Read about SPH people, research and impact.
SPH Blog
Noah Simon is developing open-source software that could help other scientists better understand diseases. Ultimately, that could lead to more targeted therapies and better personalized medicine.
India Ornelas has been committed to social justice since high school. Today, she works on interventions to reduce binge drinking among Latino men and enables Navajo communities to grow more vegetables. She also works to create a culture of diversity at the School of Public Health.
Neil Abernethy's research team is developing new software called Outbreak Investigator. "It's a new tool for epidemiologists," he says. "It was set up to follow outbreaks of TB, but it could be used for SARS or pandemic influenza. It could also be used to see how Ebola spreads."
The world is getting fatter, and – despite progress in many countries – more people than ever are smoking. Marie Ng of the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) led efforts to gather the evidence for these findings.
Kristie Ebi was among the first experts in the US on global climate change and health. Today she works with developing countries to lessen the impacts of climate change on their populations. She recently joined the School of Public Health to help it address one of its key emerging challenges, global environmental change and health. Despite the doom and gloom projected by many scientific models, Ebi has a positive message about saving lives and becoming a healthier planet.
June Spector grew up playing the violin, and noticed many of her musical friends and colleagues suffering from injuries and fine-motor disorders. As a chemistry student, she saw people exposed to hazardous chemicals in the laboratory. "Those two things made me really wonder about how people stay safe and healthy and work, and how the workforce stays healthy," Spector says.
What motivated you to pursue Alzheimer's research? My dissertation at UW, which I worked on in the early 1980s, focused on the co-occurrence of medical illnesses and depression in elderly patients.
Donna Denno is a pioneering online teacher for the UW, but she rarely posts a lecture. She tells us how she teaches and what drives her to protect vulnerable children across the globe.
Timothy Thornton loved math, but knew statistics might have more practical benefits. Now he's helping unlock genetic health risks for Hispanics as part of a new center within our Department of Biostatistics.
Dedra Buchwald came to the UW as a pioneer in chronic fatigue research. Her passion for cross-cultural work soon led her to explore Native American health issues. Today she is director of the Center for Clinical and Epidemiological Research, the umbrella organization of Partnerships for Native Health, which recently became part of the School of Public Health.
How long have you been at the UW?
I've been on the faculty for 36 ½ years. I was an undergrad and also went to grad school here. I'm a real Husky, given my history. I bleed purple and gold.
Bonnie Duran has been well aware that indigenous people smoke more, often drink too much, and have higher rates of obesity than other groups. Find out how she's "decolonizing research" to improve the health of these communities.
Saloni Parikh combines a passion for public health with a talent for computer programming. As an undergraduate, Parikh participated in a global health study in Kenya, helping develop a mobile application that allowed healthcare workers to track pregnant mothers with HIV.
Myo Myint Aung followed in his father's footsteps to become a medical doctor in Myanmar, the long-isolated Southeast Asian nation now opening up after decades of military dictatorship. His experience providing care to survivors of a devastating cyclone led him to pursue a career in public health. Now he's in his second year of the Master's in Health Administration program, and plans to return to Myanmar to help improve access to health care.
Preparation and opportunity sometimes come together. Lorelei Walker was "forged in stress," the daughter of performing artists who lived paycheck to paycheck. She decided early to follow stability and become a scientist. Now, Walker studies how stress can affect the health of future generations. She's part of an emerging field known as epigenetics.