Read about SPH people, research and impact.
SPH Blog
Christopher Kemp is dedicated to the study of implementation. That is, the process of getting interventions and programs that work to the people who need them the most. His main focus over the last four years – defined in part by his experience in the Peace Corps in rural South Africa – has been the integration of mental health care, HIV treatment and other chronic disease services in low-resource settings.
Carrie Dennett runs a virtual private nutrition practice with a body positive philosophy, and she influences thousands of readers a week through her writing for the Seattle Times and other publications. She credits the Nutritional Sciences program at the UW for helping her provide research-validated advice to her clients and readership.
Now, a UW School of Public Health doctoral candidate in epidemiology, Phillip is working to find new ways to help diagnose, treat and prevent Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. His research has expanded what is known about the relationship between dementia and sensory impairment.
Kathleen Nguyen started her career in health information by working at Group Health Cooperative (now Kaiser Permanente) where she and the after-hours nurses were the first line of triage for patients in need of medical attention.
Opioid use disorders are highly prevalent among those who are incarcerated, yet use of medications to treat harmful patterns of opioid use is very low in criminal justice settings such as jails and prisons. So what gives – and what impact does this have on population health? Haylea Hannah is driven to find out.
In the late 1970s, Chris Hurley and a ragtag group of idealists transformed an abandoned tavern in Seattle’s Pike Place Market into a community space for a different sort of patron.
Why did you choose biostatistics?
As a senior undergraduate student, I did a project with a research group where our team built a model to help doctors automatically segment and classify chromosome images. From this project, I found my passion and interest in using knowledge of math and statistics to deal with biomedical problems. Biostatistics is an excellent choice to prepare me to contribute more to public health.
The UW is unique in that it is one of the few schools to offer an MPH degree with concurrent dietetics training. I love the combination of public health and clinical training provided by the GCPD because it equips students to work in multiple job settings upon program completion. I was drawn to this versatility and could tell that the UW Nutritional Sciences faculty and staff were dedicated to supporting students on any chosen path.
Tyler graduated with an M.S. in Environmental Health from the UW School of Public Health. His research interests include: surveillance of environmentally-transmitted microbial pathogens, zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, water quality & water supply management, natural resource management, and incorporating a “One Health” framework, including indigenous knowledge to answer scientific inquiries.
What drew you to public health genetics?
Genetics was always my favorite field within the biological sciences, and I love the public health spin that this program puts on it. Human genetics is not just bench science. There are so many interesting ethical, legal and social implications in the public health genetics field.
What drew you to global health?
My academic and life experiences in Rwanda, Uganda and the U.S. I grew up in Rwanda as part of the post-genocide generation and I witnessed the ways that community-based approaches and policies can improve the health and well-being of people.
What drew you to nutritional sciences?
I was initially drawn to nutritional sciences because I wanted to learn more about how our body processes nutrients and how those nutrients interact within our bodies. As I dove deeper into my field of study, I realized that nutrition and public health are very much interrelated.
What drew you to public health?
I am currently a clinician but I am interested in the diverse career opportunities available to someone with an MPH. I enjoy epidemiology, health policy, health care delivery and investigating health trends.
What motivates you about public health?
The United States is one of the most industrialized nations in the world but there still exist considerable health disparities. As a future health informatician I could play a role in minimizing these disparities to improve health outcomes within disadvantaged populations.
Why did you decide to major in public health?
After graduating high school, I spent a year in Ecuador where I lived alongside an indigenous community. The immersive experience exposed me to many facets of their culture and it also allowed me to witness the social inequities that gave rise to major health disparities.