CSDE Affiliate Janelle S. Taylor from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto presents her findings from a study of “elder orphans,” older adults who have no living spouse or children, and their experiences as they develop dementia. Taylor explores answers to questions such as: what life trajectories lead people to be in this situation, what caregiving resources do they access, and what turning points trigger changes in caregiving arrangements? The study employs an innovative mixed-methods analysis of existing medical research data and health records data collected by the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) Study, a long running study of incident dementia based at Kaiser Permanente of Washington Health Research Institute.

Click here to schedule a meeting with Janelle S. Taylor.

A key motivation for increasing minimum wages is to induce positive health outcomes for adult workers. However, CSDE Affiliates Heather Hill and Jennifer Otten, along with their co-author James Buszkiewicz, find no overall association between minimum wage increases and health in their recent article published in the American Journal of Epidemiology—“State Minimum Wage Rates and Health in Working-Age Adults using the National Health Interview Survey”—this is an outcome that contrasts with results of previous studies finding positive health benefits from minimum wage policies.

As a response to the continuing spread of the coronavirus, Chinese government officials are isolating thousands of patients with suspected symptoms in large shelters. Though such large-scale containment measures seem necessary, experts, including CSDE Affiliate Nicole Errett, shared concerns regarding the effectiveness of shelters in a recent New York Times article. Errett explains how placing patients in immense, shared areas increases chances of spreading infections and limits the emotional support patients can receive when treated at home rather than shelters.

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Faculty and post-doctorates, mark your calendars! There is an upcoming Faculty Workshop on NIH Diversity Supplements on February 27th and 28th. RSVP now using this link! The topics that will be covered during the workshop include:

• Purpose and benefits of applying for NIH Diversity Supplements (Administrative or Minority Supplements)
• NEW eligibility criteria, application process and components of a successful application
• Panel discussion highlighting the experiences of current UW faculty who have been awarded Diversity Supplements