How UW SPH alum Hermona Girmay champions health equity as Miss Washington
Public health-global health alum Hermona Girmay shares her journey into public health.
Health Equity
Cordy Plymale shares why climate change and human health are deeply connected
As climate change shapes our future, undergraduate student Cordy Plymale studies how the most vulnerable populations should be centered in research and policy.
How food systems undergraduates are designing innovative hydroponic farming methods for urban community gardens
Students partnered with iUrban Teen's Rainier Community Center Garden to create a future design proposal to expand educational tools for Seattle youth.
Biraj Karmacharya builds ecosystems for public health
A public health leader in Nepal, Biraj Karmacharya was selected as the 2024 School of Public Health Alumni of Impact Awardee.
Amanda Li on intentionality and embracing challenging conversations in global health
MPH Global Health student Amanda Li received the 2024 Gilbert S. Omenn award for master’s students.
How a student-created program is building family amongst international public health students
International students are creating community and providing support for their peers
How to build equitable partnerships between researchers and communities
New research shares five ways to build trusting partnerships and improve public health.
Black History Month: Art by Black creators that inspires health equity work
Faculty, staff and students at SPH share art that inspires the work they do in public health and health equity.
Rabi Yunusa named 2024 MLK Service Awardee for her community-based public health work
Rabi Yunusa connects public health students with the community to learn valuable public health lessons
The 5 most-read UW public health stories of 2023
Health equity, gender-affirming care, and access to culturally relevant foods were among the most popular stories from the School of Public Health in 2023
Brandi Reano on improving Indigenous health equity and mental health care access
UW SPH alum Brandi Reano shares her thoughts on how to improve health equity among Indigenous communities, and advice for public health students entering the workforce.
Watch: On World AIDS Day, researchers share progress on combating global epidemic
AIDS / HIV researchers Drs. Connie Celum and Chase Cannon
Ramya Kumar on public health as a tool for social justice
Ramya Kumar, a Ph.D. candidate in epidemiology shares her experiences as a Fogarty Fellow, her research in stigma and HIV prevention, and some of her most influential experiences at the School.
Q&A: Undergrad Rohini Achal interviews UW SPH alum & Harvard faculty Bizu Gelaye on public health & service
In an interview published in the Public Service Review, two public health Huskies discuss the impact of policy and service on US health
Here’s how social and economic inequalities are impacting everyone’s life expectancy in America
Despite being one of the wealthiest nations in the world and spending more than other countries on health care, Americans will live an average of 7.5 years less than countries with the highest life expectancy.
Access to culturally relevant and healthy foods is critical to improving health equity in Seattle
MPH students work to remove barriers to food access alongside Seattle and King County communities
Why gender-affirming care should be part of preventive mental health care for trans people
Epidemiology Assistant Professor Arjee Restar shares how we can improve access to gender-affirming care and mental health supports.
Solidarity with 2SLGBTQ+ for Pride Month
June is Pride month, when we honor the global movement for 2SLBGTQ+ liberation, celebrate 2SLBGTQ+ culture, and commemorate the Stonewall riots of 1969.
Julia Bennett on immunization innovations and influencing health policies
Julia Bennett, Ph.D. candidate in epidemiology, shares her experience working on the UW Husky Coronavirus Testing Team, and collaborating with the Washington State Department of Health on the impact of removing personal belief vaccine exemptions.
Olivia Brandon on the big and the small of health care
Olivia Brandon’s interests in health care swing from micro to macro.
She loves sodium — not the variety most of us love at dinner time — but the element sodium and its impact on infant health. She’s so passionate, her lab peers will tell you she’s salty about it.
Public health undergraduate major celebrating 10 years of social justice and health equity education
The University of Washington School of Public Health is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its Public Health-Global Health (PH-GH) major, a milestone marking the growth of interdisciplinary public health undergraduate offerings around the country that are training the next generation of public health-minded professionals.
How a series of questions helped Kenneth Mugwanya fight the HIV epidemic
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.
Marginalized racial and ethnic groups experienced high odds of hate incidents during pandemic
During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, hate incidents were a significant and acute issue for marginalized racial and ethnic groups. These groups experienced higher odds of various acts of discrimination compared to white individuals, from receiving poorer service at restaurants or stores to being threatened and harassed.
How engineering inspired Maggie Ramirez to research public health equity
Spotlight on Maggie Ramirez, William L. Dowling Endowed Professor in Health Administration
Guardians of our spaces
School of Public Health alumna turns personal experiences and education into advocacy and action for UW custodians
US workers are exposed to multiple psychosocial hazards, amidst little regulation or surveillance
High time demands, emotional labor and low wages are the most prevalent psychosocial hazards in the U.S. workforce.
Gender-affirming care bans disrupt mental health of trans youth and their caregivers
A review of new state policies shows impact of gender-affirming care restrictions on trans youth, health care providers and caregivers.
Taylor Riley shares why community voices are necessary for advancing sexual and reproductive health equity
Epidemiology doctoral graduate Taylor Riley received the 2024 Gilbert S. Omenn Award for Academic Excellence.
SPH faculty Gary Chan discusses landmark study to improve AANHPI cardiovascular health and chronic disease data
SPH faculty Gary Chan on new study to better understand cardiovascular health and risk factors among AANHPI populations.
Usha and S. Rao Varanasi launch inaugural endowment to support undergraduate public health research
The Varanasi’s hope that early exposure to research will inspire undergraduates in their public health careers.
SPH students explore migration and real-world public health data through Population Health Initiative fellowship
Experiential learning allows SPH students to understand how neighborhoods impact public health
How pet photos taken by people experiencing homelessness can impact community empathy
New research shares how autobiographical photo stories can garner discussions of empathy and policy
Cervical cancer is taking an unnecessary toll on lives. Here’s how it can be prevented locally and globally
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness month. Practitioners share a message of action and hope for saving lives.
Donald Chi and Yup’ik communities partner to improve oral health of Alaska Native children
Sugary drinks have negative impacts on children's health. Here’s how one faculty’s partnership with Native Alaska communities has been working to change that.
Compassion, efficiency and ‘just going for it’ – Ramaswamy to assume chair
Dr. Megha Ramaswamy, PhD, MPH, to assume the role of chair of Health Systems and Population Health (HSPop).
Peter Gilbert shares how decades of HIV research and community activism shaped COVID vaccine development
Biostatistics faculty Peter Gilbert was tasked with a puzzle during the pandemic: finding an antibody marker that could determine whether a COVID vaccine was working.
Researchers at UW’s Tacoma and Seattle campuses adapt AI-driven caregiver support tool for Latino community
Faculty Weichao Yuwen and Maggie Ramirez partner with Latino community to assist caregivers of chronically ill children with mental and physical responsibilities.
Derek Jennings on creating a space for Indigenous thoughts, ideas and people
Derek Jennings discusses Indigenous health equity and what he hopes to accomplish in his new role as associate dean for Indigenous affairs and engagement at SPH.
Adjunct Associate Professor Sharon Laing to receive APHA’s 2023 Lyndon Haviland Public Health Mentoring Award
Sharon Laing, adjunct associate professor of health systems and population health, is a recipient of APHA’s 2023 Lyndon Haviland Public Health Mentoring Award.
Seeking sustainability and environmental justice
New DEOHS faculty member Joan Casey uses big data to analyze population-scale health problems and solutions
Kingsley Ndoh (MPH, ’13) wins Washington Global Health Alliance’s 2023 Rising Star Award
Alumnus Kingsley Ndoh receives the 2023 Rising Star Award for his exceptional impact in the field of global health.
Magnuson Scholar Joe Lim investigates the impact of early life exposure to toxic chemicals on diabetes
Doctoral student Joe Lim was named SPH's 2023-2024 Magnuson Scholar for impactful research on diabetes and toxicology
Lesley Steinman partners across communities to support the mental health of aging adults
2023 Omenn awardee Lesley Steinman supports the mental health of aging adults through 20 years of service to the UW’s Health Promotion Research Center as a research scientist and graduate student.
Carole Green on hope and urgency for our climate and for our health
2023 Omenn awardee Carole Green works with international partners to study how prepared cities and countries are to adapt to climate change’s impact on our health.
How Alejandro Varela became a public health storyteller
Recipient of the 2023 Alumni Impact Award, Alejandro Varela is an award-winning author whose fictional stories reveal important public health truths.
Co-Creating a culture of community care with unhoused neighbors
In this Q&A, COPHP graduate student Daniel Viveros shares how they hope to apply their public health practice knowledge to improve the health of the unhoused community by creating a culture of community care.
Tina Mensa-Kwao on partnering with youth to improve their mental health care
In this Q&A, graduate student Tina Mensa-Kwao shares why she’s passionate about global health, her research efforts and its potential impact, her future goals as a professional, and advice for new students.
Stemming the U.S. health decline through decreasing inequality
Dr. Stephen Bezruchka, School of Public Health faculty, presents an insightful and thought-provoking webinar on the impact of inequality on health outcomes, with a specific focus on US health status.
Building roads to equitable health care in rural communities
MPH students have been engaging with rural communities through their practicums. They’ve been learning about the challenges they face while collaborating on solutions to address health disparities.
Anjulie Ganti on improving health equity when training the future public health workforce
Associate Teaching Professor Anjulie Ganti of the Public Health-Global Health program shares what experiential learning looks like, the impact of the major’s capstone program on communities, and how to improve health equity when training the future public health workforce.
How Brittney Dias finds a way for representation as business owner and children’s book author
There’s a line Brittney Dias wrote that’s been serving as inspiration for herself and the children she writes for: “No matter the time, no matter the day, Ava and Mae find a way.”
Ava and Mae are two Black girls and protagonists of a children’s book series written by Dias. Their message of perseverance also speaks to the work Dias is committed to, which is to increase diverse representation of main characters in children’s media.
Low-income Washington state households still struggling with food insecurity as pandemic protections end
Affording food is such a challenge in Washington state that residents who experience food insecurity say their grocery bills are their biggest source of financial stress, more so than paying for rent or utilities.
How alumna Yolanda Evans improves adolescent health by pausing and listening to youths’ needs
Spotlight on Dr. Yolanda Evans (MPH, ’11), selection committee chair for the SPH Alumni Impact Award.
The benefits of gender-affirming care
As several states restrict access to gender-affirming care, researchers, practitioners and students share its importance to trans youths’ mental health
Together, we are ready
Community trust and health infrastructure are necessary to prepare for future public health crises
We deserve clean air now
Together, researchers and communities improve air quality across Washington state
Here's what nonadherence to gender-affirming hormone prescriptions shows us about trans people’s access to equitable health care
While gender-affirming hormones are critical to trans individuals’ health and wellbeing, a new study provides insight into why people may be taking more or less than their prescribed dosages.
Youth of color share challenges, recommendations for improving equitable mobility in Seattle
Public transit is one of the few ways youth have to independently navigate to school or work, but they don’t always feel safe doing so.