Affiliate Marieka Klawitter, Professor at the Evans School, discussed the wage gap between black and white Americans last week on Seattle’s NPR station, KUOW. The gap is vast; on average, black Americans earn just about half of what their white counterparts do. According to Klawitter, there are a number of reasons for this disparity in earnings, including barriers such as residential segregation, a history of wealth in the family, and the role race plays in the job market. Another contributing factor is the notion of the American Dream. “We love to believe in the American Dream, that if we work hard we can get ahead,” said Klawitter. “We believe that other people will also work hard and that will pay off. It’s hard for us to see the systemic elements like racism that feeds into how much people earn.” The full segment is available below.
Ann Bostrom Co-organizes Disaster Preparedness Workshop
Affiliate Ann Bostrom, Professor at the Evans School, along with members of the Washington State Emergency Management Division and Joint Centre of Disaster Research at Massey University, organized a Subduction Megaquake and Tsunami Preparedness Workshop that recently took place at UW. The workshop provided an overview of Cascadia Rising and Tangaroa disaster simulation exercises and findings from related reviews, and was attended by academics and researchers, members of local and Washington state governments, and visiting colleagues from New Zealand. The UW M9 research project—a team of experts from a variety of departments and outside organizations working to reduce potentially catastrophic effects of a Cascadia megathrust earthquake on society and the natural environment—provided partial support for the workshop.
Stephen Hawes Explores Association Between Neuropathologies and Cognitive Trajectories
Affiliate Stephen Hawes, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, and colleagues published an article in Neurology that examines whether cognitive decline in domains associated with Alzheimer-related changes in the nervous system are associated with other neuropathologies, including Lewy body disease or vascular brain injury. The authors find that study participants with Alzheimer disease neuropathic change plus Lewy body disease had poorer cognitive trajectories—particularly relating to attention and executive function—than those with Alzheimer disease neuropathic change plus vascular brain injury or other pathology groupings. The authors note, however, that the effects of particular co-occurring pathologies on cognitive outcomes could depend on the level of Alzheimer disease neuropathic change. The full article is accessible below.
Amy Hagopian on War as a Public Health Problem
In a recent article, affiliate Amy Hagopian, Associate Professor of Health Services and Global Health, explores the following question: “Why isn’t war properly framed and funded as a public health problem?” According to Hagopian, war is “mostly treated as ‘background noise,’” rather than a preventable public health problem. In the article–which was published in the journal Medicine, Conflict and Survival–Hagopian addresses obstacles that pose difficulties for academics and professionals seeking to advance war as a public health issue, and appeals to these audiences to take advantage of opportunities for change. The full article is available below.
Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program 2018
The purpose of the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program is to support high-caliber scholarship in the social sciences and humanities, enabling recipients to devote time to research and writing that addresses pressing issues and cultural transitions affecting us at home and abroad.
Each nominator may put forward a maximum of two scholars. Nominators from universities may nominate one junior and one senior scholar. A junior scholar is defined as someone who received his/her PhD within the last ten years (2008-2018) for the 2018 fellowship program.
Pre-nominations can be made by Departmental or Unit chairs and take the form of a letter describing how a particular faculty member’s research addresses one of the following four topic areas:
- Strengthening U.S. democracy and exploring new narratives
- Technological and cultural creativity—potential and perils
- Global connections and global ruptures
- Environments, natural and human
Application Instructions
Departmental or unit chairs can submit:
- a 1-to-2 page letter of intent describing how a particular faculty member’s research addresses one of the four topic areas.
- Biosketch or CV of the PI to research@uw.edu by 5:00 PM on Thursday, October 19, 2017. Nominations are due to the sponsor by 11/17/17.
Untold Global Health Stories of 2018 Contest
If you know of an important global health story that’s been overlooked by the media and deserves special notice, we want to hear from you.
NPR’s “Goats and Soda” blog, which covers global health and development, the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) and Global Health NOW from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health are pleased to announce the 2018 Untold Stories of Global Health Contest. The contest is designed to give a platform to important but underreported global health stories.
CUGH, NPR’s Goats and Soda Blog, and GHN share the goal of raising awareness about health— issues around the world. We invite you to nominate an issue you feel deserves urgent attention, whether you’ve worked on it firsthand or come across it in your travels. The best nominations for the Untold Stories focus on a specific issue in a specific location (i.e., not global chronic disease) and should include available data and evidence, as well as contact information—like konzo, one of the top 2 winning stories from last year.
NOMINATIONS:
Send us your ideas, and if we choose your issue, we’ll help you expand the audience for your issue. Entrants can submit a nomination here, with a short (150-word) statement describing the story and why it deserves more coverage and support.
IMPORTANT DATES:
- Submissions Open – September 19, 2017
- Nominations Deadline – November 10, 2017
- Judging Complete – November 30, 2017
- Winner Notified – December 15, 2017 (on or about)
JUDGING:
The contest will be jointly judged by NPR’s Goats and Soda blog, CUGH and GHN, based on the entries’ newsworthiness, creativity and feasibility for coverage.
WINNERS:
NPR and GHN will each select one winning story to cover; the winning stories will appear in both NPR and GHN. All winning entries will be shared on CUGH’s website and bulletin.
NPR and GHN will consider and share the runners up entries as sources for possible stories for coverage. GHN will cover at least one runner-up idea as a story or series of stories in GHN.
PRIZES:
The winner will be announced publicly in March 2018 at the CUGH conference in New York, NY (March 15-18, 2018).
- Runners-up will have short summaries included on the GHN website.
- The winner (maximum of 1 nominee per entry) will receive free registration for the CUGH conference.
Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting
Eighth International Conference on the Constructed Environment
Call for Papers
We are pleased to announce the Call for Papers for the Eighth International Conference on The Constructed Environment, held 24–25 May 2018 at the Wayne State University in Detroit, USA.
Founded in 2010, the conference is brought together by a common shared interest in human configurations of the environment and the interactions among the constructed, social, and natural environments.
We invite proposals for paper presentations, workshops/interactive sessions, posters/exhibits, colloquia, innovation showcases, virtual posters, or virtual lightning talks. The conference features research addressing the annual themes and the 2018 Special Focus: “Urban Regeneration (UR) – between Regeneration and Resentment.”
For more information regarding the conference, visit our conference website.
Submit your proposal by October 24, 2017.
We welcome the submission of proposals to the conference at any time of the year before the final submission deadline. All proposals will be reviewed within two to four weeks of submission.
If you are unable to attend the conference in person, you may present in a virtual poster session or a virtual lightning talk. Virtual Sessions enable participants to present work to a body of peers and to engage with colleagues from afar.
As virtual participants, presenters are scheduled in the formal program, have access to select conference content, can submit an article for peer review and possible publication, may upload an online presentation, and can enjoy annual membership to the Research Network and subscriber access to The International Journal of the Constructed Environment.
Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is pleased to announce the 2018 Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program competition. We know that the biggest challenges in science call for diverse perspectives and original thinking. Through the Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program, HHMI will recruit and retain individuals from groups underrepresented in the life sciences. The program will support early career scientists with the potential to become leaders in academic research. Through their successful careers, HHMI Hanna Gray Fellows will inspire future generations of scientists from America’s diverse talent pool. The Institute will select and support up to 15 Fellows in this competition. The competition is open to all eligible applicants, and no nomination is required.
Applicants can establish eligibility and submit an application via the HHMI online competition site. Applications are due January 10, 2018, at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time).
Program Overview
Fellows will receive funding ($80,000 annually) for up to four years of their postdoctoral training and may continue to receive funding ($270,000 annually) for up to four years during their early career years as independent faculty. The program includes opportunities for career development, including mentoring and active involvement in the HHMI scientific community.
Eligibility
- The program is open to individuals from gender, racial, ethnic, and other groups underrepresented in the life sciences at the career stages targeted by this program, including those individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
- The program is open to basic science researchers and physician-scientists in the biomedical and life science disciplines.
- The program is open to applicants of any citizenship or nationality who:
- have a PhD and/or MD or equivalent conferred by an institution in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico) by the start of the grant term.
- have been accepted to join a laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher at a research institution located in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico) at the time of the application due date.
- The postdoctoral training mentor must hold a tenured or tenure-track position (or equivalent) at an institution in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico).
- Applicants can have no more than 12 months of postdoctoral research experience at the time of the application due date.
Selection of Fellows
The review process will assess the applicant’s potential for a career as an independent academic researcher and the quality of the training environment with the selected mentor. The selection of finalists will be made by the end of September 2018. Awards may begin as early as September 18, 2018, but no later than January 15, 2019.
Additional Information
Additional information including a full Program Announcement is available at www.hhmi.org/hanna-h-gray-fellows. For questions, contact program staff at fellows@hhmi.org.
Which Public Health Degree is Right for Me?
Are you considering a public health graduate degree? The Department of Health Services trains students for influential careers in public health practice and research, health administration, health promotion, and health policy. Would you like to learn more about the types of graduate degrees we offer and what makes them unique?
The Department of Health Services invites you to attend one of our “Which Public Health Degree is Right For Me?” sessions –
Which Public Health Degree Is Right for Me?
Date/Time: October 5, 2017; 5:30-7:30pm
Location: UW Seattle campus, SOCC 303
Event Description: Join us for a panel led by graduate students in our COPHP, MPH, MS, MHA, and Online Executive MPH programs, followed by small group break-out sessions. Pizza and beverages will be served!
RSVP link: https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/hservask/338006
Which Public Health Degree Is Right for Me?
Date/Time: November 16, 2017; 5:30-7:30pm
Location: UW Bothell campus, UW1-280
Event Description: Join us for a panel led by graduate students in our COPHP, MPH, MS, MHA, and MHIHIM programs, followed by small group break-out sessions. Pizza and beverages will be served!
RSVP link: https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/hservask/338046
We hope to see you there!