The UW EDGE Center
@uw-edge.bsky.social
We are committed to conducting and communicating cutting edge science that reduces the burden of environmentally-related diseases through science translation into policy and practice.
Our member, Karen Levy, has shown that climate change looks set to reshuffle which gut infections threaten which communities, and when. These diseases still kill nearly 1.2 million people a year through infectious diarrhea, most of them young children. www.earth.com/news/waterbo...
Waterborne diseases are shifting in a warming world
Climate change will reshape waterborne diseases, boosting some pathogens while reducing others and shifting health risks worldwide.
earth.com
Our partners at West Plains Water Coalition have produced a new documentary exploring the problem of PFAS contamination in well water on Spokane's West Plains: westplainswater.org/btw/ Their rural community is one of 9,000 to be affected by PFAS contamination nationally.
Bridging Troubled Waters
This educational documentary explores the threat of PFAS contamination in rural drinking water. It follows three young women who chose the topic for a Future Farmers of America debate competition, exa...
westplainswater.org
🏆 Congratulations to @uwdeohs.bsky.social, our home department, recently ranked the second-best program of its kind in the country after Harvard, according to US News and World Report. deohs.washington.edu/news/uw-rank...
UW ranked fourth in world and second in US for public, environmental and occupational health
Among US public universities, DEOHS programs top US News and World Report’s Best Global Universities list
deohs.washington.edu
We are thrilled to fund 5 new pilot projects for 2026! The projects span a remarkable range of approaches—from social media, AI & urban planning to transcriptomics, spectroscopy & a lab-grown model of the human intestine derived from human stem cells. edge.deohs.washington.edu/blog/five-ne...
Five new EDGE pilot projects funded for 2026 | Interdisciplinary Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics and Environment
Important advances in environmental health science often begin with novel innovation. This year, the University of Washington Interdisciplinary Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics & Environment (...
edge.deohs.washington.edu
Extreme heat is one of the deadliest public health threats — and not everyone has equal access to potentially life-saving information. Our new blog post highlights the "How to Survive a Heatwave" resource, now available in Arabic. #ExtremeHeat #PublicHealth #ClimateHealth
Surviving extreme heat: expanding access in a warming world
Extreme heat is now one of the deadliest weather-related public health threats in the United States, contributing to thousands of emergency department visits and preventable deaths each year. Longer h...
wp.me
Are you an advanced graduate student or early-career researcher interested in disasters and public health? Do you want to gain hands-on training in Sendai, Japan? Apply to IDEAAL @ Tohoku before 6/2 for our intensive course to be held 10/19-23, 2026. drive.google.com/file/d/1Anmd...
Our member, Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana, emphasizes the importance of having the U.S. Food and Drug Administration routinely monitor baby formula for heavy metals and synthetic chemicals like phthalates and PFAS. apnews.com/article/infa... @uwdeohs.bsky.social
New FDA analysis says US infant formula supply is safe after testing for potential contaminants
Federal health officials said a new analysis of U.S. infant formula found reassuringly low levels of heavy metals, pesticides and other potential contaminants. The U.S.
apnews.com
Things you probably don’t worry about thanks to public health, a thread 🧵 1/10
As part of a community-led research project, our member, Anjum Hajat, is partnering with the Duwamish River Community Coalition to test whether low cost box fan air cleaners can reduce the symptoms of asthma in children. Learn more here: edge.deohs.washington.edu/blog/testing... @uwdeohs.bsky.social
Testing a low cost way to reduce the symptoms of asthma in children | Interdisciplinary Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics and Environment
The idea for the Duwamish Air Improvement Study for Youth (DAISY) came directly from community members living in Seattle’s Duwamish Valley. “We knew we had higher levels of hospitalizations from asthm...
edge.deohs.washington.edu
Are you prepared for a potential disaster like an earthquake or wildfire? Our Co-Director of Community Engagement, Nicole Errett, shares tips for chipping away at preparations rather than having to get everything ready at once. www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/...
What disaster preparedness experts have packed in their go bags
Climate change is making extreme weather events and natural hazards more frequent and intense. Here’s how to prepare before they hit.
nationalgeographic.com
Reps from our many research centers, including @uw-edge.bsky.social and @uwglobalchange.bsky.social, enjoyed chatting with students and community members at the @uwsph.bsky.social Research and Practice Center Discovery Expo on March 6 at wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House! Thanks to everyone who came.
Remember: only take #antibiotics 💊 a health professional has prescribed to YOU. We can stop the spread of #AntimicrobialResistance.
Our member Peter Rabinowitz helps lead a highly effective program to provide health care to homeless youth and their pets.
UW DEOHS@uwdeohs.bsky.social · 5mo agoFeatured in @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social: The One Health Clinic is a unique partnership w/medical docs & vets serving homeless youth & their pets. 🥼In a 3 yr. period, 80% of the clients who came to the clinic received medical care, though most (~70%) only intended to get help for their pets.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a top public health threat associated with millions of deaths annually. Our member Erica Fuhrmeister helped develop a lesson to teach high school students about AMR that involves M&Ms and marshmallows. edge.deohs.washington.edu/blog/teachin...
Teaching about antimicrobial resistance in schools | Interdisciplinary Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics and Environment
In January, Hilary McLeland-Wieser visited a high school health class taught by Lindzee Alvarez bearing bags of mini marshmallows and M&Ms. McLeland-Wieser is a PhD student in the UW Department of Env...
edge.deohs.washington.edu
📢The Indigenous Education Institute is hosting a webinar titled "A Sense of Place in Space: Understanding Cultural Contexts and Scientific Ethics Through Star Trek" at 12 Pacific Time 3/19. Register here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: A Sense of Place in Space: Understanding Cultural Contexts and Scientific Ethics Through Star Trek. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email...
Please join panelists Randall L. Milstein, PhD, Joseph Orosco, PhD, and Diana Rohlman, PhD as they discuss how Star Trek can be used to explore cultural context and scientific ethics in modern educati...
us02web.zoom.us
Recently we co-hosted a webinar featuring Patrick Freeland & Will Makoyiisaaminaa describing how academic researchers can ethically partner with Tribal communities. Read a summary of their remarks and watch the full recording here: edge.deohs.washington.edu/blog/who-own...
Who owns the data? Centering Indigenous sovereignty in academic-community collaborations | Interdisciplinary Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics and Environment
Many of us within academic institutions exist “with or around a legacy of causing harm to Indigenous communities by conducting research without informed consent or by gathering and disseminating data ...
edge.deohs.washington.edu
Our member Catherine Karr and her colleagues have shown that a child’s blood pressure may be influenced by exposure to air pollution before and shortly after birth. High blood pressure in children can lead to long-term health problems. deohs.washington.edu/hsm-blog/air... @uwdeohs.bsky.social
Air pollution linked with high blood pressure in kids
Children exposed to common air pollutant in the womb and infancy may be at higher risk for elevated blood pressure, DEOHS research finds
deohs.washington.edu
Congratulations to EDGE members Joan Casey & David Marcinek for being selected as participants in the inaugural cohort of Research Impact Advocates! They'll be trained by UW's Office of Research to engage more effectively with the public about their work. research.washington.edu/research-imp....
Research Impact Advocates Program
research.washington.edu
Yesterday we visited the high school health classroom of our Community Advisory Board member, Lindzee Alvarez, & @uwdeohs.bsky.social Ph.D. student Hilary McLeland-Wieser led an activity with mini marshmallows and M&Ms to teach students about anti-microbial resistance. oercommons.org/courseware/l...
Tips on creating a healthy home from our member, Catherine Karr.
UW DEOHS@uwdeohs.bsky.social · 7mo ago“Dust control is the number one advice,” DEOHS and @uwpediatrics.bsky.social Professor Catherine Karr told Architectural Digest. “So many of these contaminants are in house dust.” @uwsph.bsky.social www.architecturaldigest.com/story/low-to...
📢 Our member, Marissa Baker is in the news.
UW DEOHS@uwdeohs.bsky.social · 7mo agoConstruction workers & home health aides were professions associated with a significant burden of cancer deaths in a new U.S.-based study by DEOHS faculty member Marissa Baker, Jesse Plascak of Ohio State, and others in @thelancetoncol.bsky.social. Listen #podcast: www.thelancet.com/multimedia/p...
Exciting ELSI-related job opportunity 👇 Research Fellow in Biomedical Ethics (@mayoclinic.org) To work on empirical bioethics projects related to emerging technologies, including AI, neuroethics, and genomics. Visit ELSIconnect Job Board for more info: connect.elsihub.org/c/job-forum/...
Join us on 1/28 12-1 PM in Roosevelt 2228 for a community-engaged research training. All researchers are welcome to join this interactive and informative session led by Clare McCarthy of the Center for Disaster Resilient Communities. Feel free to bring your lunch. @uwdeohs.bsky.social
The cannabis industry is growing fast. But little is known about the health risks workers face on the job. New research by EDGE scientists shows that cannabis workers may be at risk for respiratory illnesses: edge.deohs.washington.edu/blog/partner... @uwdeohs.bsky.social
Partnering with the cannabis industry to keep workers safe | Interdisciplinary Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics and Environment
The cannabis industry is one of the fastest-growing agricultural sectors in the United States. But unlike most established industries, little is known about the health risks workers face on the job. W...
edge.deohs.washington.edu
Learn more about our amazing Community Advisory Board member, Maria Batayola, including how she works to curb pollution and why she is unofficially called "the Mayor of Beacon Hill." edge.deohs.washington.edu/blog/engagin...
Engaging with “the Mayor of Beacon Hill” | Interdisciplinary Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics and Environment
EDGE Community Advisory Board member, Maria Batayola, was still in high school when she fell in love with the Seattle community of Beacon Hill for its warmth and inclusiveness. “Once I spotted Beacon ...
edge.deohs.washington.edu
Our member Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana chatted with @kuow.org's Libby Denkmann about microplastics-what they are, where they're found, and what we can do to limit our exposure. Catch the full segment here: m.kuow.org/stories/ask-... @uwdeohs.bsky.social
Ask a doctor: Microplastics edition
You’re probably heard the term “microplastics.” And you’ve probably also heard that they’re bad for you. But what exactly are they?
m.kuow.org
Join us this Thursday for an EDGE-sponsored seminar by Rachel Sklar titled "Environmental Health in Prisons and Jails." The event will be held online and in person in UW's Hans Rosling Center on Nov. 13, 2025, 12:30 – 1:20 p.m. deohs.washington.edu?trumbaEmbed=...
A beautiful story about important autism research being done in the lab of our member, Yijie Geng.
Deirdre Lockwood@deirdrelockwood.bsky.social · 9mo agoI loved working on this story about UW undergrad Leo Diaz's work in Yijie Geng's lab. They are studying how pesticides influence autism, and how a chemical naturally produced in our gut might have promise as a future treatment.
Testing for forever chemicals (PFAS) used to require costly, time-intensive lab work. Thanks to work done by our Diana Ceballos, there's a new option: a portable handheld X-ray fluorescence device that screens for PFAS without damaging the item tested. nwasianweekly.com/2025/10/king...
King County pilot study brings “forever chemical” testing into the community
A first-of-its-kind pilot initiative by King County’s Hazardous Waste Management Program is bringing cutting-edge chemical testing into neighborhoods to detect toxic “forever chemicals” in everyday…
nwasianweekly.com
We are hiring tenure-track faculty: ▪️Assistant Professor, Informatics (up to two positions) apply.interfolio.com/171020 ▪️Assistant Professor, Information Mgmt./Information Systems apply.interfolio.com/172354 Help us spread the word by resharing this post! #faculty #uofwa #tenuretrack #hiring
