What is your Research Focus?

My overall research goal and agenda is to link structural inequality to health-related outcomes as we move towards health equity. The form of structural inequality my work focuses on is racism as I believe it is not possible to achieve health equity without addressing racism, the root cause of inequity. My research takes a lifecourse, intersectional and international perspective on understanding and interrogating the many ways in which racism undermines our field’s overarching goal of advancing equity.

What is your Research Focus?

Today, human populations face multiple challenges to their health as the result of unsustainable re- source use and economic and social inequality. My research combines electronic health record (EHR) and other largescale data, exposure modeling, and creative study design to understand how emerging exposures affect health–and certain populations disproportionately–with the goal of informing policy.

About a quarter of U.S. adults suffer from seasonal allergies and for kids, the CDC says it's about one in five. But those numbers could climb in the years ahead. A recent study shows that climate change is making allergy season worse and it's also lasting longer as well. Dr. Jeremy Hess, professor of global health, of emergency medicine and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Our use of antimicrobial cleaners spiked during the pandemic. Given the potential long-term health risks, it might be worth cutting back again. Diana Ceballos, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is mentioned.

The oldest sitting member of the Senate, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, is recovering at home after a recent hospitalization secondary to the viral infection called shingles, according to multiple reports. Roughly one out of every three people in the U.S. will develop shingles in their lifetime, according to the CDC. Dr. Anna Wald, professor of medicine, epidemiology and laboratory medicine and pathology at the UW, is quoted.

Emergency benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — better known as SNAP — have ended. The change in federal law affects more than half a million households in Washington and represents a loss of about $95 million a month in food assistance. This reduction hits even as food and housing costs increase. A study by Jennifer Otten at the UW is referenced.

Despite official policies, people regularly leave prison or jail lacking medications, medical records, a provider appointment, or health insurance. About 84% of men and 92% of women who were incarcerated had a physical or mental health condition or substance use disorder, according to a sample of people interviewed before and after their release from prison by the Urban Institute, a nonprofit that researches issues around equity. Dr. Marc Stern, affiliate assistant professor of health services at the UW, is quoted.

The last mask mandate is set to end in less than a month for those in Washington’s health care facilities. It comes as health officials say COVID-19 rates are continuing to decline, and the federal government prepares to end its pandemic response declaration this May. So where do things stand now with the virus in Washington — and can we let our guard down? It's a question on many people's minds as the pandemic’s impacts evolve locally. Gerard Cangelosi, professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

A potential new vaccine for tuberculosis is showing promise in early trials and has a local tie to the Tacoma area. Christopher Fox, an affiliate associate professor of global health at the UW, and a team of scientists developed the vaccine at the Access to Advanced Health Institute in Seattle, a nonprofit biotech research institute.

The pandemic continues to make things difficult for people across Washington, especially when it comes to food prices. Researchers have been tracking the pandemic's effect on economic security since the summer of 2020. A recent survey shows that affording food is a bigger concern for many low-income families than rent or utilities. Jennifer Otten, associate professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Officially known as the Lviv Mental Health Center, the 5,000-square-foot renovated space offers free and low-cost services from about a dozen professional psychotherapists and psychiatrists. The goal is to treat wounded Ukrainian soldiers and locals suffering from PTSD and other stress-related conditions brought on by the war. Abraham Flaxman, associate professor of global health and health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, is quoted.

Food insecurity and related health impacts continue to hit the state’s lower-income households particularly hard, according to a new study from a team of Washington food systems researchers. Results, released this month, provide insight into the region’s looming hunger relief problems — and are particularly worrying to food systems experts because pandemic-era meal assistance benefits run out this week. Jennifer Otten, associate professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Extra food benefits put into place during the pandemic are ending nationwide on Tuesday. Even with the pandemic boost to SNAP, food insecurity was high throughout the state last year, according to a new study. Jennifer Otten, associate professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Expanded benefits under the federal food assistance program known as SNAP are set to end this week. The expiration comes at a time when Washington residents continue to struggle with hunger. Jennifer Otten, associate professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

A past COVID-19 infection offers “durable,” temporary protection against getting severely sick with the coronavirus — no matter the variant, a new study has found. Though natural immunity against COVID-19 offers protections, the findings don’t discourage vaccination, which is still the top method of preventing serious illness, experts involved in the research say.
University of Washington researchers call their study, published Feb. 16 in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet, the most comprehensive to date when it comes to showing evidence of natural immunity protection against COVID-19.

Stephen Lim, professor of health metrics sciences, is quoted

Women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and their infants experience higher rates of adverse obstetric and birth outcomes, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in Arthritis Care & Research. Dr. Namrata Singh, adjunct assistant professor of epidemiology at the UW, is quoted.

Nearly three years after the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything — bringing life as we knew it to a standstill and instantly thrusting thousands of Pierce County families into economic uncertainty — it can be tempting to look at all of it as the past. Even if plenty of us have turned the page, the challenges unleashed by the coronavirus continue. Case in point: This month, results from the fourth Washington State Food Security Survey were released. Conducted between December 2022 and January 2023 by researchers at the UW and Washington State University, the survey — which over-sampled lower-income households to gain better insights into the problem — found that people across the state are still facing food insecurity in vast numbers, in rural and urban locations, across red counties and blue. Jennifer Otten, associate professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

A California policy restricting antibiotic use in animals raised for food is associated with a reduction in one type of antibiotic-resistant infection in people in the state, according to a new study published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

The results suggest that regulations limiting antibiotics in livestock can significantly impact human health.

The study was led by Joan Casey, assistant professor in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS), who conducted the research as an assistant professor at Columbia University.

Farmworkers are among those disproportionately affected by stress and anxiety. Researchers and health care providers also say the pandemic increased economic struggles and job pressures. Still, agricultural workers are not always aware that their work could impact their mental health. Elena Austin, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Consumer Reports tested a range of chocolates and found heavy metals (lead and cadmium) in 28 popular dark chocolate bars, including products by Ghirardelli, Hershey’s, Trader Joe's, Lindt, and Seattle-based Theo Chocolate. Two products from Theo Chocolate are on Consumer Reports' list, including "Organic Pure Dark 70% Cocoa" and "Organic Extra Dark Pure Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa." Judy Simon, clinical instructor of health systems and population health at the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.

Herpes is extremely common: The World Health Organization estimates that 3.7 billion people live with HSV-1, some oral and some genital. And cases where HSV-1 spreads to the genitals during oral sex have sharply increased over the past two decades. Dr. Anna Wald, professor of medicine, epidemiology and laboratory medicine and pathology at the UW, is quoted. Dr. Christine Johnston, an associate professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is mentioned.

The scientific paper published in the June 2021 issue of the journal Nature Climate Change was alarming. Between 1991 and 2018, the peer-reviewed study reported, more than one-third of deaths from heat exposure were linked to global warming. Hundreds of news outlets covered the findings. The message was clear: climate change is here, and it’s already killing people. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Before you reach for your favorite dark chocolate, you may want to see if it's on the Consumer Reports list of having increased levels of heavy metals. Judy Simon, clinical instructor of health systems and population health at the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.

Monday's winning Powerball ticket was purchased at the Auburn Fred Meyer and it turns out this is the second winning ticket sold in Auburn. The last time was in 2014 when a woman won $90 million. Does this mean Auburn is luckier than other places when it comes to buying lottery tickets? Daniela Witten, professor of statistics and of biostatistics at the UW, is quoted.

Seattle entrepreneur Kingsley Ndoh, a clinical assistant professor of global health at the UW, is driven by the memory of his aunt, who died too young of colon cancer. Since then, Nigeria-born Ndoh has been on a mission to improve cancer care. In 2021 he founded health tech startup Hurone AI to support cancer treatment in Africa and beyond with remote patient monitoring and tele-oncology designed for resource-poor settings.

"In January, Seattle’s Sweetened Beverage Tax turned 5 years old. It has been a resounding success. The tax is working as designed — delivering on the promises made when it was passed into law," Dr. Jim Krieger, clinical professor of health services at the UW.

A growing number of “missileers” — service members tasked with manning the nation’s nuclear missile launch control centers — have shared that they were diagnosed with cancer, and many have lymphoma. An unofficial, crowdsourced document created by a Space Force officer and obtained by The Washington Post totaled 30 cancer cases tied to people who worked at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana over 50 years. Marissa Baker, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Spending time in nature — even as little as two hours a week — has been linked to several health benefits. It seems to support healthy aging and has been associated with, among other things, improved cognitive function, blood pressure, mental health and sleep. Now, a study of nearly 62 million Medicare beneficiaries suggests that nature may also help protect against the risk of developing certain neurodegenerative disorders. Anjum Hajat, associate professor of epidemiology at the UW, is quoted.

Four University of Washington researchers this week were named fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They are among 506 new fellows from around the world elected in 2022, recognized for their “scientifically and socially distinguished achievements” in science and engineering. This year's AAAS fellows from the UW are Emily M. Bender, John Marzluff, Sean D. Sullivan (HSPop) and Deborah Illman.

Planting more trees in cities could cut the number of people dying from high temperatures in summer, according to a study published in the Lancet medical journal on Tuesday, a strategy that could help mitigate the effects of climate change as it continues to drive temperatures upwards. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

For more than 25 years, Collins has been a mental health advocate for communities around the globe through her research, science policy leadership, and global health practice.

Kenneth Mugwanya's research has led him from studying which drugs can prevent HIV, to determining their safety, to understanding how to deliver them to the people who need them the most. Dr. Mugwanya is an assistant professor of global health and epidemiology.

Experts say that rapid home tests are still a helpful tool for stopping the spread of COVID-19, but they’re not foolproof. Here are a few explanations for why you might get a false negative result — and how to increase your chances of accuracy next time. Dr. Paul Drain, associate professor of global health and of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.

Firefighters risk their lives responding to emergencies, but they also jeopardize their long-term health through exposure to toxic chemicals and other occupational hazards. As a result, firefighters are at increased risk for cancer, cardiovascular disease and other health conditions.

To investigate the health hazards of firefighting and find ways to reduce exposures, Elena Austin, an assistant professor in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS), and her colleagues are pursuing three research studies involving both career and volunteer firefighters.

The CDC is talking to airlines about the possibility of testing for the coronavirus in sewage from planes, the federal agency told NBC News. Since September 2021, the CDC has been testing international travelers for COVID on a volunteer basis via nasal swabs. The program now includes seven major airports. Expanding that surveillance to include wastewater could allow the CDC to collect more data about emerging variants. Scott Meschke, professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

A former Tennessee correctional officer will receive $160,000 in back pay and damages after he was forced to resign for taking Suboxone to treat his opioid use disorder, if a judge approves a landmark consent decree filed in federal court in Nashville on Wednesday. It is the first time the U.S. Department of Justice has used the Americans with Disabilities Act to settle a claim that an employee was discriminated against for taking a prescribed medication to treat drug addiction, according to the Department. Dr. Marc Stern, affiliate assistant professor of health services at the UW, is quoted.

Experts say ambiguous results on at-home tests may be more common now — but not because rapid tests aren’t working. In fact, these confusing results could actually be a good thing, at least as far as your immune system goes. Dr. Paul Drain, associate professor of global health and of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.

Jennifer Otten, a faculty member and food systems scholar in the UW School of Public Health, has been appointed to the Washington State Food Policy Forum. The cross-sector group was formed by the Washington State Legislature in 2016 to make recommendations for improving food systems in the state.

Otten, an associate professor in the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) and core faculty in the Nutritional Sciences Program, will serve a 2-year term on the forum.

Dr. Stephen Bezruchka, associate teaching professor of global health and of health services at the UW, and author of a new book called Inequality Kills Us All, is interviewed by reporter Amity Addrisi for "New Day Northwest."

Dr. Stephen Bezruchka, associate teaching professor of global health and of health services at the UW, and author of a new book called Inequality Kills Us All, is interviewed by reporter Amity Addrisi for "New Day Northwest."

"Does everything have to devolve into caustic culture wars? Ross Douthat takes on medically assisted dying as an indication of the depravity of liberalism, and of the end of civilization itself. I beg to differ," writes Noah Seixas, professor emeritus of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW. [This is the second item in a roundup of letters to the editor.]

Climate labels on fast-food menus can help steer people in the U.S. away from ordering beef — the food with the worst impact on the climate — and toward meals that are better for the planet, according to new research. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Almost 8,000 shootings in US cities in recent years were attributable to unseasonably warm temperatures, according to a new study. The researchers said the work suggested the climate crisis could be contributing to increased gun violence by pushing temperatures beyond the normal ranges. Shootings were already known to peak in summer, when people are outside more and when heat can increase aggression. But the new research took account of the season and showed that above average temperatures at any time of year increased the risk of shootings. Vivian Lyons, a graduate student in epidemiology at the UW, is quoted.

At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, one of the worst things about SARS-CoV-2 was that it was so new: The world lacked immunity, treatments and vaccines. A strange new virus was colliding with people’s bodies in such unusual ways that it couldn’t help but stand out. Now, nearly three years into the crisis, the virus is more familiar, and its symptoms are too. Dr. Patricia García, affiliate professor of global health at the UW, is quoted.

Almost 15 million people likely died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, nearly three times more than previously reported, a new World Health Organization study estimates. The researchers said the COVID-19 pandemic caused about 4.5 million more deaths than would have been expected in 2020, and 10.4 million more in 2021. Jonathan Wakefield, professor of statistics and of biostatics at the UW, is quoted.

The University of Washington School of Public Health (SPH) is pleased to announce two new leadership appointments of SPH faculty in the Office of the Dean: Dr. Jerry Cangelosi as Associate Dean for Research, and Dr. Elizabeth Kirk as Interim Associate Dean for Education.

After a series of miscarriages among her pregnant colleagues in 1985, a shop steward in Plastics Fabrication was the first to ask the troubling question. Women in building 17.05 of the Boeing Company’s Auburn plant began to wonder if the chemicals they used were to blame. Their concerns triggered a company study. Boeing’s health and safety experts found what appeared to be an “elevated” rate of miscarriages: 11 of 41 pregnancies among the cohort of study participants, or about 27 percent of cases, according to a health survey. The normal rate was more like 10 to 20 percent, according to studies cited by Boeing. A UW study by the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences is referenced.

In late 2021 and early 2022, several studies dug deep into the mental health benefits of gender-affirming care — and found that these treatments greatly reduce depression and suicidal thoughts in trans teens and young adults. It’s well known that this population is particularly vulnerable to mental health issues. In fact, LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely as their peers to attempt suicide, and trans and nonbinary youth are the most vulnerable within this community, according to a national survey of nearly 34,000 LGBTQ youth by the nonprofit Trevor Project. That’s why medical professionals and scientists have argued that supporting such care would be lifesaving, benefitting the health and wellbeing of thousands of trans youth. Diana Tordoff, a doctoral student in epidemiology at the UW, is quoted.

China faces a daunting task after abruptly giving up on Covid Zero, with infections set to surge and deaths predicted to top 2 million. Ali Mokdad, health metrics sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, is quoted.

With the holidays and the new year ahead, you may be looking for ways to help in a meaningful way. Relieving food insecurity, especially because of the recent inflation and economic recession, is one major area you can contribute. According to a survey done by the Urban Institute, 21.4% of adults in the United States reported not having reliable access to affordable food within the last 30 days in June 2022. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in October reported that food prices in the Seattle area have risen 11.5% over the last year. Marie Spiker, assistant professor of epidemiology at the UW, is quoted.