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Author: Jake Ellison

February 25, 2021

Q&A: Race, medicine and the future power of genetic ancestry

Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine that they 鈥渄o not believe that ignoring race will reduce health disparities鈥� but rather that 鈥渟uch an approach is a form of naive 鈥榗olor blindness鈥� that is more likely to perpetuate and potentially exacerbate disparities,鈥� five Black geneticists set out to explain the pitfalls of leaving race out of medicine. Importantly, the geneticists explain, while it is imperative to be considered now in many settings, race is an imperfect stepping stone toward…

February 22, 2021

Effective treatment for insomnia delivered in a few short phone calls

Person holding phone

Insomnia 鈥� trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up too early 鈥� is a common condition in older adults. Sleeplessness can be exacerbated by osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis causing joint pain. While there are effective therapies for treating insomnia in older adults, many people cannot get the treatment they need because they live in areas with limited access to health care, either in person or over the internet. With telephones nearly universal among the elderly, however,…

February 5, 2021

To counter health impacts of racism, 91爆料 School of Nursing establishing Center for Antiracism in Nursing

Systemic racism has for generations undermined the health of individuals and communities across America, a public health crisis that has made the pandemic even more deadly and destructive for people of color. Recognizing that nurses play a central role in and hold major responsibility for the health of individuals and communities hit hard by historic racial inequity, the 91爆料 School of Nursing is launching the Center for Antiracism in Nursing. 鈥淭here is much work to do to become…

January 31, 2021

Bleeding gums may be a sign you need more vitamin C in your diet

fruit orange

Current advice from the American Dental Association tells you that if your gums bleed, make sure you are brushing and flossing twice a day because it could be a sign of gingivitis, an early stage of periodontal disease. And that might be true. So if you are concerned, see your dentist. However, a new 91爆料 study suggests you should also check your intake of vitamin C. 鈥淲hen you see your gums bleed, the first thing you should think…

January 28, 2021

91爆料 installs strikingly unique public sculpture at new Hans Rosling Center for Population Health

Workers with sculpture

At nearly 7 feet tall, “The Seated IV” first graced the聽Metropolitan Museum of Art’s facade in September 2019 as part of a commission titled The NewOnes, will free Us. Four “Seated” sculptures by Wangechi Mutu were the first works to take up the positions on The Met’s facade since it was completed in 1902. On Monday, Jan. 25, one of the four storied bronze sculptures was installed at the north side of the new Hans Rosling Center for Population Health…

January 8, 2021

COVID-19 vaccines are 鈥榬emarkable achievement,鈥� but soothing mistrust is necessary to end pandemic

Larry Corey

鈥淥f course, we didn鈥檛 put Democrats in the vial; we didn鈥檛 put Republicans in the vial,鈥� 91爆料鈥檚聽Dr. Larry Corey writes in a recent聽COVID-19 Vaccine Matters blog聽jointly produced by Johns Hopkins University and the 91爆料. While development of vaccines now being distributed to combat COVID-19, the deadly disease caused by the novel coronavirus, are a 鈥渞emarkable achievement鈥� that demonstrate the power of science to save lives, mistrust and fear continue to cause nearly 40% of Americans to say they…

December 28, 2020

In pandemic milestone, 91爆料 brings COVID-19 vaccines to frontline health care workers

The first scheduled to receive vaccinations were frontline personnel working with COVID-19 patients. In addition to patient-care staff in intensive care units, COVID acute care floors and emergency departments, the immediate list also included environmental services staff, as well as emergency medical responders in the community. Next in line are nursing home residents and their caregivers.

December 8, 2020

Round 2 of Washington study underway to determine food, economic insecurity during pandemic

Dinner setting on wood table

Understanding Washington residents鈥� access to food and their economic well-being 鈥� or lack of it 鈥� 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 91爆料, Washington State University and Tacoma Community College, along with input from partners in local, county and state governments 鈥� such as the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington State Department of Agriculture 鈥� are…

Policies around pregnancy, birth during pandemic failing both patients and nurses

Molly Altman

As an experienced nurse midwife, whose scientific research focuses on respectful and equitable care during pregnancy and childbirth, the 91爆料鈥檚 Molly Altman has been studying pregnancy and childbirth during the pandemic alongside colleagues across the 91爆料 and in affected communities. While her work is being distilled into formal studies that will be submitted for peer review, Altman, an assistant professor in the 91爆料 School of Nursing, believes it is important to begin discussions for improving this area of…

December 2, 2020

COVID-19 vaccines may not prevent spread of virus, so mask-wearing, other protections still critical

Larry Corey

Excitement and relief over news of vaccines that help prevent people from getting sick, winding up in the hospital or dying from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, are warranted, says 91爆料鈥檚 Dr. Larry Corey. But, these messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines may not prevent people from getting infected or spreading the virus. Answering questions around how vaccines affect transmission of the virus is 鈥渙f obvious importance鈥� and research will be conducted once people begin getting vaccinated, Corey…

November 24, 2020

91爆料 public health expert calls on state officials, citizens to defend and rebuild public health agencies

Betty Bekemeier

Even before the pandemic and disagreements over social restrictions recommended by public health officials across the state, public health agencies in Washington were struggling due to a lack of resources. In recent weeks, firings, resignations and death threats targeting local health officials has led to a staffing crisis in the agencies most responsible for local pandemic response. Now, as these public attacks further cripple public health agencies, a 91爆料 public health expert is calling for action to defend…

October 22, 2020

COVID-19: CDC advisory committee hones in on vaccine rollout recommendations

Vaccine and syringe

When a vaccine to fight COVID-19 has been approved by the FDA for distribution, it鈥檚 unlikely that at first there will be enough doses for everyone. Consequently, the United States will need an equitable and effective plan for who gets those first doses, how they get them and who鈥檚 next. Just as important, that plan 鈥� like the vaccine itself 鈥斅爃as to be trusted and accepted by the general public. To accomplish this complicated and potentially fraught task, the CDC聽Advisory…

91爆料 seeks Latinos caring for relatives, friends with dementia to develop better training program

With Latinos 1.5 times more likely to have dementia than non-Latino whites, among other health disparities, researchers at the 91爆料 are hoping to better understand Latino family caregivers and adapt the training available to those caregivers. To do that, the 91爆料 Department of Health Services is seeking to interview Latino caregivers for a study to increase the cultural relevance of聽STAR-C聽聽training 鈥� a non-pharmacological intervention endorsed by the Administration on Aging that trains caregivers to manage the behavioral and…

October 5, 2020

Women, workers of color filling most 鈥榟igh-hazard/low-reward鈥� jobs in Washington

When exploring data on Washington workers during the pandemic 鈥� demographics, working conditions, wages and benefits, and risks of exposure to disease 鈥� the authors of a new report found that women hold two-thirds of the jobs in the harshest category of work. 鈥淭he big takeaway from our research,鈥� said David West, a co-author of the report and an analyst at the Washington Labor Education and Research Center, 鈥渋s how particularly women are working under precarious conditions 鈥� a large…

September 30, 2020

91爆料 receives $1.5 million CDC grant to study handgun carrying among rural adolescents

With roughly 109 people dying every day and many others treated in emergency rooms from firearm-related injuries 鈥� which are the second leading cause of death among adolescents 鈥� the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has, after decades, stepped in to fund critical firearm research. The CDC announced on Sept. 23 it would fund 16 studies for a total of more than $7.8 million to understand and prevent firearm violence. The 91爆料鈥檚 proposal to study handgun carrying…

September 24, 2020

Colleges with primarily in-person instruction leading to thousands of COVID-19 cases per day in US

As universities and colleges struggle to find the right combination of in-person and online classes combined with protective measures to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, a new study by researchers from four institutions has reached a troubling conclusion. Reopening university and college campuses with primarily in-person instruction is associated with a significant increase in cases of COVID-19 in the counties where the schools are located. 鈥淐onsequently, we are able to predict between 1,000 and 5,000 additional cases…

Age restrictions for handguns make little difference in homicides as US deals with 鈥榙e facto availability鈥� of firearms

In the United States, individual state laws barring 18- to 20-year-olds from buying or possessing a handgun make little difference in the rate of homicides involving a gun by people in that age group, a new 91爆料 study has found. 鈥淭he central issue is that there鈥檚 a very high degree of informal access to firearms, such as through family members or illicit channels,鈥� said Caitlin Moe, the study鈥檚 lead author and a doctoral student in epidemiology in the…

September 15, 2020

Wildfire smoke disproportionally harms poorer communities, remedies necessary to address health inequity

downtown seattle in smoke

With most of the Northwest blanketed by wildfire smoke, public officials and health experts suggest staying inside as much as possible to reduce exposure to the significant health risks of wildfire smoke. However, inequity in our communities means not every home provides great protection and many workers in disadvantaged populations can鈥檛 afford to stay home, says Anjum Hajat, assistant professor of epidemiology in the 91爆料 School of Public Health. Hajat鈥檚 expertise covers the impact air pollution 鈥� including from wildfires…

August 28, 2020

91爆料 breaks ground on the future of health sciences education and improving our health

The future of our health and the health of the communities we live in relies, in many ways, on students in the health sciences. The education and experiences that future doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, social workers and public health experts receive will to a large degree shape how those professionals work and work together when solving problems affecting our health. And while the 91爆料鈥檚 highly ranked health sciences schools have long focused on interdisciplinary education and training students…

August 21, 2020

Failure to 鈥榝latten the curve鈥� may kill more people than we thought

New research by the University of Minnesota and the 91爆料 finds that every six additional ICU beds or seven additional non-ICU beds filled by COVID-19 patients leads to one additional COVID-19 death over the following week. 鈥淎 spike in hospitalization naturally leads to more deaths, but these deaths may not only come from those who are hospitalized, but also from those who should have been hospitalized but were not,鈥� said co-author Anirban Basu, a 91爆料 professor of health…

August 18, 2020

Data omission in key EPA insecticide study shows need for review of industry analysis

For nearly 50 years, a statistical omission tantamount to data falsification sat undiscovered in a critical study at the heart of regulating one of the most controversial and widely used pesticides in America. Chlorpyrifos, an insecticide created in the late 1960s by the Dow Chemical Co., has been linked to serious health problems,聽especially in children. It has been the subject of many lawsuits and banned in Europe and California. The EPA itself nearly banned the chemical, but in 2017 the…

June 24, 2020

Videos: If you fish the Duwamish in Seattle, better eat the salmon 鈥� Comer el salm贸n, 膫n c谩 h峄搃, 釣斸灇釣丰灄釤勧瀭釣忈煉釣氠灨釣熱灦釣樶焿釣会瀯 鈥� and here鈥檚 how

It could take another generation before resident fish in the heavily polluted Lower Duwamish Waterway in Seattle will be safe to eat. Yet many fishers from a wide range of cultural backgrounds continue to fish the 5-mile stretch of river for fun, cultural connections and food even as cleanup of this designated Superfund site continues. The Duwamish was listed on the Environmental Protection Agency鈥檚 National Priority (or 鈥淪uperfund鈥�) List of sites that require cleanup in 2001. Since that time, federal,…

June 23, 2020

75% of US workers can鈥檛 work exclusively from home, face greater risks during pandemic

Barista making latte

About three-quarters of U.S. workers, or 108 million people, are in jobs that cannot be done from home during a pandemic, putting these workers at increased risk of exposure to disease. This majority of workers are also at higher risk for other job disruptions such as layoffs, furloughs or hours reductions, a 91爆料 study shows. Such job disruptions can cause stress, anxiety and other mental health outcomes that could persist even as the United States reopens its economic…

May 29, 2020

91爆料 launches online training for contact tracing to help fight COVID-19

Image of video screen

As businesses and public spaces reopen across the nation, the old-school public health detective work known as contact tracing is becoming a major component of the battle to contain the novel coronavirus that causes the deadly COVID-19 disease. It鈥檚 an investigative strategy long used for finding and informing people exposed to contagious diseases, such as measles and STDs, and now agencies across the country focused on combating the pandemic need support to expand their workforce to conduct contact-tracing interviews and…

May 27, 2020

91爆料 experts on challenges to worker safety in meat processing industry

Meat processing plants face challenges in keeping workers safe during the pandemic. Carrie Freshour, a 91爆料 assistant professor of geography, and Marissa Baker, an assistant professor in the 91爆料 Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences聽and an expert on worker safety related to infectious diseases, provides comments on what the industry can do to protect workers.

May 18, 2020

COVID-19: 91爆料 study reports 鈥榮taggering鈥� death toll in US among those infected who show symptoms

COVID-19 is a lot more deadly than the flu, according to a new study by the 91爆料 published May 7 in the journal Health Affairs. The study鈥檚 results also project a grim future if the U.S. doesn鈥檛 put up a strong fight against the spread of the virus.

May 11, 2020

91爆料 dean鈥檚 Senate testimony included in 鈥楥all on White House’ for COVID-19 guidelines for aviation industry

Hilary Godwin

In a letter to the White House Coronavirus Task Force, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) drew upon the testimony by Hilary Godwin, dean of the 91爆料 School of Public Health, in calling for federal guidelines be established for the aviation industry and the traveling public.聽

May 6, 2020

91爆料 experts on understanding 鈥榪uarantine fatigue鈥� and protecting workers

painted close sign

As the push to relax social and economic restrictions for combating the pandemic gain traction, we need to understand personal motives behind what many experts consider a dangerous rush to 鈥渞eopen” and how to protect workers most at risk when communities do 鈥済o back to work.鈥� Three 91爆料 experts weigh in.

April 27, 2020

91爆料 epidemiology graduate students participating in state’s surge response to COVID-19 pandemic

A little after 10 p.m. on March 19, 91爆料 graduate students Anne Massey and David Coomes happened to be online when they received an email聽that would give them an unexpected role in Washington鈥檚 rapidly evolving response to the outbreak of a novel coronavirus. As context, the World Health Organization had just declared the spread of the virus a pandemic, the state of Washington had gone from having the country鈥檚 first positive test for the virus to having the…

April 16, 2020

91爆料 nursing students join frontline efforts to battle COVID-19, meet public health needs

Students working on computers

With their education forced online and in-person clinical practice opportunities canceled by the novel coronavirus pandemic, 91爆料 nursing students eager to use their skills and knowledge during this historic challenge to human health and well-being had few options. 91爆料 School of Nursing and Public Health-Seattle & King County announce partnership. Unwilling to accept this limited role for nursing students, the 91爆料 School of Nursing has partnered with Public Health鈥揝eattle & King County to give students three opportunities to…

April 10, 2020

Large majority of state鈥檚 heroin users want to reduce use; syringe programs helping during COVID-19 crisis

Man preparing for outreach

A new survey of people who inject illicit drugs in the state of Washington yields positive and important findings for policy makers as the world struggles to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, said authors of the survey by the 91爆料 and Public Health-Seattle & King County. Most people 鈥� 82% 颅鈥� who inject heroin and roughly half of methamphetamine users are interested in reducing or stopping their use and are open to a broad array of services to…

March 26, 2020

91爆料 researcher identifies workers most harmed by economic disruption due to COVID-19

A closed sign

Only about 25% of the U.S. workforce 鈥� some 35.6 million people 鈥� are in jobs that can easily be done at home, a 91爆料 researcher has determined, as these are the positions in which using a computer is important but interacting with the public is not. These jobs are typically in highly-paid occupational sectors such finance, administration, management, computers, engineering and technology. Consequently 颅鈥� with orders to close businesses and demands that employees work from home growing…

March 15, 2020

Why COVID-19 strategies built around the concept of ‘herd immunity’ are problematic

People walking in crowd

The idea of building herd immunity 鈥� increasing the number of infected to such a degree that naturally occurring immunity would outstrip the coronavirus, while isolating the elderly and others at greatest risk of the disease 鈥� has been tossed around in the United States, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.聽 This week, however, U.K. officials appear to be backing away from that approach. But the kind of 鈥渉erd immunity鈥� strategy being discussed in the U.K. does not acknowledge a critical…

March 6, 2020

Millions of US workers at risk of infections on the job, 91爆料 researchers calculate, emphasizing need to protect against COVID-19

Artwork of security agent and passenger

A 91爆料 researcher calculates that 14.4 million workers face exposure to infection once a week and 26.7 million at least once a month in the workplace, pointing to an important population needing protection as the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, continues to break out across the U.S. Marissa Baker, an assistant professor in the 91爆料 School of Public Health, based her calculations on research she published in 2018 in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. In that paper, Baker…

March 5, 2020

The food you need: 91爆料 expert on preparing for an extended home stay

Shopping in a big box store

Nutritional science expert Anne-Marie Gloster, a lecturer in the 91爆料 School of Public Health鈥檚 Nutritional Sciences Program and expert in emergency food planning, has put together this list of things to think about and foods to have on hand if you should be called on to stay at home for an extended period. 鈥淪hopping intentionally and feeding ourselves mindfully is a delicious way to reduce our stress during this time of heightened awareness about our personal and community health,鈥� Gloster…

February 13, 2020

Effectiveness of travel bans 鈥� readily used during infectious disease outbreaks 鈥� mostly unknown, study finds

While travel bans are frequently used to stop the spread of an emerging infectious disease, a new 91爆料 and Johns Hopkins University study of published research found that the effectiveness of travel bans is mostly unknown.

February 10, 2020

Increases in minimum wage may not have anticipated positive health effects, study shows

Coins spilled from jar

  In the decade-long absence of federal action, many states, counties and cities have increased minimum wages to help improve the lives of workers. While political debate over these efforts has long been contentious, scientific research on the health effects of raising the minimum wage is relatively new. Some studies have found higher minimum wages associated with positive health outcomes, with little evidence that minimum wages harm health. However, a new study by researchers at the 91爆料 found…

February 7, 2020

Soundbites & B-roll: 91爆料 expert answers questions about the novel coronavirus pandemic

Dr. Judith Wasserheit, chair of the 91爆料 Department of Global Health in the School of Public Health and part of the 91爆料 MetaCenter for Pandemic Preparedness and Global Health Security, answers questions about the novel coronavirus outbreak, its spread, the level of concern and how to best protect yourself. For journalists Download soundbites and b-roll Forum: Coronavirus and Pandemic Disease Preparedness Join Dr. Judith Wasserheit and more than a dozen other 91爆料 School of Public Health, School of Medicine and…