Department News

Alumni at the Forefront of Global Health Justice

What do you do when you’re outraged by a forgotten crisis? After reading about the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in the Central African Republic- a country with one of the highest mortality rates in the world yet little global attention- Department of Global Health alumnae Alina Metje (‘23) and Amaya Gatling (‘25) wrote an article for the Department’s Global Health Justice website calling for renewed visibility and accountability by the international community.

In the Field: Brooke Erickson

Editor's Note: Travel fellows apply for funding that supports travel costs and allows them to take advantage of opportunities abroad that meet degree requirements and deepen their understanding of what global health work looks like around the world. Funds are generously given by private donors who value experiential learning within global health. 

Brooke Erickson, a second-year global health master’s student, received funding from the Thomas Francis Jr. Endowed Fellowship Fund to support her practicum work in Ethiopia. 

In the Media

news

The State of Healthcare in the U.S.

Dr. Stephen Bezruchka, associate teaching professor emeritus of global health and of health services at the UW, talks about the state of health care in the United States in this KCSB-FM snippet. 

news

Climate change is harming people’s health worldwide, report finds

An international group of researchers has released its annual report on climate change and human health. Many of the risks they track, like extreme heat danger and the rise of infectious diseases, are moving in the wrong direction. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is interviewed.

news

KPHD interim health officer supports water fluoridation at low levels

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that protects teeth from tooth decay. Generally, all water contains some naturally occurring fluoride, but not enough to prevent tooth decay, which has led many communities to add additional fluoride to the water to combat tooth decay. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said he intends to push for removal of fluoride from the public water supplies across the country, calling it an “industrial waste.” Dr.

news

Bill Gates calls for climate fight to shift focus from curbing emissions to reducing human suffering

AP News

Bill Gates calls for a “strategic pivot” in the global climate fight: from focusing on limiting rising temperatures to fighting poverty and preventing disease. University of Washington public health and climate scientist Kristie Ebi agrees with Gates that the U.N. negotiations should focus on improving human health and well-being, but thinks it's unlikely that changing one variable will curb climate change.