Epi Stories
Study model explores impact of police action on population health
A specific police action, an arrest or a shooting, has an immediate and direct effect on the individuals involved, but how far and wide do the reverberations of that action spread through the community? What are the health consequences for a specific, though not necessarily geographically defined, population? The authors of a new UW-led study looking into...
How online access to legal services during COVID-19 impacted domestic violence survivors’ ability to get help
Photo credit: wocintechchat.com When survivors of domestic violence are able to file for protection orders online rather than through the traditional method of in-person at a courthouse, the trauma associated with this process is reduced and barriers like needing to find childcare or take time off work may be alleviated. These are among the findings...
2021 SPH Excellence Awards
Four exceptional students, faculty, and staff from the University of Washington Department of Epidemiology (Epi) were honored at the 2021 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 nominated...
New study to assess STI testing and treatment strategies for young women in South Africa
The University of Washington Department of Epidemiology (UW Epi) Assistant Professor, Dr. Jennifer Balkus, received an R01 grant from the US National Institutes of Health to assess integration of point-of-care sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and patient-delivered partner treatment for cisgender young women aged 16-25, who are at risk for HIV and other STIs in South...
Epi Before Sunrise: Master’s Student Shengruo Zhang Attends Class From Jinzhou City, China
Shengruo Zhang began her Master’s of Science in epidemiology at the University of Washington (UW) in September 2020. While attending the UW has been a goal for Shengruo since she was studying international economics and trade as an undergraduate at Liaoning University, she could not have foreseen taking her first few quarters of epidemiology graduate...
Risk factors for child death during an intimate partner homicide
New study from HIPRC may help direct prevention efforts for child fatality during intimate partner homicides. A new study by the Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center (HIPRC) examined risk factors for child fatality during intimate partner homicides (IPH). Using data from the National Violence Death Reporting System (NVDRS), researchers at HIPRC, University of Michigan,...
Precarious employment trends indicate increases in income inequality and health disparities
Quality of work is increasingly recognized as a social determinant of health. In the United States, the number of high-quality, full-time jobs with sufficient salaries and benefits has declined over the last 40 years, whereas the number of low-quality, insecure jobs, also known as precarious employment (PE) has increased. Researchers from the University of Washington...
The WAFOOD survey receives support from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation
Among the several non-profit organizations and programs receiving recent emergency funding from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the University of Washington Foundation has received a gift in support of the WAFOOD food insecurity survey. The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation has to date provided $12 million in emergency funding to provide relief to the most vulnerable communities in...
Dornell Pete: Preventing cancer among Navajo People with support from an NCI award
In September 2020, Dornell Pete, doctoral student in epidemiology at the University of Washington (UW), received the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award (F99/K00) from the National Institute of Health (NIH). This grant will support Dornell’s dissertation research, assessing gastric cancer risk factors for American Indian adults; and her aspired cancer-focused...
Round 2 of Washington study underway to determine food, economic insecurity during pandemic
Understanding Washington residents’ access to food and their economic well-being – or lack of it – during the COVID-19 pandemic is vital for state and community partners to identify those needs and allocate resources effectively. To help accomplish this goal, the University of Washington, Washington State University and Tacoma Community College, along with input from...
New faculty spotlight: Kristjana Asbjornsdottir
When Dr. Kristjana Asbjornsdottir arrived at the University of Washington Department of Epidemiology (Epi) in 2009 to start her MPH studies, she did not realize she would begin a near decade-long partnership with the department – from student to faculty member. Now Acting Assistant Professor in the department, Asbjornsdottir reflects on a life dedicated to public health, beginning...
UW Department of Epidemiology eliminates GRE requirement in graduate program admissions
The University of Washington Department of Epidemiology (UW Epi) has permanently eliminated the GRE requirement for applicants to its Masters of Public Health, Masters of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy programs.
Largest analysis of lethal means assessments outlines opportunities for suicide prevention and safety planning
A new study published in Archives of Suicide Research provides important insights into individual-level uptake of lethal means assessment.
Caitlin Moe, a Thomas Francis Jr. Global Health Fellow, to study violence in Colombia
Caitlin Moe, a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology, has been awarded the Thomas Francis Jr. Global Health Fellowship to support her fieldwork in Colombia for her dissertation.
UW Epidemiology members outline steps for inclusivity in epidemiology
Members of the University of Washington (UW) Department of Epidemiology have published a letter to the editors of the American Journal of Epidemiology (AJE) outlining steps for the Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) to cultivate greater inclusivity in SER and in epidemiologic research.
UW study describes the use of extreme risk protection order laws in Washington state
Researchers at University of Washington’s Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center (HIPRC) and the Department of Epidemiology have conducted the first state-wide study of extreme risk protection orders (ERPO) in Washington State since the law’s implementation in late 2016. The study’s findings were published on June 29, in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Examining records from...
Noel Weiss on mentorship, music, and epi methods
After nearly 50 years as a member of the faculty in the Department of Epidemiology, Professor Noel Weiss’ CV lists nearly 700 epidemiologic articles and books. While Dr. Weiss has published many paramount papers on clinical and cancer epidemiology, and epidemiologic methods, this awesome body of research is truly a testament to Dr. Weiss’ legacy of mentorship to generations of public health researchers and practitioners with whom he’s collaborated.
Students present at 39th Annual EPI 514 Super Epi Results Meeting
For nearly forty years, the students enrolled in EPI 514 Application Of Epidemiologic Methods present their final projects to the Department of Epidemiology at the end of the Spring Quarter during the Super Epi 514 Results (SER) Meeting. EPI 514 gives graduate students in epidemiology the opportunity to gain “hands-on” experience analyzing data to answer a specific research...
Claire Rothschild receives predoctoral fellowship to improve family planning in Kenya
The Department of Epidemiology (Epi) congratulates Claire Rothschild for receiving an F31 predoctoral fellowship from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The $89,000 predoctoral research award will support her dissertation research on using mobile technology to improve family planning data and outcomes in Kenya, under the mentorship of Dr. Alison Drake, an...
Anna Larsen to study depression among pregnant Kenyan women
Congratulations to Anna Larsen, a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology, who was awarded an F31 predoctoral fellowship from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.