22nd Annual STI & HIV Research Symposium
Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Time: 9:00am - 4:40pm | Gregorio Millett's keynote presentation from 9:05am – 10:05am
Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Time: 9:00am - 4:40pm | Gregorio Millett's keynote presentation from 9:05am – 10:05am
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.
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.
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.
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.
The transition to fall signals one of our favorite times of year – the arrival of new students! The Department of Global Health (DGH) is honored to welcome 38 new students to the global health husky pack. Of the 38 students, three are joining the Pathobiology PhD program, four are beginning their studies in the PhD in Global Health Metrics and Implementation Science program, three have started the Doctor of Global Health Leadership and Practice program, and 28 are entering the Master of Global Health program.
The Strategic Analysis, Research & Training (START) Center is thrilled to introduce the ten newest team members joining their Center this fall.
Drs. Anjuli Wagner (Associate Professor, UW Global Health) and John Kinuthia (Affiliate Associate Professor, UW Global Health; Obstetrician Gynecologist, Kenyatta National Hospital) have received a National Institutes of Health award to fund their study, “Mechanisms of Action for mobile SMS PrEP adherence intervention (mWACH PrEP Mechanisms),” which aims to understand how digital health technologies work to support women to adhere to PrEP, a daily oral pill to prevent HIV.
The dedication and innovation from our students in public health practice and research are part of what makes our department great. This summer we recognize several students in our department who have been selected for awards at the University of Washington. We would like to celebrate two of our students – Brekken Selah and Tessa Concepcion – for receiving School of Public health (SPH) Excellence Awards, and congratulate Grace Umutesi on the Runner Up and People’s Choice Awards for the 2025 UW Three Minute Thesis Competition. Congratulations!
Graduation Photo Gallery | Graduation Recording | Digital Graduation Program
On Friday, June 13, the University of Washington’s Department of Global Health (DGH) proudly celebrated the graduation of 58 students from over 15 countries.
These 58 graduates represented three doctoral and one master’s program: