CSDE and UW alumni Nikolas Pharris-Ciurej and Thomas B. Foster released an article with Census Bureau colleagues in Demography, titled “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Excess All-Cause Mortality in the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic“. Their findings were also featured in the U.S. Census’ series America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers. An additional 573,000 people died in the United States during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic but “excess mortality” at the national level masks substantial variations by state, age, sex, and race and ethnicity. “Excess mortality” refers to deaths from any cause above what is expected from recent mortality trends. This research shows the pandemic widened the mortality gap between the nation’s Black and White populations and completely erased the mortality advantage of the Hispanic population in relation to the non-Hispanic White population.

The National Institute for Aging will be hosting a virtual workshop from March 26-27th. Around the world, we are seeing an increase in the frequency and intensity of weather-related events and disasters. Individuals who are vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather, especially older adults, are experiencing worsening health outcomes, such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease, as well as excess mortality. This workshop is situated within the context of an increasingly urgent need to examine the exposures, vulnerabilities, and impacts faced by older adults, and the behavioral and social pathways through which health outcomes and disparities are impacted by climate events. Read more in the event flyer and register on Zoom here.

The first day will be focused on the behavioral and social mechanisms linked to climate exposures that impact older adults in the shortand long-term and that exacerbate existing health inequities. It will also include a discussion of available behavioral and social measures and data, and additional data needs to conduct aging and climate research. The second day will be focused on understanding adaptations and interventions at the individual, community, and health systems levels. Through presentations and discussion, participants will formulate a comprehensive research agenda by identifying research gaps and opportunities, future research directions, as well as data and measurement needs.

Join CSDE and co-sponsor, The Population Health Initiative, for a seminar with Shannon Monnat on Friday, March 29th from 12:30-1:30 PM on Zoom (register here). Shannon Monnat is the Lerner Chair in Public Health Promotion and Population Health, director of the Center for Policy Research, and professor of sociology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Monnat is a rural demographer and population health scholar whose research examines trends and geographic differences in health and mortality, with a special interest in rural health and health disparities. She is a leading national expert on structural and spatial determinants of drug overdose and other deaths of despair. Her most recent research has focused on geographic differences in COVID-19 experiences and impacts. This seminar is virtual only.

Applications are now open for the Population Health Applied Research Fellowship Program. This program is run in partnership between the Population Health Initiative and CSDE. The 10-week program is open to graduate and professional students from all UW schools and colleges. The program supports multidisciplinary teams of UW graduate and undergraduate students to work on real-world population health challenges. Projects are sourced from external clients who play an important role in structuring project deliverables. The project team receives training in research skills and data collection, analysis and presentation to deliver a work product that meets the external client’s needs.