University of Washington School of Public Health

06/03/2026

As an internist focused on occupational and environmental health, Dr. Howard Frumkin has helped workers and communities lead healthier lives. As an epidemiologist — a former dean of the UW School of Public Health and professor emeritus in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences — he also investigates larger systems that influence our health, including climate change, the built environment, nature contact and sustainability.

At the 2026 Omenn Lecture in Environmental Health, Dr. Frumkin gave an insightful presentation about the health benefits of nature, changing paradigms in environmental health, and how we can rethink scientific questions in light of traditional ecological knowledge. Read the Q&A and watch the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-bX3AABk_I

Dr. Howard Frumkin gives Omenn Lecture in Environmental Health on May 26

06/03/2026

Pt2 on the types of emoji our SPH undergraduate students would use to describe 🦠🫂

Drop in the comments below what YOU would choose 👇

06/02/2026

Each spring, the UW School of Public Health celebrates the recipients of the 2026 Excellence Awards, which recognize members of the SPH community for their dedication, service, and many contributions to public health.

Here are the student awardees across our departments and interdisciplinary programs. Congratulations to all our recipients! 🎉

The School of Public Health celebrates our community for their contributions to public health.

05/27/2026

A growing body of research is examining the impact of wildfire smoke on fertility. In comparison to smoke’s effects on pregnancies, it’s a topic that’s been understudied. With climate change causing more fires, especially in the West, and infertility affecting 1 in 6 people worldwide, interest in the field is growing.

Researchers in a study published earlier this year found some subtle correlation, according to Dr. Tristan Nicholson, assistant professor of urology in the UW School of Medicine and of UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences at University of Washington. "There’s been a lot of focus on infertility being a women’s problem, and I think it really is beneficial to raise awareness that the male partner has an important contribution.” adds Dr. Nicolson.
https://www.hcn.org/articles/how-wildfire-smoke-affects-fertility/

While new studies suggest that wildfire smoke could affect some aspects of fertility, more research is needed to determine just how cautious prospective parents should be with their smoke exposure.

05/22/2026

Two UW School of Public Health graduate students received the 2026-2027 UWRA Patricia Dougherty Fellowships in Aging, for their demonstrated interest in aging-related issues.

Augusto Ferraris is a physician and epidemiologist whose work centers on medication safety and dementia prevention in older adults. His goal is to help health care providers and patients with clearer evidence about the long-term cognitive implications of widely prescribed medications.

Xinmei Huang is a PhD student whose work focuses on long-term air pollution exposure and how it impacts neurocognitive aging and dementia. Part of her research focus is to raise awareness of how environments can impact people's health and the ways collective actions and policy changes can reduce harmful exposures.

https://grad.uw.edu/2026-uwra-patrica-doughtery-fellowship/ University of Washington Graduate School UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences UW Department of Epidemiology

Two graduate students received the 2026-2027 UWRA Patricia Doughterty Fellowships in Aging. Congratulations to Dr. Augusto Ferraris and Dr. Xinmei Huang for their demonstrated academic and personal interest in aging-related issues or concerns.

05/20/2026

Strengthening sustainable, healthy food systems requires countless people working together across professions, disciplines and geographies. Teaching the next generation how to do this work requires the same spirit of collaboration.

For their collaborative work in teaching and mentorship, UW School of Public Health faculty Jennifer Otten, Marie Spiker, and Sarah Collier received the 2026 Distinguished Teaching Award from UW Awards of Excellence.

Together, they collaborate on courses in the UW Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health interdisciplinary program. In the five years that they have worked together, they have individually and jointly developed 11 new courses and jointly mentored dozens of graduate students. Read what it takes to foster this type of successful partnership:

Sarah Collier, Jennifer Otten and Marie Spiker honored for interdisciplinary instruction and mentorship.

05/18/2026

Each year, the SPH Undergraduate Symposium allows undergraduate students to demonstrate how they applied knowledge and skills gained in the classroom to address public health problems through research, internship, and capstone experiences.

On Thursday, May 21, from 3:30 – 5 p.m., meet the students in-person at the Hans Rosling Center for Population Health as they present their posters. RSVP at https://sph.washington.edu/students/symposium

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05/14/2026

As a four-year-old growing up on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota, Myra Parker would watch as her grandmother took a syringe and injected it into an orange. She was practicing giving an insulin shot, which her grandmother had to self-administer for diabetes.

At the time Parker began her career in public health, very little data was collected on American Indian and Alaska Native health issues. Together with her Indigenous public health colleagues, they've led efforts to build coalitions and provide data collection tools for tribes to understand and improve health outcomes from opioid addiction to colorectal cancer.

For her work, Parker was named the 2026 Alumni of Impact Awardee. As a 2010 Health Services doctoral graduate, Parker will address the Class of 2026 at the SPH Graduation Celebration in June. https://sph.washington.edu/news-events/sph-blog/myra-parker-receives-alumni-impact-award-commitment-indigenous-health UW Department of Health Systems and Population Health

Parker, a UW SPH doctoral alum, leads Indigenous health research at UW.

05/12/2026

Anjum Hajat, associate professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health, is the recipient of the 2026 Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award. It recognizes a faculty member who excels at the intense one-on-one teaching that is the hallmark of graduate study.

Hajat’s mentorship is felt across the University of Washington community. Her work as a social epidemiologist – focused on how environmental and social conditions shape health – creates a dynamic training environment for students. Through this work, she encourages students to think critically about complex challenges, connect research to real-world impact and engage across disciplines.

All awardees will be honored at a ceremony in Meany Hall on Thursday, June 11. The program includes a one-hour ceremony hosted by President Robert J. Jones and Provost Tricia Serio, followed by a reception with refreshments and community connection.

Learn more about Hajat in the full announcement by the University of Washington Graduate School. https://grad.uw.edu/anjum-hajat-receives-2026-marsha-l-landolt-distinguished-graduate-mentor-award/ UW Department of Epidemiology

Anjum Hajat receives 2026 Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award