UPDATE April 7, 2026:听The original version of this story omitted two 91爆料 programs that were included in the rankings: Occupational Therapy (Tied for 20th) and Physical Therapy (Tied for 31st).听

The 91爆料鈥檚 graduate and professional degree programs again were recognized as among the best in the nation, according to .

Topping this year鈥檚 list include programs at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, the School of Public Health, the School of Nursing, the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering in the College of Engineering and the College of Education. The College of Arts & Sciences and the College of the Environment also had top-rated programs.

In total, 81 graduate and professional degree programs across the 91爆料 placed in the top 35 in this year鈥檚 U.S. News rankings.

“These rankings highlight the strength and impact of the 91爆料鈥檚 graduate and professional programs,鈥� said 91爆料 President Robert J. Jones. 鈥淭hese programs equip students with the skills and knowledge to meet critical workforce needs and serve society, while demonstrating the power of higher education to advance the public good. We are proud to foster an environment where students and faculty can thrive and have a real impact on the world around them.鈥�

While the 91爆料 celebrates the success and impact of the programs recognized by U.S. News 鈥� and notes that many applicants use these rankings to help them select schools and discover potential areas of study 鈥� the University also recognizes shortcomings inherent in the ranking systems.

The 91爆料 School of Law and the 91爆料 School of Medicine withdrew from the U.S. News rankings in 2022 and 2023, respectively, citing concerns that some of the methodology in the rankings for those specific disciplines incentivize actions and policies that run counter to the schools鈥� public service missions.

91爆料 leaders continue to work with U.S. News and other ranking organizations to improve their methodologies, to the extent that the organizations are open to it. Schools, colleges and departments continually reevaluate the benefits and potential shortfalls of participating in specific rankings.

Excluding the School of Law and the School of Medicine, 29 91爆料 programs placed in the top 10, and 81 are in the top 35.

听The 91爆料 this year placed in the top 10 nationwide in public affairs, biostatistics,听 nursing, computer science, education, psychology, speech and language pathology, statistics and Earth sciences.

The 91爆料鈥檚 Evans School of Public Policy & Governance has maintained its top-10 ranking for more than a decade and tied for fifth in the nation this year. The Evans School鈥檚 environmental policy program was ranked second, while public finance and budgeting as well as leadership both ranked No. 10.

The 91爆料 School of Nursing鈥檚 doctor of nursing practice program tied for No. 1 among public institutions. The School of Public Health has maintained its top-10 ranking for more than a decade, coming in this year at No. 9. The school also had three programs in the top 10: biostatistics, environmental health sciences and epidemiology.听

The 91爆料鈥檚 programs in speech and language pathology tied for No. 6.听 Two programs from the College of Education placed in the top 10. And the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering this year tied for seventh place overall with three programs ranked in the top 10, including artificial intelligence, programming language and systems.

U.S. News ranks biostatistics in two ways. 91爆料 ranked No. 3 as a science discipline that applies statistical theory and mathematical principles to research in medicine, biology, environmental science, public health and related fields. 91爆料鈥檚 School of Public Health ranked No. 7 in biostatistics as an area of study that trains students to apply statistical principles and methods to problems in health sciences, medicine and biology. At the 91爆料, biostatistics is a division of the School of Public Health.

In some cases, such as the College of Arts & Science and the Foster School of Business, U.S. News ranks several professional disciplines housed within academic units. Programs in dentistry are not ranked.听

The rankings below are based on preliminary data and may be updated. relies on both expert opinions and statistical indicators.

TOP 10:

Library and Information Studies (overall): Two-way tie for 1st (ranked in 2025)

Public Affairs (environmental policy): 2nd

Library and information studies (digital librarianship): Two-way for 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Library and Information Studies (information systems): 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Biostatistics: 3rd

Physics (nuclear): Two-way tie for 3rd (ranked in 2024)

Nurse practitioner (doctor of nursing practice): Four-way tie for 4th

Evans School of Public Policy & Governance (overall): Four-way tie for 5th

Library and Information Studies (library services for children and youth): Two-way for 5th (ranked in 2022)

Computer science (systems): Tied for 6th

Education (elementary education): 6th

Psychology (clinical): Three-way tie for 6th

Speech-language pathology: Five-way tie for 6th

Statistics: Four-way tie for 6th

Public Health (biostatistics): 7th

Computer science (overall): Three-way tie for 7th

Computer science (programming language): Tied for 7th

Education (secondary education): 7th

Nursing (midwifery): Five-way tie for 7th

Public Health (environmental health sciences): 7th

School of Social Work (overall): 7th (ranked in 2025)

Public Health (epidemiology): 8th

Computer science (artificial intelligence): 9th

Earth sciences: Tied for 9th听

Geophysics: Three-way tie for 9th (ranked in 2024)

Public Affairs (nonprofit management): 9th

School of Public Health (overall): Tied for 9th

Public Affairs (public finance and budgeting): 10th

Public Affairs (public management and leadership): 10th

TOP 25:

Biological sciences: Five-way tie for 16th

Business (accounting): 10-way tie for 16th

Business (entrepreneurship): Five-way tie for 17th

Business (information systems): Three-way tie for 15th

Business (part-time MBA): Three-way tie for 11th

Business (full-time MBA): 20th

Business (management): Five-way tie for 25th

Business (marketing): Eight-way tie for 25th

Chemistry (analytical): Four-way tie for 16th (ranked in 2024)

Chemistry: Seven-way tie for 22nd

Chemistry (inorganic): Three-way tie for 22nd (ranked in 2024)

Computer science (theory): Tied for 11th

College of Education (overall): Tied for 24th

Education (administration): Tied for 11th

Education (curriculum/instruction): Tied for 12th

Education (policy): Tied for 14th

Education (special education): Tied for 12th

College of Engineering (overall): Three-way tie for 22nd

Engineering (aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical): Tied for 17th

Engineering (biomedical/bioengineering): Five-way tie for 12th

Engineering (civil): Four-way tie for 13th

Engineering (computer): 12th

Engineering (electrical): Three-way tie for 22nd

Engineering (industrial/manufacturing/systems): Seven-way tie for 24th

Engineering (materials engineering): Five-way tie for 25th

Library and Information Studies (school library media): Two-way tie for 11th (ranked in 2022)

Mathematics (applied math): 21st (ranked in 2024)

Nursing master鈥檚 (overall): Tied for 12th

Nurse practitioner (adult gerontology acute care): Tied for 11th

Nurse practitioner (family): Tied for 15th

School of Pharmacy (overall): Tied for 14th

Physics (overall): Tied for 20th听

Public Affairs (public policy analysis): 14th

Public Affairs (social policy): Tied for 13th

Public Affairs (urban policy): Three-way tie for 21st

Public Health (health care management): Three-way tie for 16th听

Public Health (health policy and management): 11th

Public Health (social behavior): 13th

Sociology (overall): Two-way tie for 22nd (ranked in 2025)

Sociology (population): Two-way tie for 15th (ranked in 2022)

TOP 35:

Business (analytics): Seven-way tie for 32nd

Business (executive MBA): Three-way tie for 29th

Business (finance): Nine-way tie for 31st

Business (international MBA): Tie for 32nd

Business (production & operations): Five-way tie for 27th

Engineering (chemical): Tied for 28th

Engineering (mechanical): 34th

English: Two-way tie for 34th (ranked in 2025)

Fine arts: 15-way tie for 34th

History: Three-way tie for 31st (ranked in 2025)

Mathematics: Four-way tie for 26th

Occupational Therapy: Tied for 20th

Physical Therapy: Tied for 31st

Political science: Five-way tie for 33rd (ranked in 2025)

It all started with a slide rule.

In the fall of 1965, during Cheryl Wright鈥檚 first week at the 91爆料, she went to Suzzallo Library to complete a chemistry assignment. She needed help with a math problem and saw a boy across the reading room who had a slide rule 鈥� an analog calculator. The young pharmacy student who helped her that day was Raymond Wilson. Together the couple, who go by Cherie and Ray, did far more than solve a mathematical equation 鈥� they married and formed a bond that鈥檚 lasted more than six decades.

Cherie and Ray, both members of the Class of 1969,听 went on to have successful academic and professional careers.听 Over the years, their connections to the 91爆料 have deepened. They have supported scholarships, created alumni communities, built friendships and professional relationships, and cheered for Husky athletics, including the volleyball, basketball and football teams.

Now, the Wilsons have made a bequest of more than $8 million to be shared among the College of Education, the School of Pharmacy and 91爆料 Medicine鈥檚 BRaIN Laboratory. Bequests allow donors to direct their assets to causes after their death. The bequest brings the Wilsons鈥� total giving to more than $10 million and they now will be recognized by the 91爆料 as Presidential Laureates.

鈥淭his remarkable bequest reflects not only Cherie and Ray Wilson鈥檚 generosity, but a lifetime of connection to the 91爆料. It represents an enduring relationship grounded in gratitude, trust and a shared belief in the power of education and discovery,鈥� said 91爆料 President Robert J. Jones. 鈥淔rom their earliest days as students to this extraordinary commitment, they have invested in people, ideas and communities across our university. Cherie and Ray鈥檚 impact will be felt for generations, expanding opportunity for students and advancing research that improves lives.鈥�

After graduating from the 91爆料, both Cherie and Ray attended the University of Kansas, where Cherie earned a master鈥檚 degree in early childhood development and Ray earned his doctorate in medicinal chemistry. They both earned medical degrees from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, respectively.

Cherie and Ray wanted to return to Washington state and eventually settled near Seattle, where Cherie worked as a pediatrician at Seattle Children鈥檚 and in private practice in Bellevue. Ray set up a gastroenterology practice at the Everett Clinic. Their career success enabled them to give back to the community in several ways, including philanthropically, with several gifts supporting the 91爆料. For Ray, who was able to attend the 91爆料 thanks to scholarships, supporting students today is a way to pay it forward.

鈥淥ur giving is out of gratitude for what the University did for us,鈥� Ray said. 鈥淚t certainly helped me when I didn’t have a lot of money. It鈥檚 a privilege to try and help other students who might be struggling to get through school.鈥�

College of Education

Ray was inspired to create an endowed scholarship fund at the College of Education more than a decade ago to support master鈥檚 level teacher training for Native Americans. It was a way to honor his high school baseball and basketball coach, Dan Iyall. Iyall, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, reached legendary status as a pioneer in Washington high school athletics.

Iyall worked for nearly 50 years in education and is a member of the Washington Baseball Hall of Fame. He created the Washington high school baseball championships and is credited with developing a new style of bunting. He coached championship-level teams from four different high schools across Eastern Washington: Coulee City, Deer Park, Oroville and University. He also took a team from Oroville to the Washington State A boys basketball championship.

Wilson said Iyall鈥檚 presence reinforced the importance of inclusivity.

鈥淓ventually, I decided we need more people like Dan Iyall,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淲e need more teachers like that.鈥�

The bequest will grow the Dan Iyall Native American Support Fund by more than 300%. 听Thanks to the fund, more than a dozen Native American fellows have earned their master鈥檚 in teaching. Now, the College will be able to award more fellowships each year.

The Wilsons are also creating the Dean Mia Tuan Endowed Professorship, to recognize Tuan鈥檚 leadership and long-standing emphasis on authentic, reciprocal community partnerships and culturally informed problem solving. The new endowment will allow the College to recruit and retain faculty specializing in community- and equity-based education.

鈥淩ay and Cherie are extraordinary people whose generosity reflects a deep commitment to strengthening our communities,鈥� Tuan said. 鈥淭heir gift will support Native students in becoming teachers while helping diversify Washington鈥檚 educator workforce. I am also deeply moved that their gift will establish an endowed professorship dedicated to authentic community partnerships and culturally grounded problem solving.鈥�

School of Pharmacy

Several decades after Ray received financial assistance to attend the 91爆料 School of Pharmacy, he teamed up with classmates and launched the Class of 1969 Scholarship Fund. Set up in the 2000s, it was the first School of Pharmacy alumni class to create a fund to help students.

鈥淚 came from a small town in Eastern Washington with almost no money, and yet, the University provided me with scholarships and completely covered my tuition,鈥� Ray said.

Wendel L. Nelson, a professor and pioneer in medicinal chemistry, recognized Ray鈥檚 talents early on and hired him to work in a lab. The research helped Ray advance his career, and the extra money helped pay for food and housing. More than that, the combination of scholarships and laboratory work enabled Ray to graduate debt-free.

With this bequest, the Wilsons鈥� generosity supports two additional funds in the School of Pharmacy: The Wendel L. Nelson Endowment in Medicinal Chemistry, named for Ray鈥檚 mentor, will support graduate students involved in basic laboratory research in medicinal chemistry. The gift also adds to the Nelson-Mendenhall Summer Scholars Program Fund, which brings undergraduates to the 91爆料 School of Pharmacy for a 10-week intensive in pharmaceutical sciences.

鈥淔rom their longstanding financial support to their ongoing participation in School events, to Ray鈥檚 past volunteer leadership, Ray and Cherie have already contributed so much to our School of Pharmacy community, and they have done so with a genuine desire to help students and the School thrive,鈥� said School of Pharmacy Dean Jay Panyam. 鈥淭he Wilsons鈥� estate commitment is yet another example of their incredible generosity, and I know it will have a significant and lasting impact for our students.鈥�

91爆料 Biorepository and Integrated Neuropathology (BRaIN) Laboratory in the 91爆料 School of Medicine

The Wilsons鈥� bequest contributes additional funds to the BRaIN Laboratory, part of 91爆料 Medicine鈥檚 Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.

Researchers at the BRaIN Lab are studying normal brain anatomy and function and how these change in injury and disease, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy .

Cherie and Ray听 were introduced to the BRaIN Lab鈥檚 groundbreaking research by their former neighbors, Linda and Bob Dahl, whose son, Matthew Dahl, was one of their favorite neighborhood kids. When he died at 24, they were moved to learn about the BRaIN Lab, where Bob and Linda had donated his brain for research and to understand the impact of a childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI). The examination determined that Matt鈥檚 childhood TBI had evolved, rather than resolved. The outcome 鈥� Matt鈥檚 brain showed significant damage 鈥� highlighted the importance of such donations and moved the Wilsons to make meaningful philanthropic contributions to the lab.

Cherie said she鈥檚 hopeful the BRaIN Lab鈥檚 work may lead to treatments that could result in better long-term outcomes for patients.

鈥淪ome of these problems are going to be solved,鈥� Cherie said. 鈥淛ust becoming aware of chronic head injury and the effect on kids is really, really important.鈥�

The BRaIN lab is a global leader in neurological research on many topics, including TBI. With this bequest, the Wilsons support the intersection of pharmaceutical research and brain injury and disease.

鈥淩ay and Cherie鈥檚 engagement and generosity will continue to help the BRaIN Lab become a national model for neuropathology research. This generous gift will accelerate our work to better understand the mechanisms of brain injury and disease and to support the development of new strategies for diagnosis, treatment and prevention,鈥� said Dr. Caitlin S. Latimer, director of both the Division of Neuropathology and the BRaIN Lab.

In the three-and-a-half years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women鈥檚 Health Organization, the fragmented state of abortion access has put medical professionals in a precarious position. Many states have tightened abortion restrictions, with some enacting criminal penalties up to in for physicians who perform abortions. Medical schools have

New research led in part by the 91爆料 found that the new restrictions are not only affecting the current medical workforce 鈥� they may be shaping the next generation of physicians. The study, , found that applications to medical residency programs in states that enacted new abortion restrictions dropped sharply following the Dobbs ruling.

The decrease occurred among both male and female applicants. Applications to specialties related to reproductive health 鈥� obstetrics and gynecology, family medicine, internal medicine and emergency medicine 鈥� saw the largest decreases.

The new study builds on that had shown decreased application rates to residency programs in states with abortion restrictions by applying causal methodologies to understand the impact of the Supreme Court decision and isolating results from male and female applicants.

鈥淭his research provides important empirical evidence about how state-level policy changes following Dobbs may influence decisions made by medical trainees about where to pursue their graduate medical education,鈥� said co-author , a 91爆料 professor of health economics and director of the Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy, and Economics (CHOICE) Institute.

To learn more about the research, 91爆料 News sat down the paper鈥檚 three authors: Basu; lead author , assistant professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and co-author , assistant clinical professor of internal medicine at the University of Arizona. Both Ganguly and Morenz completed their internal medicine residencies at the 91爆料 School of Medicine.

The medical residency match process is quite different from traditional higher-ed applications. Can you explain how that works, and how it relates to your study鈥檚 findings?

Dr. Anna Morenz: Applicants may apply to as many programs as they want, with some applying to dozens of programs. At the end of interviews, they鈥檒l rank those programs based on their preferred landing spots. The programs, in turn, will rank all the applicants that they received. A computer algorithm then matches everyone with the goal of filling all the residency slots, and it鈥檚 very good at that. We know that . So programs are still filling their residency slots even in states with restrictions.

What concerns us about these findings is that there’s an early signal of people avoiding applications to these states. That has potential implications for the quality of the applicants to restricted states, which could not be assessed in our data. There’s typically a high likelihood that people stay where they train for their residency, but if you landed in a restricted state that was low on your rank list, you may be more likely to complete your training and then leave to a non-restricted state. We aim to look at this very important question in projects to come.

Anisha and Anna, you鈥檙e both practicing primary care physicians. How big a part of a physician鈥檚 training is abortion and other pregnancy-related care?听

Dr. Anisha Ganguly: It鈥檚 not a big part of our training traditionally, though there has been a movement to integrate more abortion care into primary care residencies. That鈥檚 more the case in family medicine rather than internal medicine, because medication abortion has now become the most common means for abortion care. As internists, we commonly diagnose pregnancies and care for women with medical conditions as they consider family planning.

AM: I do think it’s important to note that a huge percentage of primary care physicians are trained in family medicine. And family medicine physicians are trained in delivery of babies, management of prenatal care, miscarriage management, contraception and abortion. Anisha and I trained in internal medicine, and there is increasing interest to include medication abortion training in internal medicine, as it is fully within our scope of practice.

The effects of the Dobbs decision have been well-documented, and previous work on this topic highlighted changes in OB/GYN residency applications. What鈥檚 new in your study specifically?听

Anirban Basu: We had a much longer pre-period than previous studies. We looked back to 2019 to see what had been happening to application rates in these two kinds of states 鈥� those that eventually restricted abortion access and those that didn鈥檛 鈥� and we showed that these rates had been moving similarly until the ruling. That gives a little more weight to the evidence to say the change is due to the ruling.听

The second big thing is that previous studies did not distinguish whether men and women were changing their behavior similarly. I think that鈥檚 a very important finding in our study, that male applicants are changing their behavior at an even higher rate.听

AG: I agree that the gender stratification was an important contribution. The other stratified analysis that we explored was about how specialty type may be driving some of the effects that we saw. A lot of people can reason that OB/GYN applicants would be affected by this directly, and there’s a lot of literature to support that. But what we’re showing is that it’s not just the OB/GYN workforce that’s going to be impacted. It’s the primary care workforce and the emergency medicine workforce.听

We’re hoping that message spreads a little more broadly. This is not just about women’s health. It’s about the future of primary care and the person who’s going to save you from your heart attack in the future.

Let鈥檚 talk a little more about that gender stratification. You found that male applicants changed their application preferences at a greater rate than female applicants, which looks like a surprising result. What鈥檚 going on there?听

AG: When we generated our original hypotheses, we thought we were going to see increased effects among women applying to residency, but we actually ended up seeing that there were long-term disparities that existed pre-Dobbs between restricted and non-restricted states. This was likely because of the and other state-level laws that were affecting women’s behavior. What we’re seeing is that women had been reading the tea leaves about access to reproductive health care prior to the Dobbs decision, but the decision did unmask a wider problem that drove a lot of new behavior among men.

One of the messages that we are getting from this paper is this is an 鈥渁ll of us鈥� problem. It’s not just about women physicians. It’s about men who are also making choices about their professional autonomy and also about access to reproductive health care for their families. Women have been and will be considering their personal access to care and autonomy before this decision, but perhaps these state restrictions after Dobbs may have newly increased awareness among men.听

Among all these shifts, you found one group whose application rates didn鈥檛 change significantly: people applying to highly competitive medical specialities. What do you think explains that stickiness?听

AG: Anna and I had brainstormed about this being a potential effect modifier, because people who are applying in highly competitive specialties like orthopedic surgery or dermatology apply very broadly and don’t get to exercise a lot of choice about where to go. Whereas for large specialities like internal medicine, family medicine or pediatrics, there are a lot of programs in a lot of places, so applicants have more options. In those cases, state-level policies like abortion restrictions can factor more into people鈥檚 decision-making.

At an institutional level, what changes could be made to address these trends?听

AG: Institutions can make choices to mitigate some of these effects by supporting candidates with access to reproductive care within the scope of the restrictions that exist. Other industries are building in travel benefits for women who may need to travel to access these services.听

It’s not this aspect of a decision alone that shapes a residency applicant鈥檚 choice to go to a specific place or program. But there are other things that institutions can do to make trainees, particularly women, feel supported and valued. If you’re existing in an environment where state policies make women feel a lack of autonomy, then there are workforce policies that can be in place to bolster that sense of autonomy. That could take the shape of parental leave policies, lactation policies, other things that institutions can do to make women feel like, even if this part of your voice has been taken away, we’ll help you with the rest.

AB: One policy that has a long history of literature supporting it is financial incentives. Physicians do respond to financial incentives, but in many cases those incentives need to be quite steep to get people to change their decisions.听

AM: The other option is training opportunities. A lot of programs in states that had laws or restrictions that preceded the Dobbs decision would set up partnerships with organizations in another state where they could send their trainees to learn about pregnancy termination and miscarriage management. That鈥檚 a burden on residency programs and residents both. You have to set up housing and travel agreements. But that鈥檚 another key thing that programs need to keep in mind in order to recruit applicants.听

For more information or to contact the researchers, contact Alden Woods at acwoods@uw.edu.

Twelve faculty members at the 91爆料 have been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences. They are among 36 scientists and educators from across the state July 17 as new members. Election recognizes the new member鈥檚 鈥渙utstanding record of scientific and technical achievement and willingness to assist the Academy in providing the best available scientific information and technical understanding to inform complex policy decisions in Washington.鈥�听

The 91爆料 faculty members were selected by current WSAS members or by their election to national science academies. Eleven were voted on by current WSAS members:听

, professor, Bill & Melinda Gates Chair, and director of the Paul G. 听Allen School for Computer Science & Engineering, for 鈥渃ontributions in data management for data science, big data systems, cloud computing and image/video analytics and leadership in data science education.鈥�听

professor of civil & environmental engineering and of industrial & systems engineering, for 鈥減ioneering work in human mobility analysis and infrastructure resilience, which have transformed transportation systems in terms of both demand and supply, and shaped the future directions of transportation systems research on community-based solutions and disaster resilience.鈥�听

Lloyd and Kay Chapman Endowed Chair for Oral Health and associate dean for research in the 91爆料 School of Dentistry, and professor in the Department of Health Systems & Population Health, for 鈥渓eadership in understanding and addressing children’s oral health inequities through community-based socio-behavioral interventions and evidence-based policies.鈥�听

professor of biology, for 鈥渋nternationally recognized leadership in the biology of sleep, including groundbreaking research on molecular and genetic aspects of the brain, human behavioral studies on learning under varied sleep schedules, and contributions that have shaped policy on school schedules and standard time.鈥�听

, the Virginia and Prentice Bloedel professor of physics and of electrical & computer engineering, for 鈥渇oundational contributions to fundamental and applied research on the optical and spin properties of quantum point defects in crystals and for service and leadership in the quantum community.鈥� 听

, professor and chair of human centered design and engineering, for 鈥渁ward-winning leadership in HCI computing, whose research has advanced health and education technology, influenced policy, and shaped the HCI field of through impactful scholarship, interdisciplinary collaboration and inclusive, real-world technology design.鈥�听

, professor and associate dean for research in the 91爆料 School of Social Work, for 鈥渃ontributions to understanding psychosocial and physiological factors that moderate the effectiveness of their interventions and ultimately improve the health of children with abdominal pain disorders.鈥�听

, professor of medicine in the 91爆料 School of Medicine and of pharmacy, 鈥渇or leadership in health economics and cancer research, including work on financial toxicity, cost- effectiveness, and healthcare policy that has influenced national discussions, improved cancer care access, and shaped policies for equitable and sustainable healthcare.鈥� Ramsey is also Director of the Cancer Outcomes Research Program at Fred Hutch.听

, professor of bioengineering and Vice Dean of Research and Graduate Education in the 91爆料 School of Medicine, for 鈥渘ational leadership in biomedical research, research policy, and graduate education, including pioneering novel drug delivery approaches for regenerative medicine applications in the nervous system and other tissues such as bone, cartilage, tendon and skin.鈥�听

, Rabinowitz Endowed Professor of Earth and space sciences, for 鈥渞evolutionizing our understanding of climate change in Antarctica through pioneering ice core extractions under hazardous Antarctic conditions and their subsequent analyses over two decades, and for applying that expertise to advance climate research in Washington State.鈥�听

, professor of pharmaceutics, for 鈥減ioneering contributions to pharmaceutical and translational sciences, including groundbreaking research on drug transporters, PBPK modeling and maternal-fetal pharmacology that have helped shaped drug safety policies.鈥�听

The Academy also welcomed new members who were selected by virtue of their election to the National Academies of Science, Engineering or Medicine. Among them is , the Arthur B. McDonald professor of physics and director of the Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics. Hertzog was elected to the National Academy of Sciences last year. 听

Four 91爆料 researchers have been selected as Fulbright Scholars for 2025-2026 and will pursue studies in Spain, Taiwan, Poland and Japan.

The scholars are , a clinical associate professor in the Department of Environment & Occupational Health Sciences; , a professor in the School of Pharmacy; , an associate professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at 91爆料 Tacoma; and , an assistant teaching professor in the College of the Environment.

Fulbright Scholars are college and university faculty, administrators, and researchers, as well as artists and professionals, who build their skills and connections, gain valuable international insights and return home to share their experiences with their students and colleagues.

鈥淭hese four Fulbright awards are yet another example of 91爆料鈥檚 global reach and scholarly impact,鈥� said Ahmad Ezzeddine, 91爆料 vice provost for Global Affairs. 鈥淭he Fulbright program remains the flagship international educational exchange program, fostering academic collaboration and cross-cultural understanding for nearly eight decades.

鈥淲e are grateful for the State Department鈥檚 continued investment in this transformative program, which serves as one of our nation鈥檚 most powerful tools of citizen diplomacy,鈥� Ezzeddine continued. 鈥淭hrough these prestigious fellowships, our faculty will advance research and teaching on the global stage, while serving as ambassadors of American higher education and building bridges with communities worldwide.鈥�

The Fulbright Scholar Program for academics and professionals supports more than 800 people to teach and conduct research abroad. In February, the 91爆料 was recognized as a 2024-25 鈥淭op Producer鈥� of both Fulbright scholars and students.

The 91爆料 Fulbright Scholar selectees for 2025-26 are:

Donatuto, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences in the 91爆料 School of Public Health. She is also part of the An environmental social scientist, Donatuto has worked with communities, particularly Coast Salish Indigenous communities, for more than two decades.

She will use her Fulbright award in Spain, where she will work with the (CSIC), the nation鈥檚 largest public research institution, to implement a comparative analysis of human-ocean engagement in the northeast Pacific and northwest Mediterranean coast regions. The research will fill in a data gap identified by the 听鈥� a lack of data describing the human-ocean connection.

Gray is a professor in the Department of Pharmacy and the Plein Endowed Director of the Plein Center for Aging in the School of Pharmacy. Her research uses pharmacoepidemiology and health services research to optimize medication use in older adults. With a focus on medication safety, she has conducted studies showing an association between high-risk common medications and fall injuries, dementia and physical performance in older adults.

Gray will be hosted by the in the College of Pharmacy. She will pursue a project entitled, 鈥淎dverse drug effects of medication use on sedentary time and physical activity in older adults.鈥�

Kula is an associate professor of creative writing in the Department of Culture, Arts, and Communications at 91爆料 Tacoma. He teaches courses in fiction and advanced fiction writing and regularly teaches a special topics class in playwriting. In collaboration with other faculty, he is developing a wider set of interdisciplinary writing courses in areas like historical fiction, fantasy/science fiction, ecopoetry and nature writing.

He was selected to serve as Fulbright Writer-in-Residence at in Pozna艅, Poland.听 While there, in addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in AMU鈥檚 Center for the Affirmation of Literature, he will be completing final research and revisions for his book, 鈥淭he Long Alone,鈥� a creative nonfiction account of the travels of Kazimierz Nowak, an amateur Polish journalist who bicycled alone across Africa in the 1930s.

Weng is an assistant teaching professor in the Program on the Environment and the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. As a geographer, Weng鈥檚 work explores the dynamic relationships between human societies and the environment. She is also an affiliate faculty member with the Taiwan Studies Program.

She was awarded the Fulbright Teaching Award to teach courses in geography, sustainability, environmental literature and global environmental politics at and in Tokyo. Through her Fulbright project, Weng will share the American experience in environmental conservation, movements, and governance with students and scholars in Japan and to foster opportunities for mutual learning and advancement in these areas.

UPDATE April 8,2025: An earlier version of this story included outdated rankings that were erroneously posted by U.S. News and have since been removed from the U.S. News ranking site. This story has been updated to reflect most recent rankings.

Many of the 91爆料鈥檚 graduate and professional degree programs were widely recognized as among the best in the nation, according to .

The 91爆料 Information School tied for No. 1 alongside the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for library and information studies. And, more than 80 91爆料 schools and departments placed prominently in the 2026 rankings.

While the 91爆料 celebrates the success and impact of the programs recognized by U.S. News 鈥� and notes that many applicants use these rankings to help them select schools and discover potential areas of study 鈥� the University also recognizes shortcomings inherent in the ranking systems.

The 91爆料 School of Law and the 91爆料 School of Medicine withdrew from the U.S. News rankings in 2022 and 2023, respectively, citing concerns that some of the methodology in the rankings for those specific disciplines incentivize actions and policies that run counter to the schools鈥� public service missions.

91爆料 leaders continue to work with U.S. News and other ranking organizations to improve their methodologies, to the extent that the organizations are open to it. Schools, colleges and departments continually reevaluate the benefits and potential shortfalls of participating in specific rankings.

鈥淎s these rankings demonstrate, the 91爆料鈥檚 outstanding graduate and professional degree programs are leading the way in training highly skilled people to fill critical workforce needs and advance discovery and innovation in a wide range of fields,鈥� said 91爆料 President Ana Mari Cauce. 鈥淚t has never been more important to recognize how much graduate and professional education benefit our nation and people everywhere, and the 91爆料 is proud to see these exceptional programs be celebrated.鈥�

Excluding the School of Law and the School of Medicine, 32 91爆料 programs placed in the top 10, and more than 80 are in the top 35.

In new rankings released this year, the 91爆料 placed in the top 10 nationwide in library and information studies, public affairs, nursing, speech and language pathology, education, public health, computer science, psychology and civil engineering, according to U.S. News.

The 91爆料鈥檚 Evans School of Public Policy & Governance has maintained its top-10 ranking for more than a decade and placed seventh in the nation. The Evans School鈥檚 environmental policy program was ranked second and nonprofit management and social policy each were ranked at No. 8.

This year鈥檚 rankings highlighted 91爆料鈥檚 leadership in nursing and public health: The 91爆料 School of Nursing held the No. 1 overall ranking for a public school offering a doctor of nursing practice program, and nursing schools at 91爆料 Bothell and 91爆料 Tacoma are among the top 10 public institutions that offer a master鈥檚 degree. The School of Public Health has maintained its top-10 ranking for more than a decade, coming in this year tied for No. 10. The school also had three programs in the top 10: biostatistics, environmental health sciences and epidemiology. And overall, the U.S. News rankings noted 91爆料鈥檚 strength in health sciences: The School of Social Work was ranked No. 7 and the School of Pharmacy tied for 12th 鈥� or third among public institutions on the West Coast 鈥� on last year鈥檚 list, while dentistry programs are not ranked.

The 91爆料鈥檚 programs in speech and language pathology tied for No. 5, topping schools on the West Coast.听 Three programs from the College of Education placed in the top 10. And the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering this year tied for seventh place overall, and four programs ranked in the top 10, including artificial intelligence, programming language, systems and theory.

In some cases, such as the College of Arts & Science and the Foster School of Business, U.S. News ranks several professional disciplines housed within academic units. The rankings below are based on preliminary data and may be updated. relies on both expert opinions and statistical indicators.

TOP 10:

Library and Information Studies (overall): Two-way tie for 1st

Public Affairs (environmental policy): 2nd

Library and information studies (digital librarianship): Two-way for 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Library and Information Studies (information systems): 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Nurse practitioner (doctor of nursing practice): 3rd

Physics (nuclear): Two-way tie for 3rd (ranked in 2024)

Library and Information Studies (library services for children and youth): Two-way for 5th (ranked in 2022)

Nursing (midwifery): 5th

Nurse practitioner (pediatric acute care): Two-way tie for 5th (ranked in 2022)

Speech-language pathology: Six-way tie for 5th

Education (elementary education): 6th

Education (secondary education): 6th

Public Health (biostatistics): 6th

Computer science (overall): Four-way tie for 7th

Computer science (programming language): 7th

Public Health (environmental health sciences): 7th

School of Social Work (overall): 7th (ranked in 2025)

Statistics: Tie for 7th (ranked in 2022)

Computer science (artificial intelligence): 8th

Computer science (systems): 8th

Education (curriculum/instruction): 8th

Evans School of Public Policy & Governance (overall): Two-way tie for 7th

Psychology (clinical): Six-way tie for 8th

Public Affairs (nonprofit management): 8th

Public Affairs (social policy): 8th

Public Health (epidemiology): Two-way tie for 8th

Computer science (theory): Three-way tie for 9th

Earth sciences: Five-way tie for 9th (ranked in 2024)

Geophysics: Three-way tie for 9th (ranked in 2024)

Engineering (civil): Three-way tie for 10th

Public Affairs (public finance and budgeting): 10th

School of Public Health (overall): Two-way tie for 10th

TOP 25:

Biological sciences: Three-way tie for 23rd (ranked in 2022)

Business (part-time MBA): Two-way tie for 17th

Business (information systems): Two-way tie for 12th

Business (international MBA): Three-way tie for 20th

Business (supply chain management): Three-way tie for 21st (ranked in 2025)

Business (full-time MBA): Two-way tie for 22nd

Business (entrepreneurship): Three-way tie for 23rd

Business (executive MBA): Three-way tie for 25th

Chemistry (analytical): Four-way tie for 16th (ranked in 2024)

Chemistry: Three-way tie for 24th (ranked in 2024)

Chemistry (inorganic): Three-way tie for 22nd (ranked in 2024)

College of Education (overall): Two-way tie for 22nd

Education (administration): Two-way tie for 12th

Education (policy): Three-way tie for 16th

Education (psychology): 19th

Education (special education): Two-way tie for 11th

College of Engineering (overall): Three-way tie for 20th

Engineering (aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical): Three-way tie for 15th

Engineering (biomedical/bioengineering): Four-way tie for 12th

Engineering (chemical): Two-way tie for 25th

Engineering (computer): Two-way tie for 13th

Engineering (electrical): Four-way tie for 18th

Engineering (environmental/environmental health): Four-way tie for 18th (ranked in 2025)

Engineering (materials engineering): Three-way tie for 24th

Library and Information Studies (school library media): Two-way tie for 11th (ranked in 2022)

Mathematics (applied math): 21st (ranked in 2024)

Nursing master鈥檚 (overall): Three-way tie for 12th

Nurse practitioner (family): Three-way tie for 11th (ranked in 2025)

College of Pharmacy (overall): Three-way tie for 12th (ranked in 2025)

Physics (overall): 20th (ranked in 2024)

Public Health (healthcare management): Three-way tie for 16th

Public Health (health policy and management): 13th

Public Health (social behavior): Two-way tie for 12th

Public Affairs (global policy and administration): 14th

Public Affairs (public management and leadership): Three-way tie for 11th

Public Affairs (public policy analysis): 13th

Sociology (overall): Two-way tie for 22nd

Sociology (population): Two-way tie for 15th (ranked in 2022)

TOP 35:

Business (accounting): Three-way tie for 27th

Business (management): Three-way tie for 29th

Business (finance): Three-way tie for 31st

Business (marketing): Two-way tie for 32nd

Engineering (industrial/manufacturing/systems): Three-way tie for 30th

Engineering (mechanical): Three-way tie for 30th

English: Two-way tie for 34th

History: Three-way tie for 31st

Mathematics: Three-way tie for 27th (ranked in 2024)

Political science: Five-way tie for 33rd

Psychology: Nine-way way tie for 30th

Two 91爆料 researchers have been named AAAS Fellows, according to an by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They are among 502 newly elected fellows from around the world, who are recognized for their 鈥渟cientifically and socially distinguished achievements鈥� in science and engineering.

A tradition dating back to 1874, election as an AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor, and all fellows are expected to meet the commonly held standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity.

This year鈥檚 91爆料 AAAS fellows are:

, the Lloyd E. and Florence M. West Endowed Professor of Chemistry and a researcher with the 91爆料 Clean Energy Institute, is honored for her contributions to the development of nanoscale materials, which are in the size range of approximately 1 to 100 nanometers, for applications in energy and advanced electronics. For reference, 1 nanometer is about 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Cossairt investigates how crystalline nanoscale materials come together, grow and shrink and react with other compounds and photons. Her research includes synthesizing materials with novel physical and surface chemistry properties, such as inorganic quantum dots with use in lighting, displays, catalysis and quantum information technology. A 91爆料 faculty member since 2012, Cossairt has earned numerous honors, including a Sloan Research Fellowship, a Packard Fellowship, an NSF CAREER Award and a teacher scholar award from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation. She also co-founded the Chemistry Women Mentorship Network to provide support, encouragement and career-development opportunities for women in the chemistry field.

, professor of pharmacy and of global health, was recognized for his work to better monitor the safety of essential medicines and vaccines, especially in low- and middle-income countries. He directed a study assessing the safety of antimalarial drugs among pregnant people in sub-Saharan African nations and has been involved in several other initiatives to assess the safety of vaccines used during pregnancy. He researches the global burden of antimicrobial resistance and has strengthened pharmacy services in numerous countries. Dr. Stergachis is an elected member of the National Academies of Medicine, fellow of the American Pharmacists Association and fellow of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology. He holds adjunct faculty appointments in the Departments of Health Metrics & Evaluation and in Epidemiology.

UPDATE:

On June 18, U.S. News & Report updated the rankings to include a number of engineering disciplines.听The College of Engineering was ranked No. 21 overall and nine subdisciplines ranked in the top 35. They include:

Engineering: Aerospace, Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering, 17th

Engineering: Chemical Engineering, 25th

Engineering: Civil Engineering,12th

Engineering: Computer Engineering, 12th

Engineering: Electrical, Electronic & Communications Engineering, 15th

Engineering: Environmental & Environmental Health Engineering, 18th

Engineering: Industrial Manufacturing & Systems Engineering, 29th

Engineering: Materials Engineering, 29th

Engineering: Mechanical Engineering, 33rd

Original story:

The 91爆料鈥檚 graduate and professional degree programs were widely recognized as among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report鈥檚 2025 Best Graduate Schools released late Monday.

While the 91爆料 celebrates the success and impact of the programs recognized by U.S. News 鈥� and many applicants use these rankings to help them select schools and discover potential areas of study 鈥� the University also recognizes shortcomings inherent in the ranking systems.

The 91爆料 School of Law and the 91爆料 School of Medicine withdrew from the U.S. News rankings in 2022 and 2023, respectively, citing concerns that some of the methodology in the rankings for those specific disciplines incentivize actions and policies that run counter to the schools鈥� public service missions.

91爆料 leaders continue to work with U.S. News and other ranking organizations 鈥� to the extent they are open to it 鈥� to improve their methodologies. And schools, colleges and departments continually reevaluate the benefits and potential shortfalls of participating in specific rankings.

鈥淎cross the 91爆料, our world-class graduate and professional degree programs are not only expanding and creating knowledge and discovery, they are training the next generation of highly skilled professionals and Ph.D.s who are needed in our labs, classrooms and hospitals; in government and industry and everywhere that we face serious and urgent challenges,鈥� said 91爆料 President Ana Mari Cauce. 鈥淲e鈥檙e happy to see the success of these programs be recognized.鈥�

Dozens of 91爆料 schools and departments placed prominently in the 2025 rankings 鈥� excluding the School of Law and the School of Medicine, more than 30 placed in the top 10, and more than 60 in the top 35.

In new rankings released this year, the 91爆料 placed in the top 10 nationwide in public affairs, nursing, speech and language pathology, computer science, education, public health, social work and business, according to U.S. News.

The 91爆料鈥檚 Evans School of Public Policy & Governance has maintained its top-10 ranking for more than a decade and placed eighth in the nation. The Evans School鈥檚 environmental policy program was ranked second, nonprofit management and social policy each ranking at No. 8, public finance and budgeting came in at No. 10.

This year鈥檚 rankings solidified 91爆料 leadership in the health sciences: The 91爆料 School of Nursing tied for third place for the doctor of nursing practice program, and nursing schools at 91爆料 Bothell and 91爆料 Tacoma are among the top 10 public institutions that offer a master鈥檚 degree. The School of Public Health tied for No. 7, and had three programs 鈥� biostatistics, environmental health sciences and epidemiology 鈥� in the top 10. The School of Social Work was ranked No. 7 this year and the School of Pharmacy placed third among public institutions on the West Coast. Dentistry programs are not ranked by U.S. News

The 91爆料鈥檚 programs in speech and language pathology ranked No. 5, topping schools on the West Coast.听 Three programs from the College of Education placed in the top 10, and the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering this year tied for seventh place overall, and three programs ranked in the top 10, including artificial intelligence at No. 6, programming language at No. 8, and systems at No. 9.

U.S. News said it would release 2025 rankings for clinical psychology and other engineering programs at a later date.

In some cases, such as the College of Arts & Science and the Foster School of Business, U.S. News ranks several professional disciplines housed within academic units. The rankings below are based on preliminary data and may be updated. Information about U.S. News & World Report鈥檚 methodology can be found .

TOP 10:

Public Affairs (environmental policy): 2nd

Library and Information Studies (overall): Tie for 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Library and Information studies (digital librarianship): Tie for 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Library and Information Studies (information systems): 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Nurse practitioner (doctor of nursing practice): Two-way tie for 3rd

Physics (nuclear): Tied for 3rd (ranked in 2024)

Library and Information Studies (library services for children and youth): Tie for 5th (ranked in 2022)

Speech-language pathology: Four-way tie for 5th

Nurse practitioner (pediatric acute care): Tie for 5th (ranked in 2022)

Computer science (artificial intelligence): 6th

Nurse midwifery: Tie for 6th

Computer science (overall): Three-way tie for 7th

Education (secondary education): 7th

Education (elementary education): 7th

School of Public Health (overall): Tie for 7th

Public Health (biostatistics): 7^th

Public Health (environmental health sciences): 7th

School of Social Work (overall): 7th

Statistics: Tie for 7th (ranked in 2022)

Computer science (programming language): 8th

Education (curriculum/instruction): Three-way tie for 8th

Evans School of Public Policy & Governance (overall): 8th

Public Affairs (nonprofit management): 8th

Public Affairs (social policy): 8th

Computer science (systems): 9th

Earth sciences: Five-way tie for 9th (ranked in 2024)

Geophysics: Three-way tie for 9th (ranked in 2024)

Public Health (epidemiology): 9th

Public Affairs (public finance and budgeting): 10th

Business (part-time MBA): Three-way tie for 10th

Business (information systems): Two-way tie for 10th

TOP 25:

Biological sciences: Three-way tie for 23rd (ranked in 2022)

Business (marketing): Six-way tie for 23rd (ranked in 2024)

Business (analytics): Four-way tie for 19th

Business (entrepreneurship): Four-way tie for 21st

Chemistry (analytical): Four-way tie for 16th (ranked in 2024)

Chemistry: Three-way tie for 24th (ranked in 2024)

Chemistry (inorganic): Three-way tie for 22nd (ranked in 2024)

Computer science (theory): 11th

College of Education (overall): Two-way tie for 23rd

Education (administration/supervision): Two-way tie for 11th

Education (policy): Two-way tie for 19th

Education (special education): 11th

Mathematics (applied math): 21st (ranked in 2024)

Nursing master鈥檚 (overall): Two-way tie for 12th

Nurse practitioner (family): Three-way tie for 11th

College of Pharmacy (overall): Three-way tie for 12th

Physics (overall): 20th (ranked in 2024)

Public Health (health policy and management): Tie for 14th

Public Health (social behavior): 14th

Public Affairs (global policy): 14th

Public Affairs (leadership): Three-way tie for 11th

Public Affairs (public policy analysis): 13th

Psychology: Seven-way way tie for 23rd (ranked in 2022)

Library and Information Studies (school library media): Tie for 11th (ranked in 2022)

Sociology (overall): Three-way tie for 20th (ranked in 2022)

Sociology (population): Tie for 15th (ranked in 2022)

TOP 35:

Business (accounting): Four-way tie for 29th

Business (full-time MBA): Two-way tie for 27th

Business (supply chain management): Three-way tie for 21st

English: Seven-way tie for 32nd (ranked in 2022)

History: Four-way tie for 34th (ranked in 2022)

Mathematics: Three-way tie for 27th (ranked in 2024)

Political science: Three-way tie for 34th (ranked in 2022)

On July 13, the Food and Drug Administration an over-the-counter birth control pill, expected to hit shelves in early 2024. The approval of the oral contraceptive Opill could drastically expand access to birth control, which for decades has been available only through a prescription. It鈥檚 a rare victory for reproductive rights 鈥� and the culmination of a 25-year effort to land birth control on drugstore shelves.听听

A central player in that push was , a clinical professor of pharmacy at 91爆料 and a longtime advocate of reproductive rights. He has worked to break down barriers to birth control in dozens of states and Indigenous nations, and helped develop the emergency contraceptive Plan B, commonly known as the 鈥渕orning-after pill.鈥�听

He also sits on the steering committee of the , an advocacy organization dedicated to making birth control pills affordable, accessible and available over the counter nationwide.听听

91爆料 News sat down with Downing to talk about Opill鈥檚 long path to approval and the importance of expanding access to birth control.听

Q: You鈥檝e been working to make birth control pills available over the counter since the 1990s, most notably with your involvement in creating Plan B. Tell me more about that work and how your team pushed for this approval.听听

DD: It鈥檚 been a long road. About 25 years ago, I attended a national meeting on emergency contraception in Washington, D.C. This was shortly after the FDA approved Plan B, which was then only available with a prescription. My fellow advocates and I knew that Plan B was good, but it wasn鈥檛 good enough. We started to formulate a plan to remove that prescription barrier and make Plan B available over the counter (note: the FDA approved the drug for over-the-counter sale in 2006).听听

At the same time, the group talked about how we might make ongoing contraception more readily available. Many of the people who worked on Plan B鈥檚 accessibility went on to join what鈥檚 now the Free the Pill Coalition, which has worked toward this decision for nearly two decades.听听

Q: Birth control pills have been available since 1960, but they鈥檝e previously always been available only with a prescription. Why is that?听

DD: Historically, hormonal birth control has been available in the U.S. only by prescription due to concerns about safety, especially in products containing estrogen. Additionally, for many years it was thought that if birth control required a prescription women would be more likely to make medical appointments that also checked for breast, cervical and uterine cancers.听听

But in the 70-plus years of actual use, it turns out that birth control was shown to be safer than pregnancies, and also that women were being held hostage, forced to undergo cancer screenings before birth control would be prescribed. And because cancer screenings aren鈥檛 relevant to preventing pregnancies, many women just wouldn鈥檛 get them, which meant they couldn鈥檛 get birth control. That led to lots of unintended pregnancies.听听

This understanding has then led to questioning of why most birth control needs to be prescribed at all.听 In the case of Opill, the contraceptive has no estrogen and consequently is considered safer than the already safe estrogen-containing birth control.听 This is why our team sought out a manufacturer of non-estrogen-containing birth control for over-the-counter sale.听听

Q: This new pill contains the hormone progestin, which has been used in oral contraceptives for decades. Is there any difference between what will soon be available over the counter and birth control pills available by prescription?听听

DD: There is another over-the-counter birth control pill already on the market: Plan B and generic versions of Plan B. This product is an emergency contraceptive not designed for ongoing use, but Opill is. They contain different progestins and are both safe and effective. 听

Ongoing contraception is preferable, however, especially for people who are routinely sexually active. It provides more effective birth control and prevents the need for emergency contraception. Daily contraception also allows cervical mucous to build up, which prevents sperm from coming into contact with an egg. It also constantly lowers luteinizing hormone, which in turn tricks a woman鈥檚 body into thinking that she鈥檚 already pregnant.听听

Data backs this up. Plan B is less effective than ongoing contraception when you look at preventing unintended pregnancies over a year鈥檚 time.听

Q: It鈥檚 one thing to allow medication to be sold over the counter, and another thing to make it actually available to the general public 鈥� especially to people with low incomes or those who speak other languages. What needs to be done to make contraceptives like this affordable and accessible?听听

DD: This is not a simple question.听听

The product must be stocked by pharmacies and retail outlets and online. It must be priced affordably.听 Ideally, it must be covered by public and private health plans, though there are no current guidelines on how this might be accomplished. It must be available to people of all ages. The packaging must be made readable in at least English and Spanish 鈥� perhaps with a QR code link for other languages. And we must make consumer education available to all.听听

Also, there are billing and insurance questions that need to be addressed. In Washington State, over-the-counter contraception is required to be covered by both public and private health plans. I鈥檓 working in Washington and nationally to clarify the pathway for pharmacists to bill patients鈥� health plans for over-the-counter contraception. Ideally, we will have this pathway in place before Opill comes to the market next year.听听

Q: This feels like a one step forward, two steps back situation: it鈥檚 been barely a year since Roe v. Wade was struck down, and there鈥檚 an ongoing push to block access to abortion medication like mifepristone. How do you square this FDA approval, which should expand access to contraception, with the steady rollback of reproductive rights we鈥檝e seen over the last few years?听

DD: Scientific evidence won the day with this FDA decision. With the rollback of abortion access, it only makes sense that women must have better access to contraception in order to reduce unintended pregnancies. Just about 50% of all unintended pregnancies in the U.S. result in abortions. If you can keep unintended pregnancies to a minimum with a very safe and effective birth control product, one might expect to see demand for abortions to decrease.听听

Over-the-counter birth control means that women don鈥檛 need to find babysitters, take time off from work or school, or make medical appointments in order to access contraception. It鈥檚 likely to be seen as more accessible by low-income women who may struggle with the aforementioned barriers to birth control access. That鈥檚 why this decision is so important.听听

For more information, contact Downing at dondown@uw.edu.听听

Panyam fills the position vacated last year by Sean Sullivan, who returned to the faculty after more than eight years in the role. Peggy Odegard has been serving as interim dean.

Panyam comes to the 91爆料 from Temple University School of Pharmacy, where he has been dean since 2019. Prior to that, he was an endowed professor and head of the Department of Pharmaceutics in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota.

鈥淲e welcome Jay鈥檚 extensive experience in discovering new therapeutics, advancing the pharmaceutical profession, broadening access to students and supporting faculty,鈥� the provost said.

At Temple, Panyam focused on pharmacy education and research. He has extensive experience training pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists, supporting faculty in their advancement, and with student recruitment and admissions.

Panyam鈥檚 research is primarily focused on investigating the mechanisms of drug delivery with an emphasis on understanding how various biological factors influence the effectiveness of delivery systems. The ultimate goal, Panyam said, is to use the knowledge from these studies to devise advanced delivery systems that can be effectively translated to the clinic.

鈥淭he 91爆料 School of Pharmacy has a long history of leadership in all aspects of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences 鈥� education, scholarship and practice,鈥� Panyam said. 鈥淚 am honored and excited to serve as the next dean.鈥�

In his role as dean, Panyam has been an advocate for pharmacists and has been actively engaged in advancing the profession. His efforts, in collaboration with the deans of the other pharmacy schools in the Commonwealth, led to changes in pharmacy practice regulations in the state, during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also been instrumental in exploring and creating new practice sites, shared positions and billing models for pharmacy practice faculty members.

Panyam earned his bachelor鈥檚 in pharmacy from The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University in Chennai, India, and his master鈥檚 in pharmacy from Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India. He earned his doctoral degree in pharmaceutical science from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Neb.