CSDE Affiliate Dr. Mia Bennett (Geography) authored research in Current History, titled “The Dark Arctic” on how illicit activities are a growing threat to the region. The snow-white Arctic is darkening physically and economically. Climate change is turning frozen seas into open water and blackening snow and ice as soot spreads and algae propagates. At the same time, the region’s shadow economy is expanding. Illicit activities like human trafficking and fishing have long thrived in northern peripheries beyond state reach, while Russia’s transition to capitalism in the 1990s institutionalized the black market. The invasion of Ukraine further tightened ties between Russian Arctic resource development and criminal underworlds. With the Kremlin continuing northern extraction to fund the war and circumpolar diplomacy fracturing, the entire region is at risk of environmental and geopolitical degradation.

CSDE Affiliates Dr. Rachel Prusynski (Rehabilitation Medicine) and Dr. Tracy Mroz (Rehabilitation Medicine) published research with co-authors in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, titled “Patient Characteristics and Treatment Patterns for Speech-Language Pathology Services in Skilled Nursing Facilities“. The article was first authored by UW PhD student Cait Brown (Rehabilitation Medicine). Skilled nursing facility (SNF) care has historically been influenced by systemic issues that could impact speech-language pathology (SLP) service provision. However, there has been little study specifically on factors associated with SLP service provision in SNFs. Large administrative data sets are rarely analyzed in SLP research but can be used to understand real-world SLP services. This study investigated associations between patient and facility characteristics and SLP services using data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This data is housed at the UW Data Collaborative.