University of Washington Population Health Initiative Receives Transformative Gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

FROM: Victor Balta

University of Washington

206-543-2580 balta@uw.edu

The University of Washington’s Population Health Initiative, which aims to bring together the research and resources of the UW and partners around the Puget Sound and beyond to improve the health and well-being of people around the world, has received a significant vote of support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the university announced Tuesday.

Patricia Garcia Elected to the National Academy of Medicine

Patricia Garcia, minister of health of Peru, School of Public Health alum, and Affiliate Professor of Global Health was elected to the National Academy of Medicine earlier this month. Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. Garcia was one of nine international members elected, in addition to 70 domestic members.

Seattle Times Op-Ed: Deadly Overuse of Antibiotics in Our Food Chain

A report out of the United Kingdom found that, worldwide, antibiotic-resistant bacteria could kill more people per year by 2050 than cancer kills today.

By Paul Pottinger and Bruce Speight

THROUGHOUT its history, the United Nations General Assembly has convened to discuss major global threats, including nuclear proliferation, human-rights abuses and global climate change.

The Atlantic: How Back Pain Took Over the World

By Olga Khazan

The newest iteration of the Global Burden of Disease study, which tracks the prevalence of deaths and diseases worldwide, contains some good news: On average people are living about a decade longer than they were in 1980. But there’s a catch: Health hasn’t improved as fast as life expectancy overall, which means that for many, those long, final years are spent hobbled by illness and disability.

Professor Theo Vos is quoted.

Humanosphere: A New Way to Measure Progress in Global Health

By Sean McKee, special to Humanosphere

The world has made tremendous progress in global health during the past 25 years, reducing the impact of some major killers like HIV or, well, childbirth, and greatly expanding access to drugs or vaccines to prevent and treat many millions of the poorest people on the planet.

But sustaining that rate of progress is likely to get a lot harder. And measuring success, or failure for that matter, is likely to get more important.

HealthDay: U.S. Life Expectancy Lags Behind Other Wealthy Nations

By Dennis Thompson

THURSDAY, Oct. 6, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- The United States lags behind other advanced nations when it comes to infant mortality and the life expectancy of its citizens, according to a comprehensive review of global health statistics.

The health of U.S. citizens is specifically challenged by smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, drug abuse and gun violence, said study co-author Dr. Mohsen Naghavi. He's a professor with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle.

NewsBeat: Antiretrovirals Pose Low Risk to Nursing Mothers, Babies

Study involves researchers with UW International Clinical Research Center

By Bobbi Nodell

Researchers have found that breastfeeding mothers taking the antiretroviral drugs tenofovir and emtricitabine have a low risk of side effects. The study, published in PLOS, was conducted by colleagues at the UW International Clinical Research Center and partners in Kenya, Uganda and Johns Hopkins University.

Welcome Letter from the Chair

Dear DGH students,

Welcome to the 2016-2017 academic year! Whether you are a new or returning student, we are delighted and honored you have chosen to work with us in pursing your careers in global health. This is a very exciting time in global health both here at UW and throughout the world.

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