain, in the UW Department of Global Health, was interviewed.
December 19, 2023
Education Week
A jury in Washington state this week ordered one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies to pay more than $850 million to a small group of parents and children after finding that they suffered exposure to highly toxic chemicals in a school building. Gerry Pollet, clinical instructor in health systems and population health at the UW, is quoted.
December 14, 2023
KVI Radio
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a pair of awards totaling nearly $3 million to address health disparities in the lower Yakima Valley, where UW researchers have been studying the effects of pesticide exposure. One of the grants is a $1.9 million grant to the UW to create a research center aimed at identifying “communities that are disproportionately affected by environmental hazards.”
December 13, 2023
The Seattle Times
The revenue from the state's Climate Commitment Act is intended to be invested in projects that help reduce climate-warming emissions, such as clean energy projects led by tribal nations, air quality monitoring in communities near polluting industries and electrifying transit. A UW air pollution study is referenced.
December 13, 2023
NPR
The year 2022 set a grim record — 1,989 attacks on health-care facilities and their personnel, the worst total number in the decade since the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition began its sobering count. This year is on track to be even more devastating for the toll on health care. In many of the world's ongoing conflicts — such as Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and now between Israel and Hamas — health care has been a target. Amy Hagopian, professor emeritus of global health at the UW, is quoted.
December 12, 2023
The Washington Post
Wildfire smoke is known for producing and spreading high levels of harmful fine particulates, but it may also be creating carcinogenic soil and ash, according to new research. Joel Kaufman, a UW professor of environmental and occupational health sciences, is quoted.
December 11, 2023
The Guardian
A public health agency report issues a stark warning: the impact of changing climate on health is proportionately negative to the most disadvantaged. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
December 8, 2023
NPR
Women in a growing number of African countries will soon have access to a vaginal ring to help reduce their risk of acquiring HIV from an infected partner. Dr. Connie Celum, professor of global health and of medicine at the UW, is quoted.
December 6, 2023
Grist
Health Day at COP28 included dozens of health-focused events that took place in an official health pavilion, as well as in other pavilions and tents across the conference. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
December 6, 2023
Science
Scientists say they have developed a simple, blood test–based method to measure the speed of aging in individual organs such as the heart and brain. When an organ is substantially “older” than a person’s actual age, the risk of death and diseases related to that part of the body shoots up. Daniela Witten, professor of statistics and of biostatistics at the UW, is mentioned.
December 5, 2023
Axios
Increasingly intensive and frequent wildfires in the western U.S. are deteriorating air quality and causing more premature deaths, a new study found. Dr. Jeremy Hess, professor of global health, of emergency medicine and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
December 2, 2023
NPR
The health toll of climate change will come under the spotlight at this year's international climate negotiations in Dubai, known as COP28, where for the first time the meeting will feature prominent conversations about exactly how a warming planet hurts people. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
November 30, 2023
The Seattle Times
Even brief exposure to highway pollution could cause significant increases in blood pressure, a new study from the UW has found, adding to a growing body of work correlating vehicle exhaust with negative health outcomes. Dr. Joel Kaufman, professor of environmental and occupational health sciences, of epidemiology and of medicine, is quoted.
November 28, 2023
KUOW
A new study suggests that ultrafine particles circulating on and near congested freeways — a toxic mixture of exhaust from tailpipes, brake and tire wear, and road dust — increases blood pressure, which could lead to other health problems. Dr. Joel Kaufman, professor of environmental and occupational health sciences, of epidemiology and of medicine, is quoted.
November 29, 2023
New Atlas
Inching forward bumper to bumper on a highway when you’re on the way to an appointment, or worse, the airport, is enough to spike anyone’s blood pressure. But researchers have found that a blood pressure surge occurs independent of external stressors, and it could be due to the poor air flowing into the car from surrounding traffic. Dr. Joel Kaufman, professor of environmental and occupational health sciences, of epidemiology and of medicine, is quoted.
November 27, 2023
HSPop News
On January 1, 2024, Dr. Ramaswamy, PhD, MPH, will become the new chair of the Department of Health Systems and Population Health (HSPop) in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington. Most recently, Ramaswamy was a tenured professor in the Department of Population Health at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, co-director of a KL2 Career Development Program, and associate director for Cancer Workforce Equity at the University of Kansas Cancer Center.
November 27, 2023
Newsweek
Both short- and long-term exposure to air pollution have been linked to a wide range of diseases, including strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, diabetes, obesity and even Alzheimer's, according to the World Health Organization. Dr. Joel Kaufman, professor of environmental and occupational health sciences, of epidemiology and of medicine, is quoted.
November 25, 2023
The Washington Post
Concertgoers waited for hours in temperatures that reached a heat index of 138 degrees to see Taylor Swift’s first show of the year in Brazil. Many of them were anticipating the concert experience of their dreams: Swift’s Eras Tour had finally come to their country after crashing ticket servers in the U.S. and inspiring its own movie. They didn’t expect to leave feeling like they survived a nightmare. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
November 16, 2023
New York Post
As temperatures drop in the Big Apple, a new heat wave has begun — in the subways. As usual during cold weather, overzealous heating in subway stations and train cars saw temperatures rise and riders bundled up in winter clothes sweating their Uggs off. Dr. Jeremy Hess, professor of global health, of emergency medicine and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
November 17, 2023
BBC
Over 1 billion people worldwide are obese, according to the World Health Organization. If current trends continue, half the world could be obese or overweight by 2035. The WHO refers to it as an epidemic. Recent data shows that over 40% of Americans are living with obesity. Rachel Nugent, clinical associate professor of global health, is interviewed.
November 16, 2023
CBC
While environmentalists are preparing for the COP28 climate summit in Dubai later this month, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is also meeting to discuss its next assessments of the state of global warming. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
November 14, 2023
Inside Climate News
The report finds that societal factors, including historic racism, have shaped the climate reality for many communities of color. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
November 13, 2023
Axios Seattle
Amid a dramatic rise in sexually transmitted infections, a common antibiotic is poised to become a "morning-after" pill for preventing infection, with the CDC preliminarily recommending its use among some groups. Dr. Connie Celum, professor of global health and of medicine at the UW, and Dr. Matthew Golden, professor of medicine at the UW School of Medicine, are quoted.
November 10, 2023
FOX 13
For a Washington woman, a trip to Mexico for elective cosmetic surgery turned into a nightmare. She tells FOX 13 the medical facility performed the wrong surgery, then demanded more money and held her at the facility, until she and her daughter paid. Aaron Katz, a principal lecturer emeritus in health services at the UW, is quoted.
November 9, 2023
Associated Press
The last 12 months were the hottest Earth has ever recorded, according to a new report by Climate Central, a nonprofit science research group. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
November 6, 2023
Salon
A report finds only 23% of countries use climate data to inform their public health strategies. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
November 6, 2023
The New York Times
The justices will hear arguments on Tuesday on whether the government can disarm people subject to restraining orders for domestic abuse. Dr. Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, professor of epidemiology at the UW, is mentioned.
October 30, 2023
KING 5
Washington State workers' compensation claims connected to smoke inhalation of illicit drugs are at a five-year high. Marissa Baker, the study leader and an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
October 30, 2023
Associated Press
Saleemul Huq, a pioneering climate scientist from Bangladesh who pushed to get the world to understand, pay for and adapt to worsening warming impacts on poorer nations, died of cardiac arrest Saturday. He was 71. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
October 30, 2023
STAT News
Adult immunization rates are perennially suboptimal. Fewer than half of adults in the U.S. get a flu shot. Only about 1 in 5 adults got a Covid booster in 2022. Adjunct Professor Helen Chu of Epidemiology and Global Health is quoted. 
October 26, 2023
Crosscut
While public exposure to fentanyl is much less dangerous than using it, a new UW study raises awareness of the drug crisis. Marissa Baker, the study leader and an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
October 26, 2023
Crosscut
While public exposure to fentanyl is much less dangerous than using it, a new UW study raises awareness of the drug crisis. Marissa Baker, the study leader and an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
October 13, 2023
The Seattle Times
As fentanyl claims more lives in King County, rumors and myths about how it works and who uses it have spread. Caleb Banta Green, director of the UW Center for Community-Engaged Drug Education, Epidemiology and Research, is quoted.
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