CSDE Welcomes Four More Faculty and Regional Affiliates!
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CSDE’s Executive Committee is pleased to introduce four of our new UW Faculty Affiliates:
- Teresa Ward– Professor and Chair, Department of Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing, UW School of Nursing. Ward’s research focuses on sleep health, symptom science, and health outcomes in children with and without chronic health conditions and their caregivers. Currently, she is the Co-Director of the Center for Innovation in Sleep Self-Management funded by NIH, and is involved in several studies that integrate community based participatory approaches that integrate technology to improve sleep health in parent-child dyads living with a chronic health condition. Ward joins as a CSDE affiliate.
- Cameron Whitley– Assistant Professor, Sociology, Western Washington University. Whitley studies issues concerning the environment (climate change, new energy development, sustainability) and wellbeing, science and technology (geoengineering, hydraulic fracturing debates), human-animal relationships (impacts on mental health, etc.), and gender and sexuality (political engagement and environmentalism). He is currently working on a project with National Geographic Society affiliated photographers evaluating how their images influence emotional responses and how different individuals (based on demographic characteristics) respond to distinctive images. Whitley joins CSDE as a regional affiliate.
- Dafeng Xu – Assistant Professor, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. Xu specializes in data science, and his areas of research include urban and regional policy, immigration policy, and the social and economic history of the United States. His ongoing research is focused on developing and employing data science tools to link individual records between census, administrative, and survey data. Xu joins CSDE as a faculty affiliate.
- Batool Zaidi– Assistant Professor of Sociology, Western Washington University. Zaidi's research addresses gender inequality in the global South through the analysis of health outcomes, cultural norms, and development projects. She is currently developing a South-South comparative study on violence against women in South Asia and Latin America, through the categories of honor killings and femicidios, respectively. Zaldi joins as a CSDE regional affiliate. (read more)
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CSDE Affiliates Drake and Brown Provide Commentary on Unmet Need Measurement
In a recently published commentary for Studies in Family Planning, Claire Rothschild (Epidemiology, PhC), CSDE affiliate Win Brown (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), and CSDE Affiliate Alison Drake (Global Health) make the case for including observations from method discontinuation measures to update current approaches to measuring unmet need for contraception. While unmet need for contraception is commonly used to assess programmatic needs, it inadequately captures the complexity of fertility and contraceptive preferences, including women's satisfaction with their contraceptive method. In their 2019 commentary, Sarah Rominski and Rob Stephenson propose reclassifying dissatisfied current users as having an unmet need for contraception. As revising the current definition based on their proposal would require significant investment to update survey and monitoring systems, understanding the potential impact on current estimates of unmet need is critical. The authors estimate the impact of this approach in a Kenyan cohort of modern contraceptive users. They find the prevalence of method dissatisfaction ranges from 6.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.6–7.8%) to 18.9% (95% CI 17.1–20.9%); if applied nationally, this results in a large (approximately 25–70%) increase in Kenya's current estimate of unmet need for any contraception. The findings suggest a large impact on unmet need estimates for equivalent populations. Overall, the authors advocate for better measurements of method satisfaction and acceptability, with metrics developed that are robust to socioeconomic gradients and validated in low‐ and middle‐income settings to ensure women's contraceptive needs are captured equitably. To read the article, click here. (read more)
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New Article Published by CSDE Affiliate Almquist and Regional Affiliate Ha
CSDE Affiliate Zack Almquist and Regional Affiliate Jasmin Ha with colleagues Guy Abel and Jack Dewaard have just published ‘The Form and Evolution of International Migrant Networks, 1995-2015’ in Population, Space, and Place. They draw upon research techniques on community detection methods to introduce and apply the Information Theoretic Community Detection Algorithm for identifying and studying the geographic boundaries of migration networks. Using a new set of estimates of country-to-country migration flows every 5 years from 1990 to 1995 to 2010-2015, the authors trace the form and evolution of international migration networks over the past 25 years. Consistent with the concept of dynamic stability, they show that the number, size and internal country compositions of international migration networks have been remarkably stable over time; however, they also document many short- term fluctuations. They conclude by reflecting on the spirit of their work in this paper, which is to promote consensus around tools and best practices for identifying and studying international migration networks. To read the article, click here. (read more)
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CSDE Affiliate Lee and CSDE Alumna Larimore Co-author Study on Black Health Outcomes
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CSDE Affiliate Hedwig Lee and CSDE Alumna Savannah Larimore, along with co-authors, recently published an article in Population Research and Policy Review. Employing logistic regression analyses, they examine differences in low birth weight, preterm birth, gestational hypertension, and gestational diabetes by nativity (i.e., US- or foreign-born), region of origin (e.g., Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean), and current US division of residence (e.g., Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic) within the Black population. Using national birth records data from 2013 to 2016 data, their study finds that foreign-born Blacks are at a lower risk for low birth weight, preterm birth, and gestational hypertension, but at an elevated risk for gestational diabetes compared to US-born Blacks. Moreover, the authors find substantial variation in this general pattern across region of origin and division of residence in the US. These findings demonstrate the potential role of migration, context, and selectivity in the health of foreign-born Blacks and demonstrate that national averages mask geographic variation, limiting our understanding of the contributions of these and other social processes to the health of racialized groups in the US. To read the article click here. (read more)
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Healthy Aging and Geriatric Pharmacy Focus of UW’s Plein Research Symposium
The annual Plein Research Symposium explores new advancements in research topics related to Geriatric Pharmacy and celebrates UW’s legacy as a leader in outreach and research in health aging. The 2021 symposium will be held on March 4, 2021 and will focus on treatment and care for adults with multiple chronic conditions. For more details and registration, click here. (read more)
Interested in Learning About SSPs and RCPs When it Comes to Climate Assessment Scenarios?
The University of Washington is hosting a series of webinars on behalf of the International Committee on New Integrated Climate Change Assessment Scenarios (ICONICS) to share recent work on the Climate Change Scenarios Framework. The first webinar will take place on Monday, February 22, 2021, at 9:00 EST. The series will kick off with a tutorial on the SSPs and RCPs followed by a Q&A session with Kristie Ebi (UW), Brian O’Neill (JCGRI), and Bas van Ruijven (IIASA). Participants will learn about the SSP-RCP scenario framework and the matrix architecture, SSP regional and sectoral extensions and available resources for learning about and working with the SSPs. You can register for the webinar here. The second webinar is scheduled for 6 April (9:00 EST), and will discuss plans forward for the SSPs and RCPs based on the Achievements and Needs of the Scenarios Framework. For more information about ICONICS and the SSPs, click here.(read more)
*New* UW Royalty Research Fund Grants [Due March 1, 2021]
Applications are open for the Spring 2021 round of the UW Royalty Research Fund (RRF) grant program. Proposals are due Monday, March 1, by 5:00 PM. This program aims to support new directions in research, particularly in disciplines for which external funding opportunities are minimal, for faculty who are junior in rank, or in cases where funding may provide unique opportunities to increase applicants’ competitiveness for subsequent funding. Proposals from all disciplines are welcome, with budgets up to $40,000. Application instructions can be found at the Office of Research website. Acting Faculty and faculty with temporary appointments may be paid for up to 2 months on RRF grants even though they are not eligible to be PI or Co-I. Please see the updated instructions here. Contact the RRF administrative staff with questions about the program; new applicants should contact Peter Wilsnack, doogieh@uw.edu, 206-685-9316. (read more)
Submit Nominations for NIH Study On Collection of Gender/Sexual Orientation Information [Due February 22, 2021]
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The Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) within the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has issued a call for nominations for individuals to serve on a committee on Measuring Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The ad hoc committee will develop clear guidelines “outlining the guiding principles and best practices for collecting sexual orientation and gender identity information in research and non-research surveys, along with medical and other administrative records in order to improve the NIH’s ability to identify and address the specific needs of these populations.” CNSTAT is seeking experts on sexual and gender minority health research; survey design and methodology; statistics; and alternative sources of data, such as administrative records, electronic health records, and other data to serve on the committee. Submit nominations here by February 22nd, 2021. (read more)
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Register Now for PAA 2021!
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PAA 2021 Registration is now open. Important Dates and Deadlines:
- February 19, 2021: Deadline for all presenters to register.
- February 28, 2021: Last day the early-bird rate is available.
- March 1, 2021: Regular registration rates will be in effect.
For those who must self-pay, a hardship rate, a 30% discount off a student or regular registration fee, is available. Simply submit a request via this form and PAA will update the registration system to allow access to the hardship rate. To request the hardship rate, you must already have an account set up in the PAA registration system. (read more)
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