University of Washington School of Public Health

Today, Thursday, Feb. 12 Lucy Lu Wang from @ischool.uw.edu will present, "Evaluating the Evaluators: Measuring Uncertainty and Failure in LLMs and LLM judges" for our @uwsph.bsky.social @uwbiostat.bsky.social seminar. Read the abstract and get details about the event. bit.ly/4quBF4D

Air pollution linked with high blood pressure in kids Children exposed to common air pollutant in the womb and infancy may be at higher risk for elevated blood pressure, DEOHS research finds

Children exposed to a common air pollutant in the womb and infancy may be at higher risk for elevated blood pressure, according to a new study coauthored by Dr. Catherine Karr, professor in DEOHS and @uwpediatrics.bsky.social.
@uwsph.bsky.social @uwnews.uw.edu deohs.washington.edu/hsm-blog/air...

Jobs with the highest cancer deaths in the U.S. | UW School of Public Health Researchers provide detailed look at how US cancer burden varies across hundreds of jobs and by sex.

A team of researchers from OSU and UW looked at cancer deaths among working-age adults in the U.S. The results, published in @thelancet.com, provide a valuable look into the variation and trends in cancer burden by occupation and research interventions. #PublicHealth @uwdeohs.bsky.social

My thoughts about the concerning new Dietary Guidelines for Americans Registered dietitian nutritionist Carrie Dennett breaks down the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which she calls odd and confusing.

Carrie Dennett, a UW SPH alum and registered dietitian, shares her perspective on the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans. She highlights concerns raised by health experts, pointing to a lack of transparency and mixed messages within the guidelines. @uwfsnh.bsky.social #PublicHealth #Nutrition

Should You Worry About PFAS in New EPA-Approved Pesticides? The insecticide isocycloseram has stirred controversy among environmental advocates and scientists. Here’s what to know.

The EPA recently permitted moving forward the use of new pesticide products that contain the insecticide isocycloseram. Many environmental experts have been critical of this decision because they say the insecticide contains harmful forever chemicals. @uwdeohs.bsky.social's Debra Cherry is quoted.

Our @uwbiostat.bsky.social department seminar this week welcomes Dr. Yu Shen from @mdanderson.bsky.social who will present, "Integrating Machine Learning into Survival Analysis through Distribution-Free Conformal Predication." Thursday, Jan. 22 at 3:30 p.m. bit.ly/4jN6orP | @uwsph.bsky.social

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Awards - Office of Healthcare Equity “Mission Possible: Building Community – Together We Rise“ In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy, join your colleagues in recognizing members of the UW Medicine community who are […]

Congratulations to @hspop.uw.edu's Anjulie Ganti, recipient of the 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award, for her endless work centering public health throughout the UW and our community. Join us at the celebration event tomorrow, Jan 15 at 11:30 a.m. in the Hogness Auditorium!

Image of a podcast thumbnail with text: The Lancet Oncology in conversation with Jesse Plascak and Marissa Baker on cancer mortality rates by occupation among US workers. The podcast is 22 minutes and 54 seconds long.

Headshot of Marissa Baker.

Construction workers & home health aides were professions associated with a significant burden of cancer deaths in a new U.S.-based study by DEOHS faculty member Marissa Baker, Jesse Plascak of Ohio State, and others in @thelancetoncol.bsky.social. Listen #podcast: www.thelancet.com/multimedia/p...

A purple background with a collage of 9 images and captions of UW public health's vision board for 2026. Including: promoting food access, having an emergency preparedness kit, befriending bert & globey, the global health and biostatistics mascots respectively, funding science, reducing respiratory virus transmission, studying at the hans rosling center for population health, getting vaccinated, sharing stories of public health research, and staying hydrated.

Manifesting our #publichealth visions for 2026

Occupational health and medicine expert will lead DEOHS Physician and workplace researcher June Spector named department chair

Meet our new chair, Dr. June Spector! A former director of the UW Occupational & Environmental Medicine Program, she also recently served as occupational research physician & occupational disease prevention lead for @lniwa.bsky.social. @uwmedicine.bsky.social deohs.washington.edu/hsm-blog/occ...

With community fridges, neighbors feed each other DEOHS faculty members Emily Hovis and Marie Spiker collaborate with UW Urban Freight Lab to improve safety and efficiency of hyperlocal food sharing

Community fridges & micropantries across Seattle are helping neighbors access free food and resources 24/7. UW SPH’s Emily Hovis & Marie Spiker are teaming up with the Urban Freight Lab in a pilot project to boost the safety and efficiency of these sites using smart sensors @uwdeohs.bsky.social

Los Angeles wildfires prompted significantly more virtual medical visits, UW-led research finds Research led by the University of Washington and Kaiser Permanente Southern California sheds new light on how the 2025 Los Angeles fires affected people’s health, and how people navigated the health.....

Recent findings led by UW researchers shed light on how the LA fires affected people's health and how they navigated the health care system during climate-related emergencies, especially the uptick in virtual visits for cardiovascular and respiratory issues. @uwnews.uw.edu @uwdeohs.bsky.social

Congrats to Ethan Ashby @uwsph.bsky.social @uwbiostat.bsky.social PhD student who is a recipient of the International Biometric Society Eastern North American Region (ENAR) Distinguished Student Paper Award. Read about his work at: bit.ly/48J2v3v

June Spector named Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Chair | UW School of Public Health Spector brings a wealth of experience working collaboratively with state agencies to the School of Public Health.

Dr. June Spector has been named @uwdeohs.bsky.social Chair. Spector brings to the position a wealth of experience working collaboratively with state agencies, as well as her multiple roles within the School of Public Health. Learn more: sph.washington.edu/news-events/... #PublicHealth

How a simple, cost-effective intervention can save lives from cervical cancer | UW School of Public Health UW research shows cost-effectiveness of at-home test kits to prevent cervical cancer.

New UW research shows that mailing #HPV self-test kits to patients is a cost-effective way to screen for cervical cancer. SPH's Rachel Winer share the benefits of a patient-centered, convenient and accurate way to prevent #cervicalcancer. #publichealth @uwepidemiology.bsky.social

“Finding ways to identify kids and families that are at risk of dropping out of the program is of high importance,” said Pia Chaparro, first author of the study. “That’s basically what we’ve identified — a way to flag families who may be at risk of dropping off.” bit.ly/4pOMKxV @uwsph.bsky.social

Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list includes 56 UW faculty and researchers The University of Washington is proud to announce that 56 faculty and researchers who completed their work while at UW have been named on the Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list from Clarivate.

Congratulations to the 56 @uwnews.uw.edu faculty and researchers were named to @clarivateag.bsky.social’s #HighlyCited2025 list, for work ranking in the top 1% by citations in their fields. Among the group includes School of Public Health faculty Helen Chu and Kristie Ebi.

WA, other states still recommend hepatitis B vaccine for newborns The West Coast Health Alliance pushed back against new federal guidance around the hepatitis B vaccine, saying changes were not credible or evidence-based.

The West Coast Alliance urge newborns should still get the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, despite new federal advice to delay. SPH's Dr. Helen Chu warns the change could further erode trust in the CDC. The vaccine has cut pediatric hepatitis B by 99% and remains safe & effective. #PublicHealth

Top 10 public health stories of 2025 | UW School of Public Health Here’s how the UW School of Public Health community has been taking action to transform public health in 2025.

Here are the top 10 #publichealth stories from the UW SPH community in 2025, highlighting the work of our faculty and students alongside communities. These partnerships and sustainable funding are critical, to ensure that the state, nation and world can live healthier, longer lives.

Awan Afiaz is a UW biostatistics PhD student in public health @uwsph.bsky.social who is part of a research team at @fredhutch.org developing software to help clinicians in cancer research implement artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to accelerate diagnosis. bit.ly/3MAHoHH

Virtual medical visits soared after Los Angeles wildfires New findings by DEOHS faculty member Joan Casey and team could help health care systems prepare for climate disasters

Virtual health care visits rose significantly after the Los Angeles wildfires last January, according to new research led by DEOHS faculty member Joan Casey in @jamahealthforum.com.
@uwsph.bsky.social @uwnews.uw.edu @uwmedicine.bsky.social deohs.washington.edu/hsm-blog/vir...

Undergraduates partner with Washingtonians to improve public health | UW School of Public Health The Public Health-Global Health major gives students field-based experiences at the beginning of their major’s intensive training.

UW PH-GH undergrads are working with local organizations to address real-world health challenges through field-based experiential learning. These experiences help students build practical skills while strengthening community partnerships and preparing for careers in #publichealth. Learn more!

Important work from @uwsph.bsky.social researcher @blueyedgenes.bsky.social that focuses on ethical and social implications of using legacy datasets.

Participants sought for new study of how viruses spread - UW Medicine | Newsroom

UW Researchers are seeking participants across King, Snohomish and Pierce counties to study how respiratory viruses spread in households and communities. The findings could help guide public-health readiness and response efforts to mitigate respiratory virus outbreaks. @uwmedicine.bsky.social

Past quarter century sees rise in youth loneliness | UW School of Public Health As loneliness grows amongst adolescents, researchers emphasize importance of studying possible societal reasons.

A new study led by UW School of Public Health researchers is asking if societal factors like unemployment rate, internet use, and income inequality may be linked to increased loneliness amongst young people across the globe. Read more on our blog: #PublicHealth #LonelinessEpidemic #MentalHealth

On the path to autism therapeutics First-generation undergrad Leonardo Diaz makes discoveries through UW mentorship program in environmental health

Today is National First-Generation College Celebration! Leonardo Diaz, a first-gen @uofwa.bsky.social undergrad, recently made a discovery that could inspire drug treatments for autism.
@uwsph.bsky.social @uwnews.uw.edu #celebratefirstgen #uwfirstgen #bethefirst deohs.washington.edu/hsm-blog/pat...

UW school of public health fall 2025 merch shop opens from November 10 to November 24. A white tshirt with purple UW SPH logo on the top left corner next to a grey quarter zip with pockets with purple SPH logo on the top left corner. Shirts are overlaid on a half purple circle over a cream background.

Fall merch drop 📣 From visit our pop up store uwsphmerch.liftoff.shop from Nov 10-24 to purchase a UW School of Public Health quarter zip or classic t-shirt and sport your #publichealth pride!

UW-led study links wildfire smoke to increased odds of preterm birth In mid-pregnancy, exposure to any smoke was associated with an elevated risk of preterm birth, with that risk peaking around the 21st week of gestation. In late pregnancy, elevated risk was most...

A new UW SPH-led study finds a strong link between #wildfiresmoke exposure and increased risk of #preterm birth. Researchers see an opportunity for providers and #publichealth agencies to create messaging and tools to help pregnant people protect themselves during smoke events. @uwdeohs.bsky.social

Lessons in public health from a Seattle to Portland 12-hour public transit journey | UW School of Public Health Local public transit can fuse or disrupt the connection between communities and their access to healthcare, jobs, and each other.

UW SPH faculty Simon Sandh embarked on a 12 hour public transit journey from Seattle to Portland. Along the way he saw how transit routes in communities outside of large urban centers are essential for connecting people to opportunity, health care, and each other. #PublicHealth #HealthEquity

Wildfire smoke linked to increased odds of preterm birth DEOHS-led study shows pregnant people exposed to wildfire smoke are more likely to give birth prematurely

Pregnant people exposed to wildfire smoke are more likely to give birth prematurely, according to a new study led by DEOHS postdoctoral researcher Allison Sherris and Dr. Catherine Karr of DEOHS and @uwpediatrics.bsky.social.
@uwsph.bsky.social @uwnews.uw.edu
deohs.washington.edu/hsm-blog/wil...