Epi Stories
Q&A with Epi alumna Sonya Jampel
Sonya Jampel earned her MPH in Epidemiology and Maternal Child Health from the University of Washington Department of Epidemiology in 2023. Today, Sonya is in her second year working at Public Health – Seattle and King County, and her post-graduate work has allowed her to better understand the intersections of climate change and health as...
Q&A with Fulbright Scholar and Epi MPH Claire Rater
Claire Rater holds Master’s degrees in Epidemiology and Social Work and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship for the 2024-2025 term. Her research is on rural health management of snakebite envenoming in the Andean mountain range. Colombia, home to the world’s most diverse reptile population, including the highest number of venomous snakes, provides the backdrop for...
Increasing Access to Cervical Cancer Screening in Low-Resource Healthcare Settings
Each year in the United States, there are 14,000 cervical cancer cases and over 4,000 deaths due to human papilloma virus (HPV). In May 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the self-collection of vaginal specimens for HPV testing in healthcare settings. Screening for HPV can help prevent cervical cancer, and the FDA’s...
How Operational Research Improved Tuberculosis Care in Zambia
Local improvements in TB care impacted policy and research nationwide
More out-of-state patients seek abortions in Washington
More out-of-state women, largely from Texas and Alaska, are traveling to Washington state to obtain an abortion than was the case before the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion, according to research published today in JAMA Network Open. The study tracked the number of abortions performed at the Cedar River Clinics, a large...
Epi Celebrates 2024 SPH Excellence Award Winners
Congratulations to the University of Washington Department of Epidemiology (UW Epi) nominees who were honored at the 2024 UW School of Public Health (SPH) Awards of Excellence and Recognition Ceremony! The SPH Excellence Awards recognize exemplary students, faculty, and staff for their dedication and service to the school. The following individuals received 2024 SPH Student,...
Q&A with Annette Adams, Incoming President of the American College of Epidemiology: On Finding Your Professional Home
Annette Adams is a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC), leading research on osteoporosis and atypical femoral fractures (AFFs). AFFs are rare but serious, unusual thigh bone fractures that are associated with long-term osteoporosis drug treatments. Dr. Adams is an alumna of the University of Washington Department of Epidemiology’s (UW Epi) PhD program,...
Lessons in Public Health Collaboration from Washington State’s Prison Outbreaks
Outbreaks in correctional settings are complex and resource intensive because pathogens, especially respiratory ones, can spread quickly in these often crowded and poorly ventilated spaces. Incarcerated individuals often have a higher prevalence of underlying health conditions compared to the general public, which puts those living in these settings at an increased risk for severe health...
Adam Drewnowski named 2024 Wilbur Olin Atwater Memorial Lecturer
The United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), has named Adam Drewnowski, professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health the 2024 Wilbur Olin Atwater Memorial Lecturer. The Wilbur Olin Atwater Lecture is a forum for a presentation on a scientific topic, trend, issue, or policy of the lecturer’s choice. Dr. Drewnowski will...
MPH student Olivia McCollum receives NIH Diversity Supplement with Global WACh to detect gut pathogens in young children in Kenya
University of Washington Department of Epidemiology (Epi) Master of Public Health (MPH) student, Olivia McCollum, highlights the importance of National Institute of Health (NIH) Diversity Supplements as a valuable resource to minoritized graduate students whose backgrounds contribute diverse perspectives to global research. Diversity Supplements recruit and support eligible individuals, including those from underrepresented racial and...
Nutrition Study in the Navajo Nation Receives Recognition from American Journal of Preventive Medicine
The Navajo Nation is a sovereign nation of the Diné people, spanning parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. Gardening and healthy eating are priorities in the Navajo Nation. Historically, the Diné people have sustained their food security through their connection to the land, but today the USDA classifies the majority of the Navajo...
UW Department of Epidemiology Inspires Next Generation of Public Health Leaders
In December 2023, representatives from the University of Washington Department of Epidemiology (UW Epi) visited TAF@Saghalie high school and led students through a two-day epidemiology and public health workshop. This workshop, led by UW Epi graduate program director, Stephen Schwartz, student engagement and outreach coordinator, Jalen Smith, and epidemiology doctoral student, Hiwot Zewdie, introduced students...
University of Washington plays key role in $150M CLARiTI study for Alzheimer’s and related dementias research
The University of Washington (UW) has received a portion of a new $150 million grant to collaborate on a study called Clarity in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Research Through Imaging (CLARiTI). The five-year study funded by the National Institute on Aging will provide cutting-edge imaging and blood-based biomarker data for researchers worldwide to advance...
Large language models outshine traditional natural language processing methods for identifying rare circumstances
Researchers have recently begun using Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyze case files and other large batches of information more efficiently. However, traditional NLP requires a human to review case files and train the program to recognize nuanced or ambiguous language. For example, when a report says, “The patient reported that their head hurt,” the...
Department of Epidemiology Chair Search
The Department of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington (UW) invites applications from transformational leaders to become its new Department Chair and Professor with Tenure. The Chair will support the Department’s mission of providing rigorous training in the fundamentals and practice of epidemiology and improving public health through excellence in research and public...
New faculty spotlight: Jeanie Santaularia
A large majority of violence research relies on traditional violence surveillance systems that may suffer from selection bias and potentially over-represent the most vulnerable populations, such as people of color. As part of her work and research, Dr. Jeanie Santaularia, University of Washington (UW) Department of Epidemiology Assistant Professor, evaluates errors and biases in existing...
UW research finds that mailing HPV test kits directly to patients increases cervical cancer screening rates
Three years ago, the federal government set a series of targets to improve Americans’ overall health. Among the dozens of goals laid out in the plan, called Healthy People 2030, was a significant increase in the proportion of Americans who kept up to date with cervical cancer screening. That, in turn, would enable more people...
Q&A with Epi alumna Jean McDougall
Jean McDougall earned her MPH in 2009, and graduated with her PhD in epidemiology in 2013, from the University of Washington Department of Epidemiology. Today, she is a Staff Scientist at Fred Hutch Office of Community Outreach and Engagement, where she monitors the cancer burden in the State of Washington and partners with communities to...
UW epidemiology professor Ali Rowhani-Rahbar elected to National Academy of Medicine
Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, a professor of epidemiology and of pediatrics at the University of Washington (UW), has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine in recognition of research that has “deepened our understanding of the risk and consequences of firearm-related harm,” the organization announced on October 9, 2023. Among the most prestigious scientific organizations in...
As telehealth abortion medication faces threats, research remains important to understanding access, affordability
While medication abortion with mifepristone has been around for more than two decades, access to this safe and effective way to terminate an early pregnancy grew during the pandemic with the rise of telehealth. Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in 2022, which ended the federal constitutional right to abortion, medicated abortions provided via telehealth increased...