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. 

Headshot of Dr. Anna Larson

Dr. Anna Larsen receives NIH Research Scientist Development Award to develop a mobile health parenting support intervention aimed at improving father-child mental health in Kenya

Congratulations Dr. Anna Larsen (Acting Assistant Professor, UW Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences) for receiving a National Institute of Health Research Scientist Development Award to fund “Improving fathers’ mental health, parenting, and familial engagement through an mHealth intervention in Kenya.”

Headshots of Dr. Arianne Means, Dr. John Kinuthia, Dr. Unger, and Dr. Sarah Hicks.

Dr. Arianna Means receives award to support facilities strengthen organizational culture of learning and improvement to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality

Congratulations to Dr. Arianna Means (Associate Professor, Global Health) for receiving a National Institutes of Health award for the AMANI (Accelerating Maternal And Neonatal survIval) trial that will test a practice facilitation package (of training materials, tools, and other resources) that could help stakeholders better understand the circumstances surrounding maternal and perinatal deaths, leading to improved quality of care and reduced mortality among mothers and infants. Study collaborators include Dr. John Kinuthia (Kenyatta National Hospital), Dr.

Headshot of Dr. Dickens Onyango.

Dr. Dickens Onyango receives Fogarty Emerging Global Leader Award to support research career development in TB prevention among people living with HIV

Congratulations to Dr. Dickens Onyango (Deputy Director of Medical Services, Kisumu County Health Department and visiting research scientist at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya) for receiving a National Institute of Health Fogarty Emerging Global Leader Award for “Enhancing Adherence and Completion of the Three-Month Isoniazid with Rifapentine (3HP) Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy Regimen Through Biomarker-Guided Adherence Counselling (ACT-TPT).”

Headshot of Patricia Pavlinac

START Faculty Spotlight: Patricia Pavlinac

For Dr. Patricia Pavlinac, a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington, her career path has been anything but linear. Driven by an innate curiosity and a keen eye for opportunity, Dr. Pavlinac has carved out a distinguished career focused on understanding and combating complex global health challenges, particularly diarrheal diseases. 

Nurse taking someones blood pressure.

A One-Stop-Shop: Integrating Hypertension Care into HIV Clinics

For people living with HIV (PLWH) in Africa, hypertension (HTN) is the leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, despite increased access to effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), PLWH in Africa have limited access to high-quality care for cardiovascular diseases such as strokes, heart failure, and kidney diseases.  

Group photo of START retreat attendees standing on a dock.

START Kicks Off Academic Year With 13th Annual 2-Day Retreat

START held its 13th annual retreat on September 20 – 21, 2025 at Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine, WA. This two-day retreat is an opportunity for the Center to come together and re-establish their values, have dedicated time toward team-building, go over specific resources and skills that lead to success in START work, and to welcome the new START Research Assistants (RAs) and Global Innovation Fellow (GIF) joining the center for the 2025 – 2026 academic year.

Oral Health, Global Impact: John Sumkai Atiiga Earns Top Thesis Award

John Sumkai Atiiga, a University of Washington Department of Global Health MPH alumnus, has been awarded the Graduate School’s 2025 Distinguished Thesis Award (Biology & Life Sciences) for his thesis, “Oral Inflammation and Systemic Immune Activation Among Children Living with HIV in Kenya”. This award competition is held by the Western Association of Graduate Schools (WAGS), and recognizes achievement at the master’s level in multiple STEM disciplines.

Pages