Epi Stories
Heavy drinking, handgun-carrying linked among rural youth
In the rural United States, an adolescent who drinks heavily has a 43% greater probability of carrying a handgun in the following year, according to a study published this month in The Journal of Rural Health. “While there has been a lot of research on this correlation in urban areas, little is known about the...
UW Epidemiology Alum Jeanne Marrazzo (MPH, ’94) named director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
The National Institutes of Health has announced Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo as the new director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Marrazzo, an alum of the University of Washington School of Public Health’s (UW SPH) Department of Epidemiology, succeeds Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led NIAID for 38 years. She is expected to assume the director role...
Meet Epi’s Student Lifecycle and Community Engagement Coordinator
Jalen Smith is the University of Washington Department of Epidemiology’s (UW Epi) newest addition to the Student Academic Services (Epi SAS) team. As student lifecycle and community engagement coordinator, Jalen is a resource for students throughout their time interacting with UW Epi. Their role in strengthening community engagement and partnerships helps provide continuity for students...
Student Epidemic Action Leaders Team Collaborate with Grant County Health District
Moses Lake, WA– The Grant County Health District is excited to partner with two University of Washington (UW) master’s in public health epidemiology students who are current members of the Student Epidemic Action Leaders (SEAL) Team at the UW. The SEAL Team provides students with experience in applied epidemiology training and field assignments at state...
Why gender-affirming care should be part of preventive mental health care for trans people
Supporting the mental health of trans people is an urgent public health issue. When compared to the general U.S. population, the rates of lifetime suicide attempts, severe psychological distress and clinical depression are estimated to be nine, eight and six times higher for trans people. Gender-affirming care is linked to improved quality of life and...
Dr. Janet Baseman to Serve as Department of Epidemiology Interim Chair
The University of Washington School of Public Health (UW SPH) is pleased to share that Dr. Janet Baseman, PhD, MPH has agreed to serve as Interim Chair of the Department of Epidemiology until a permanent chair is found. Dr. Baseman has been on faculty in the UW Department of Epidemiology (UW Epi) since 2007; and...
Reducing Childhood Asthma Hospitalization Rates in the Duwamish Valley
University of Washington researchers and Duwamish Valley community advocates have received a five-year grant from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to help reduce childhood asthma hospitalization rates and improve quality of life for asthmatic children who live in the Seattle neighborhoods of South Park and Georgetown. Children who live in the Duwamish...
Epidemiology community members receive 2023 SPH Awards of Excellence
Several exceptional students, faculty, and staff from the University of Washington Department of Epidemiology (Epi) were honored at the 2023 University of Washington School of Public Health (SPH) Awards of Excellence. The SPH Awards recognize exemplary staff, faculty and students for their dedication, service and many contributions to the school. The following individuals were recognized...
Removing Personal Belief Exemptions for the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine School Requirement: The Effects on Immunization Rates
In 2000, the United States declared measles to be eliminated, however declining vaccination rates and the resulting increase in measles outbreaks have led to growing concern that the US may lose elimination status. Washington state experienced two large measles outbreaks in 2019, with the majority of cases cropping up among unvaccinated individuals. With 87 individuals...
Epidemiology doctoral student Anne Massey builds community trust in public health as 2022’s Miss Seafair
Anne Massey, Miss Seafair 2022 (Photo: Elizar Mercado) Last summer, Anne Massey was sitting aboard a U.S. Navy ship in Seattle when the tiara a top her head started to break. Massey was 2022’s Miss Seafair and was participating in a final Seafair reception after a week of media interviews, parades and meeting the Blue...
Seattle’s Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Results in Improved Public Health Outcomes
A new study has determined that Seattle’s Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT) has had numerous positive impacts since going into effect in 2018. A team of researchers from Public Health—Seattle & King County, the University of Washington, and Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute recently completed a multi-faceted evaluation of the tax’s effect on public health outcomes...
UW Epidemiology and School of Public Health Rank Among US News & World Report Top 10
The University of Washington School of Public Health (UW SPH) has been ranked No. 5 among public health graduate schools in the US News & World Report rankings for 2023–2024, up from last year’s position of No. 9. The UW Department of Epidemiology was ranked No. 9, in this year’s first-ever public health specialty rankings in epidemiology....
Together, we are ready
Community trust and health infrastructure are necessary to prepare for future public health crises For years, Ahmed Ali, executive director of the Somali Health Board, has advocated for the health of Somali residents in King County, Washington. So, when COVID-19 hit, Ali asked public health leaders to bring mobile testing sites to Somali neighborhoods. Public...
We deserve clean air now
DEOHS Assistant Professor Elena Austin measures air quality outside a school near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Photo by Mark Stone. Together, researchers and communities improve air quality across Washington state It’s not just textbooks and homework woes that unite schoolkids of the sunny Yakima Valley with their counterparts in rainy Seattle’s urban neighborhoods. They have...
Mental Health Matters
Illustration of people by Lea Hidaka Together, we can heal from the trauma of COVID-19 Since the pandemic, many professors in the University of Washington School of Public Health have shifted to starting class with a check-in. Sometimes professors ask students what color best matches their emotions. Other times, they ask what brings students energy,...
The benefits of gender-affirming care
Photo of Transgender Flag overlayed on Supreme Court Building. Together, we can make health care inclusive for trans youth There’s a reason families across the country drive hundreds of miles to Washington state so their children who are trans can access gender-affirming care: extensive studies have found that this care benefits mental health. As state...
Communities Disrupt Mass Incarceration
Clockwise from top left: Brandie Flood, Jamie Garcia, Hamid Khan, Tara Moss, Mienah Z. Sharif Together, we can center community voices to address structural racism When Brandie Flood and Tara Moss intercept someone on the brink of arrest, they have one central question for that person: “What do you need?” They ask because, when the...
New Gun Violence Chapter in Handbook of Epidemiology
In the United States, someone is injured or killed by a firearm every four minutes. In 2020, 45,222 individuals died due to firearm injury, and there were 175,459 emergency department visits for non-fatal firearm injuries. Gun violence, which impacts fear, trauma, and many other aspects of health, poses a pressing global public health issue. Gun...
How RDNs can support sustainable dietary patterns
March is National Nutrition Month and the theme for 2023 is “Fuel for the Future,” an invitation by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) encouraging each of us to eat with sustainability in mind. This means choosing foods that are tasty, nourishing, and foods that also protect the environment. So, what should be on the menu...
Study suggests dapivirine vaginal ring is safe to use as HIV prevention during breastfeeding
A monthly vaginal ring containing the antiretroviral drug dapivirine – an HIV-prevention method that has been approved in several African countries and recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) – appears to be safe when used during breastfeeding, suggest results of a Phase IIIb open-label study presented today at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic...