Health

Nicole McNichols, associate teaching professor of psychology at the UW, writes, "On November 17, my students at the University of Washington heard from someone at the center of todays most complicated conversations about sexuality, labor, and the digital world. That person was Ari Kytsya, an enormously successful OnlyFans creator whose online presence is very different from what many people imagine when they hear 'OnlyFans model.'"

Several major hospital systems across the Puget Sound region are cutting hundreds of jobs, a wave of reductions that experts warn could soon lead to longer waits, fewer available services, and growing pressure on families seeking medical care.Anirban Basu, professor of health economics at the UW, is quoted.

Getting help for parents of children with autism and receiving an early diagnosis can be costly and slow. Annette Estes, director of the UW Autism Center and a research professor of speech and hearing sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Interactions between academic neuroscience and industry will grow, and the neurotech sector will expand, most survey respondents predict. The current funding upheaval in the United States may accelerate this trend as the field searches for new funding models. Bing Wen Brunton, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Looking for a fresh perspective? Check out these podcasts and radio shows from UW alumni and faculty, including Markus Dekanogisdi Teuton (Cherokee), (BM, Jazz Studies // BA, CHID, 2024) and Kara Bazzi (BA, Psychology, 2021). 

Ashleigh Theberge, a UW professor of chemistry, pursues projects ranging from designing at-home biological sample collection kits to exploring the physics of liquid flow to investigating molecules made by filamentous fungi. Her broad-ranging interests made her a fit for the Schmidt Polymaths Program, which supports mid-career scientists pursuing interdisciplinary research.

COVID-era school closures caused the U.S. significant economic and educational loss while being less effective than other transmission interventions, according to new research. Adrian Raftery, professor emeritus of statistics and of sociology, is quoted.

The erotic lives of senior citizens are typically made invisible by our culture, which can lead to confusion and misinformation. Dr. Pepper Schwartz, the love and relationships columnist for AARP, joins the Dear Sugars podcast to dispel certain myths about sex and aging. Pepper Schwartz, professor of sociology at the UW, is interviewed.

A city program that gives low-income households $40 a month to buy fruits and vegetables significantly improved their food security, a new University of Washington study found. Melissa Knox, UW teaching professor of economics, is quoted.

Couples are using (and loving) AI-powered apps for everything from conversation starters to sex tips. Therapists are less convinced they can replace the human touch. The UW's Nicholas Velotta, doctoral student of sociology, and Pepper Schwartz, professor of sociology at the UW, are mentioned.

When the Peninsula School District implemented one of Washington's first bans on cell phones in the classroom two years ago, Keyna Houston said it could not have come soon enough. Unsurprisingly, teachers have had by far the most positive reaction to these policies, reporting less stress, better ability to manage their classrooms and perceived social benefits for their students, according to new research out of the UW. Luca Magis-Weinberg, assistant professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

A new study from the University of Washington shows that households enrolled in the City of Seattle's Fresh Bucks program experience a 31% higher rate of food security and consume at least three daily servings of fruits and vegetables 37% more often than those assigned to a program waitlist. Fresh Bucks, a $40 a month benefit, works with local partners to help residents access fresh food.

WRF planning grant fuels effort to unify and elevate research on the brain across the university.

"Empathy can make people weaker both physically and practically, according to social scientists. Consider the phenomenon known as empathy fatigue, a major source of burnout among counselors, nurses and even neurosurgeons. These professionals devote their lives to helping others, yet the empathy they feel for their clients and patients wears them down, making it harder to do their jobs," co-writes Colin Marshall, associate professor of philosophy at the UW.

"The Trump administrations cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development and other aid funding for global health are cruel and catastrophic. One estimate just published in the journal Nature suggests that up to 25 million people could die over 15 years because of the cuts to TB, HIV/AIDS, family planning, and maternal and child health programs. Cancellations of National Institutes of Health funding for global health research contribute to the devastation," writes James Pfeiffer, professor of global health and of anthropology at the UW.