UW Core Programs : Building Effective Career Exploration Skills: A Workshop and Networking Event for International Graduate Students
UW Core Programs: Career Development Webinar for First-Gen Graduate Students
NW Federal Statistics Research Data Center Re-Opens in a New Campus-Based Facility
Last year, when the NW Federal Statistics Research Data Center (NWFSRDC) was just about ready to re-open in a newly renovated space on campus in the basement of the Communications Building, COVID-19 shut everything down. The good news is that the facility is now back open with all of the safety protocols in place. This facility enables researchers to access restricted-use data that are collected through Federal agencies. There are four types of data available: Demographic data, Economic data, Linked business and household data, Public health data. If you are interested in working in the NWFSRDC, don’t hesitate to contact CSDE Affiliate Mark Ellis or the NWFSRDC Administrator Carlos Becerra.
Spotlight on CSDE Affiliate Melissa Martinson
Associate Professor of Social Work and CSDE Executive Member Dr. Melissa Martinson studies inequities in health and wellbeing throughout the life span, both in the United States and internationally. Her work has appeared in the American Journal of Epidemiology, American Journal of Public Health and Social Science and Medicine, to name just a few of her works. She completed her Ph.D. in Social Work at Columbia University. Dr. Martinson’s research examines the wide health divide between the United States and other wealthy, developed nations. Within that comparative context, her work aims to understand and alleviate health disparities by race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status and immigrant status.
Zack Almquist’s Study on COVID-19 Makes News!
CSDE Affiliate Zack Almquist, along with coauthors at the UW and UC Irvine, recently published an article in PNAS examining the impact of an uneven population distribution on the spread of the COVID-19 disease spread in Seattle and 18 other major US cities. The article received significant attention in the media and a special press release from the UW. Using U.S. Census Bureau tract demographics, simulation techniques and COVID-19 case data from spring 2020, the authors estimate a range of days for the virus to spread within a given city. They find that some neighborhoods peak sooner than others, and in every city, the virus lingers in places far longer than some might expect. In Seattle, denser neighborhoods such as Capitol Hill or the University District, reach peak infection rate earlier. But simulations predict that even nearby neighborhoods won’t reach peak infection until weeks or even years later. These models predict more of a “burst-like” behavior of the virus’ spread than standard models — with short, sudden episodes of infection across the city.
Projecting the path of the virus can help estimate the impact on local hospitals. Without outside intervention, some hospitals would remain at capacity for years, especially those farthest from major population centers. These projections, as well as others, are beginning to suggest that it could take years for the spread of COVID-19 to reach saturation in the population, and even if it does so it is likely to become endemic without a vaccine. Gauging how the virus might spread throughout a city and strain its hospitals can help local officials and health care providers plan for many scenarios.
CSDE Alumna Michelle O’Brien Publishes Study on Violent Conflict and Reproductive Health
CSDE Alumna Michelle O’Brien recently published an article in Population Research and Policy Review examining the consequences of violent conflict on reproductive health. Using Tajik Living Standards Survey data, she leverages the uneven geographical scope of conflict events during the civil war to pinpoint women’s exposure to violence, measured by the Uppsala Conflict Data Program. She finds that for women who had reached menarche during or after the civil war, exposure to conflict events increases the likelihood of ever experiencing miscarriage, but not abortion. Including a spatial lag operator reveals that there were also spillover effects for abortion, in which women who were in a broader region of uncertainty were more likely to induce an abortion. These findings highlight the role of institutional changes in affecting pregnancy loss during and after civil war. To read the article click here.
CSDE Affiliate Anna Zamora-Kapoor Co-authors Study on Diabetes Self-management Education and Support
CSDE Affiliate Anna Zamora-Kapoor, along with co-authors, recently published an article in BMC Public Health examining implementation outcomes of a culturally adapted diabetes self-management education intervention. Employing a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, they evaluate acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, feasibility, fidelity, and sustainability for a diabetes self-management education intervention delivered by peer educators to Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders residing in Honolulu, Hawai’i. Based on respondent reports on the relevance of the educational materials, strategies to manage blood glucose, hands-on activities, cultural aspects of the program, including the stories and analogies used to convey information, and appreciation of the group format and peer educators, they conclude that a culturally tailored, peer educator approach to diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs) is feasible. To read the article click here.
CSDE Affiliate Alexes Harris Guest Edits UW’s Viewpoint Magazine
CSDE Affiliate Alexes Harris guest edited UW’s Viewpoint Magazine to raise up voices in our community who can imagine an anti racist future for UW. These are powerful and wise voices from all across campus and campus experiences. Included among the visionaries is CSDE Affiliate LaShawnda Pittman who writes about the powerful connection between research and praxis. Take time to learn from all of them!
Read Newsletter from Maternal and Pediatric Infectious Disease Branch at NICHD
If you conduct research on maternal and pediatric infectious disease, you might visit NICHD‘s MIPD branch website and sign up for its newsletter. MPIDB supports domestic and international research, as well as research training and career development programs related to the epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, transmission, treatment, and prevention of HIV infection and its complications in infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant and nonpregnant women. As the HIV epidemic has evolved and other infectious diseases have emerged in the United States and globally, the branch has ensured that its funded research reflects these changes and addresses important opportunities and gaps as they arise, including HIV-associated co-infections such as tuberculosis, hepatitis, and malaria. To meet the needs and ongoing challenges of other significant infectious diseases, MPIDB coordinates research on the epidemiology, natural history, pathogenesis, transmission, treatment, and prevention of congenital infections, such as Zika virus and cytomegalovirus; emerging infectious diseases, such as COVID-19; and vaccine-preventable disease in infants, children, adolescents, and women. As always, please do reach out to CSDE if you would like support in submitting a grant to this branch. Feel free to send a note to Sara Curran (scurran@uw.edu) or Scott Kelly (kellysr@uw.edu) with your inquiries.