The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in UW Medicine will expand its work over the next decade thanks to a $279 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. IHME provides independent health evidence to policymakers, practitioners and communities in order to find solutions to population health challenges. Learn More >
While clinical studies indicate that more frequent kidney dialysis improves patient health, the approach most patients currently take is to visit dialysis centers several times a week, with each visit taking several hours. Enter the wearable artificial kidney, a 10-pound, battery-powered device worn on a belt that provides around-the-clock, continuous dialysis. UW Medicine researchers and their collaborators are among the first in the nation to test this device, and the initial results have shown promise. Learn More >
Dr. Hedwig (Hedy) Lee, a member of the Population Health Initiative鈥檚 executive council and associate professor of sociology, has been elected as a board member for the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science (IAPHS). Dr. Lee will serve a three-year term beginning February 1, 2017. IAPHS fosters scientific innovation and discovery to improve the health of populations and reduce health disparities by connecting population health scientists across disciplines and sectors, advancing the development of population health science, and promoting its…
The Population Health Initiative, in partnership with the UW鈥檚 Simpson Center for the Humanities, has awarded a Collaboration Studio Grant to a research team examining how global health partnerships have been developed, enacted and changed over time. The project, 鈥淭he Past, Present, and Future of U.S. Global Health Partnerships in Africa,鈥� will draw from the fields of medical anthropology, African studies, and public health to track partnerships from the late colonial period to present to explore ongoing complexities. Through this…
The brain has evolved over thousands of years to allow humans to communicate through language. Reading is a relatively new skill for the brain, however, which leads assistant professor Jason Yeatman to wonder if dyslexia is a byproduct of visual systems being wired slightly differently in some humans. With the aid of non-invasive brain imaging technology, Yeatman and his team are studying developing brains to identify the changes that occur as reading skills are required. Through this research, they hope…
The Population Health Initiative, in partnership with the UW鈥檚 Office of Global Affairs, has awarded a $15,000 Global Innovation Fund pilot to a team attempting to deploy augmented reality/virtual reality-based rehabilitation therapy via cell phones. The project, which is led by Dr. Pierre D. Mourad of UW Bothell, seeks to find ways to 鈥済amify鈥� home-based physical therapy to increase patient compliance with therapy regimens, thereby improving patient outcomes. The project team鈥檚 focus will be development of an effective, low cost…
Researchers have long understood that lengthy exposure to air pollution is directly linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Thanks to the result of a 10-year study led by professor Joel Kaufman, we now have not only a greater understanding of the biological responses to pollution that lead to heart disease, but we also know that air pollution at levels even below regulatory standards can accelerate the hardening of human arteries. The study鈥檚 results are being used to push…
The seawalls and bulkheads around the Salish Sea protect the land from erosion and landslides. However, the unintended consequences from this armoring include smaller beaches and reduced habitats for spawning fish and invertebrates, which then indirectly impacts larger species such as orca whales. A recent 黑料老司机 study analyzed 65 pairs of sites broadly within Puget Sound to assess the impacts of shoreline armoring to the ecosystem of the Salish Sea. The study also offered recommendations for how to…
The 黑料老司机’s Livable City Year initiative is now accepting proposals from cities, counties, special districts and regional partnerships to be partners during the 2017-2018 academic year. UW Livable City Year (UW LCY) connects university faculty and students with a municipal partner for a full academic year to work on projects fostering livability. The municipal partner will identify a selection of projects in their community that could be addressed by UW LCY courses. Areas of focus include environmental sustainability,…
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the 黑料老司机 released a new study today that found substantial geographic differences in mortality in more than 3,100 U.S. counties. The study, which was published in JAMA, found that more than 2,000 counties had increases of 200 percent or more in deaths related to substance abuse and mental disorders over the last 34 years. Through their updated visualization tool and county profiles, IHME is able to offer these findings…