In the 1980s, at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, more than 59,000 Americans lost their lives to the brutal disease. The $146.6 billion that federal funding has contributed to the battle against AIDS since 2012 is paying off, but AIDS still claims far too many lives and HIV is still far too costly, increasing the average patient’s healthcare costs by roughly 20%. An infographic by WalletHub summarizes HIV/AIDS statistics, along with Q&As with a panel of experts about the disease’s costs.

The U.S. Global Change Research Program released The Fourth National Climate Assessment Volume II on Friday. The National Climate Assessment (NCA) assesses a range of potential climate change-related impacts, with an aim to help decision makers better identify risks that could be avoided or reduced.

Samantha Dolan, a PhD student in Implementation Science, has received the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Explorations award to use technology to strengthen health systems aimed at improving data use by healthcare workers in order to increase vaccination uptake amongst children in Kenya.

According to the WHO, the number of people worldwide with diabetes has risen from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014. And this number is expected to keep rising, with diabetes prevalence rising more rapidly in low- and middle-income countries. Diabetes can lead to serious health problems, including blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and lower limb amputation. 

For students at the UW Department of Global Health, being a Research Assistant (RA) offers an enriching experience for both personal and professional growth. In 2018, 14 PhD and MPH students are undertaking Research Assistantships. Meet the current UW Department of Global Health batch of RAs, learn about their backgrounds, and get their first-hand perspective of life as an RA.