SPH Stories Archive

Featured stories about SPH people, research and impact.

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In March of 2021, Horacio Chacon Torrico arrived in Seattle to begin his second year of graduate studies at the University of Washington School of Public Health, after having completed the first two quarters remotely from his home in Lima, Peru.

Tessa Matson, a doctoral student at the University of Washington School of Public Health, has spent the past four years studying and researching screening and assessment tools for substance use disorders that are patient-centric, equitable, and recognize the complexity that comes with motivating people to change their behaviors. Her work has led to tools that her mentors say are hugely important for people with substance use disorders.

The Omenn Award is the most prestigious, School-wide recognition for students. Each year, the School of Public Health honors two standout graduate students — one doctoral and one master's — for their academic excellence and commitment to public health. This year's recipients are Tessa Matson, a Ph.D. student in health systems and population health, and Horacio Chacon Torrico, who is pursuing an MPH in global health.

When Dorothy Thomas couldn’t get into a Spanish course as an undergraduate, she opted to take French instead. She never expected that the language would become one of the many tools in her still-expanding toolkit that add up to a promising career in global health.

Gilbert S. Omenn Award for Academic Excellence

Inquisitive, thoughtful, dedicated, outstanding leader, exceptional and a rising star – these are just some of the many adjectives used to describe Elizabeth Irungu in the letters of recommendation that accompanied her nomination for the Gilbert S. Omenn Award for Academic Excellence in the UW School of Public Health. 

Gilbert S. Omenn Award for Academic Excellence

In three years at the University of Washington, Kush Doshi has become a sought-after speaker and adviser on racial and health equity – all while completing two degree programs and gaining valuable real-world experience in community health. 

The UW School of Public Health has announced that Deepa Rao, PhD, MA will serve as the interim senior associate dean, effective June 1, 2021 through the end of the 2021-22 academic year. This position replaces the position of vice dean for strategy, faculty and improvement that was previously held by Jared Baeten.

Fifteen students from the University of Washington School of Public Health have been selected as part of this year’s Husky 100, which recognizes 100 UW undergraduates and graduate students who are applying what they've learned in the classroom and making a difference on campus and in their communities.

Dr. Bruce Weir, a professor in the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Washington School of Public Health, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge for his fundamental contributions to the theory of population and quantitative genetics and to forensic science.

Experts in public health, medicine, law, sociology and toxicology use evidence of police brutality during Seattle-area 2020 anti-racism protests to set research agenda
The University of Washington School of Public Health ranked No. 3 among publicly funded schools of public health and seventh overall on the latest rankings of graduate schools from the U.S. News and World Report. The national rankings were released March 30, 2021.

Analysis of data on 53,581 individuals from diverse backgrounds offers insights into population health

Just over a year since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States was identified in the Seattle area, the novel coronavirus continues to dominate news headlines and scientific jargon like ‘variants’ and ‘genome sequencing’ has become part of everyday conversations.

For nearly three decades, Grace John-Stewart, a professor of global health and epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health, has devoted her career to improving HIV prevention and treatment.

How planned giving helps attract the best and brightest to public health

From cleaning agents and personal care products to paints and pesticides, chemicals touch every part of our lives. An estimated 80,000 to 90,000 chemicals are in commercial use today, yet only a few hundred are known “to the level of no surprises,” says Bruce Fowler, a University of Washington alumnus and expert on the toxicology of metals.  

Former Dean Gilbert S. Omenn, MD, PhD, and his wife, Martha A. Darling, have made one of the largest individual gifts to the University of Washington School of Public Health in support of the 50th Anniversary for the SPH and the launch of the UW Population Health Initiative. These funds will create modern research and service lab facilities in the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS), facilitating collaboration, intellectual exchange, training, and public/private innovation.

Stephanie Farquhar, PhD, MA, has been named associate dean for evaluation and improvement. This is a new position at the University of Washington School of Public Health to help the School make better use of data to meet new goals in a variety of areas, from strategic planning, to student services to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Joseph Babigumira, MBChB, MS, PhD, has left his position as associate professor in the Department of Global Health, after nine years of service to his students, peer faculty and staff. Joseph has been an important contributor to the School of Public Health and the wider University of Washington community since he arrived in 2006 as a PhD student in the School of Pharmacy.  Over the years, he has touched many of us with his thoughtfulness, sincerity, quiet activism and dry wit – we will miss him greatly.  

Esther Solano, a 2020 graduate of the University of Washington School of Public Health, received the Washington State Public Health Association’s (WSPHA) Exceptional Student Award for her commitment to the field through coursework and community involvement. She was presented with the award virtually Oct. 14 during the WSPHA’s annual meeting.

David Eaton honored with David Rall Medal

Three UW School of Public Health faculty were among 100 scientists elected to the National Academy of Medicine today:

As wildfires continue to burn across the western United States – intensified by warmer, drier conditions caused by climate change – more attention is being paid to the region’s parched forests, and to the people making these forests more resilient to fires.