We are delighted to announce that Dr. Pamela Y. Collins will join the University of Washington as Director of Global Mental Health, a joint program that will be co-led by the Departments of Global Health and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Collins was selected for this important, new position after an international search that considered candidates from multiple continents. She will have a joint appointment as professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (primary) and Global Health (joint). 

The National Institutes of Health has renewed its support for University of Washington (UW) as a leader in developing the next generation of physicians, veterinarians, dentists, and scientists trained in global health with a $4.5 million grant to extend the Northern Pacific Fogarty Global Health Fellows (NPGH) training program for the next five years (2017–2022). Support is provided through the Fogarty International Center, which will distribute awards totaling more than $25.9 million to six consortia that include 24 U.S.

Peder Digre, a second-year MPH candidate, has been appointed by WA Governor Jay Inslee to represent students across the state on the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC). The WSAC works to support higher levels of educational attainment in Washington state and provides recommendations for many policy areas including college admissions, college readiness, college credit in high school, reengaging adult students, transfer processes, tuition, and economic and workforce development for the state. 

By E.A. Crunden

Activists are calling for officials to declare a state of emergency in Detroit following the release of a study connecting water shutoffs throughout the city to an uptick in illnesses.

Community organizers in Detroit brought experts together on Wednesday to discuss the research on a panel, while asserting that city health officials have not done enough to address the problem.