Dr. Riyadh Lafta to Speak on October 27

By Bobbi Nodell

Dr. Riyadh Lafta, a professor of medicine at Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, Iraq, will be giving a lecture on the state of public health in Iraq at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 27 at the University of Washington.

In the 2016 Academic Ranking of World Universities for clinical medicine and pharmacy, the University of Washington has moved up to No. 2 in the world (from No. 3 in 2015) and is now second to only Harvard University.

The list, published by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, evaluates more than 1,200 universities. Shanghai Ranking is recognized for basing its rankings on objective indicators, such as the number of alumni and staff who have won Nobel Prizes, highly cited researchers and publications in top medical journals.

Researchers saw 95% fewer cases than expected; model offered antiretroviral meds to HIV-infected members and preventive therapy for uninfected partners

Providing HIV medication to both members of a HIV-serodiscordant couple substantially reduced the risk of transmission within that couple, according to a study published Aug. 23 in PLOS Medicine.

By Amelia Vader

Researchers at the University of Washington and Kenya Medical Research Institute are working to determine if antibiotics could help save thousands of children from dying of diarrheal disease thanks to a four-year $2.5 million grant from the World Health Organization.

The Antibiotics for Children with Severe Diarrhea (ABCD) Trial is the largest clinical trial addressing diarrhea management to date; and it will not only answer the question of the potential benefits of antibiotics it will also address any potential harm, such as antibiotic resistance.