SPH Stories Archive

Featured stories about SPH people, research and impact.

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A team of University of Washington researchers received a five-year, $4.3 million research project grant (R01) from the National Institutes of Health to identify genetic mutations involved in HIV drug resistance.

Globally, 25 percent of new HIV cases occur among young women and adolescent girls in Africa. Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, prevents infection when taken consistently, but stigma around the disease keeps some young women from maintaining usage, according to a new review by researchers at the University of Washington.

Among patients with advanced chronic kidney disease, receiving end-of-life care focused on life extension rather than comfort was linked with lower family satisfaction with care, according to new research led by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the University of Washington. The study was published Aug. 29 in the Clinical Journal of American Society of Nephrology. 

Most people learn they have a cancer-causing genetic mutation, called a pathogenic variant, only after a cancer diagnosis.  Carmen Ng, an MPH student in Public Health Genetics at the UW School of Public Health, considers this a failure of testing.

“If all these people knew they had this variant, there’s things they could do,” she says, such as more frequent cancer screenings and, sometimes, prophylactic medication or surgery.

Mauricio Sadinle, an assistant professor of biostatistics from the University of Washington School of Public Health, received a two-year, $150,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop tools to identify and link information on individuals who appear in different datasets. Sadinle’s methodologies will allow researchers to confidently combine pre-existing files to conduct powerful, larger scale analyses.

A University of Washington School of Public Health researcher has adapted a text-mining tool to identify new patterns in the electronic health records (EHR) of sepsis patients.  The methodology could lead to more precise treatment of patients with this life-threatening response to infection.

Air pollution—especially ozone air pollution, which is increasing with climate change—accelerates the progression of emphysema of the lung, according to a new study led by the University of Washington, Columbia University and the University at Buffalo.

Moving to a new residence during the first three months of pregnancy is linked to a heightened risk of premature birth and low birthweight, as well as a slightly higher risk of a smaller-than-expected-size baby, according to new research from the University of Washington School of Public Health published online July 30 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

Still, it’s too soon to raise warning flags.

With the Population Health Facility a little over half way to completion, a second new building is coming. Design planning has kicked off for the Health Sciences Education Building (HSEB), which is slated to open in summer 2022. This new $100 million building will be located just west of T-Wing and in front of the Rotunda.  The four story, almost 100,000 sq. ft. HSEB will be focused entirely on teaching, housing multiple large (128 person), medium (72 person) and small (16-24 person) active learning classrooms, as well as student gathering/study spaces.

More than 4 million reports of child maltreatment involving about 7.5 million children were made in 2017 to Child Protective Services. While much work has been done to reduce these high rates of child abuse and neglect in the United States, few programs have been consistently effective.

Marvin Oliver, the renowned Native American artist who designed the University of Washington School of Public Health's distinctive Soul Catcher logo, has died at 73.

Oliver, of Quinault and Isleta-Pueblo heritage, was an amazing artist whose work has had a profound impact on the School. The Soul Catcher logo has been an important part of our visual identity for the last 40 years. It is a beautiful design based on the belief that cultural, spiritual and traditional practice are important components of health.

Professor Jared Baeten, MD, PhD, has been selected as the new Vice Dean for Strategy, Faculty Affairs and New Initiatives at the University of Washington School of Public Health, effective Aug. 1.

Baeten is a professor of global health, medicine and epidemiology who has been on faculty since 2008. He also has served as Vice Chair for the Department of Global Health since 2015.

Nanotechnology is a rapidly growing field that uses materials on an atomic and molecular scale to develop innovative products — some that have advanced a range of industries, from agriculture to water treatment to health care.

Professor Carey Farquhar, MD, MPH, has been named Vice Dean for Education for the University of Washington School of Public Health, effective Aug. 1.

Farquhar is a professor of global health, epidemiology and medicine who has been on the UW faculty since 2002. Among her numerous leadership positions, she serves as the Department of Global Health’s associate chair for academic programs and chairs the department’s curriculum committee.

Sara Lindström, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health, is a recipient of the 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor given by the U.S. government to early career scientists and engineers.

Firearms are a highly lethal method of suicide attempt and the most common method of suicide death in the U.S. While suicide accounts for 60 percent of all U.S. firearm deaths, and 80 percent in Washington state, researchers are hoping to change that with the help of health care providers.

Sarah Cave (MHA ’99) took over as director of the Master of Health Administration program at the University of Washington School of Public Health on July 1.

The burgeoning field of personal genetics appeals to people who want to learn more about themselves, their family and their propensity for diseases. More and more consumers are using services like 23andMe to learn about their genetic blueprint.

A new University of Washington School of Public Health study sustains a long-held argument that court-imposed fees and fines may keep the most vulnerable people ensnared in a vicious cycle of poverty and incarceration.

Professor Lisa Manhart, PhD, MPH, will become Associate Dean for Research at the University of Washington School of Public Health, effective July 1, 2019. Manhart is a professor of epidemiology and adjunct professor of global health who has been on the UW SPH faculty since 2003, after earning her PhD in epidemiology at the School.