Micropantries 鈥� commonly called 鈥渓ittle free pantries鈥澨� 鈥� and community fridges are a frequent sight throughout Seattle and the greater Puget Sound region. One estimate suggests that they supply around 4 million pounds of food per year to neighbors in need in the Seattle area, more than the state鈥檚 largest food bank. The curbside cupboards are a decentralized, community-driven effort to fight food insecurity and reduce food waste at the neighborhood level, but their ad hoc nature limits their dependability 鈥� users don鈥檛 know when food is available without repeatedly checking, and donors don鈥檛 know what foods are needed most.

Now, anyone who interacts with micropantries or community fridges in the Seattle area can try out an experimental app, made by 糖心少女 researchers, that brings a suite of new features to the micropantry network. , maps many local pantries across the region. The app also gives each pantry an activity feed where users can share food they鈥檝e donated, report on stock levels, add requests to a wish list, post photos and leave other notes. The research team also retrofitted some pantries with sensors that anonymously auto-report their usage and stock levels to the app in real time.

鈥淭his is an effort to document and quantify the phenomenon of micropantries,鈥� said , a senior research scientist at the 糖心少女. 鈥淟ots of micropantries and community fridges popped up around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I was curious about who uses them and how they are used.鈥�

The team was cognizant of privacy concerns and designed the smart pantry tech accordingly.

鈥淧utting cameras in the pantries could give us a lot of information about what specific foods are moving through the system, but that may also deter users who are concerned about privacy,鈥� said , a 糖心少女doctoral student in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering who designed and built the sensor suite. 鈥淚nstead, we settled on simpler sensors that measure weight and interactions like opening the door to measure stock levels while preserving everyone鈥檚 anonymity.鈥�

The researchers hope that neighbors will find new ways to connect and help one another through these tools. A user might see that stock levels are low in a nearby pantry, for example, and decide to add some food. Another user might request certain foods to accommodate their dietary restrictions.听

The sensor-equipped pantries are a small subset of the dozens of pantries throughout Seattle, but in addition to providing some neighborhoods with enhanced food tracking, they will generate aggregate data that will help Dalla Chiara鈥檚 team study donor and usage behavior. Dalla Chiara also plans to survey donors to learn more about what motivates people to provide food to pantries.

鈥淲e know that there is a lot of food insecurity in Seattle and in the United States in general,鈥� Dalla Chiara said. 鈥淏ut we know that there is also a lot of food waste 鈥� lots of people have a surplus of food. And we want to see how grassroots efforts like micropantries can address both food insecurity and waste at the same time.鈥�

Dalla Chiara and his team recently completed a refit on a cold, sleeting March day at a pantry owned by Saint Paul鈥檚 Episcopal Church near Seattle Center. The church keeps the pantry regularly stocked, and rector Stephen Crippen is curious about the data the new system will produce.

鈥淚t puts numbers on what we鈥檙e actually accomplishing,鈥� Crippen said. 鈥淚t helps us get in touch with what鈥檚 going on on this street.鈥�

The research team is also working with local businesses and nonprofits to encourage and track food distribution throughout the pantry network. In April, recycling company Ridwell ran a nonperishable food drive across Seattle and delivered 25,000 pounds of food to the ; from there, volunteers from the Cascade Bicycle Club鈥檚 distributed the food to micropantries around the city by bike, giving the network an infusion of both food and usage data. The and the nonprofit helped support the project鈥檚 community fridges effort.

Dalla Chiara recognizes that there are other grassroots online, and he doesn鈥檛 want his app to replace those services. Nor does he expect the smart pantry network to remain in service indefinitely 鈥� it costs about $150 to retrofit each pantry with sensors, and all that tech will be difficult to maintain after the study concludes in October of this year. At its core, the project is an effort to learn about micropantry usage and explore how technology might encourage sharing of resources and mutual aid systems.

鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to measure and quantify goodwill,鈥� Dalla Chiara said. 鈥淏ehind each little free pantry there is a whole system of behaviors 鈥� people trying to help one another. If we can understand that system better, we can support it better.鈥�

Other 糖心少女collaborators include , professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Urban Freight Lab; , assistant teaching professor of environmental and occupational health sciences; , assistant professor of food systems, nutrition and health; and , assistant professor in the Allen School.

For more information, contact Dalla Chiara at giacomod@uw.edu.

Biodiversity loss is directly threatening human health and welfare, according to new research by a multi-institution team including the 糖心少女. The study, , reveals for the first time how the decline of insect pollinators undermines essential ecosystem services that support human nutrition and livelihoods.

It鈥檚 been long known that insect pollinators are vital for producing many of the fruits, vegetables and legumes that supply essential vitamins and minerals in our diets, yet clear evidence of how their decline affects people has been limited.

Working in 10 smallholder farming villages and their surrounding landscapes in Nepal, researchers traced the full chain of connections between wild pollinators, crop yields and the nutrients families rely on. By tracking diets, crop nutrients and the insects visiting those crops over a year, the research team showed how pollinators directly support both nutrition and livelihoods.

鈥淭his study directly connects the crops that local pollinators visit with people鈥檚 diets, nutrition and income,鈥� said , a research scientist in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the UW. 鈥淚t was a real collaborative effort across many partners to collect and analyze a large body of data, making it possible to explore these links.鈥�

The study found insect pollinators were responsible for 44% of people鈥檚 farming income and contributed more than 20% of their intake of vitamin A, folate and vitamin E. When pollinators decline, families risk poorer nutrition leading to higher vulnerability to illness and infections, and deeper cycles of poverty and poor health. One quarter of the global population currently suffer from this 鈥渉idden hunger.鈥�

The research shows there is real potential for positive change 鈥� nutrition and income can improve when communities support pollinators. Simple steps like planting wildflowers, using fewer pesticides or keeping native bees can help boost pollinator numbers, strengthening both nature and people鈥檚 wellbeing.

Even though smallholder farmers are highly vulnerable to biodiversity loss, these practical local actions could enhance their food security and economic resilience. The findings could also help improve the health and livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers around the world.

鈥淥ur study shows that biodiversity is not a luxury 鈥� it is fundamental to our health, nutrition and livelihoods,鈥� said lead author who completed the research while at the University of Bristol and is now a postdoctoral research associate at the University of York, both in the United Kingdom. 鈥淏y revealing how species like pollinators support the food we eat, we highlight both the risks of biodiversity loss for human health and the powerful opportunities to improve human lives by working with nature.鈥�

The research shows that human health is deeply tied to the health of nature. By tracking how pollinators support food production and diets, the study reveals that biodiversity loss isn鈥檛 just an environmental problem, it threatens public health and economic stability 鈥� as highlighted in the recent U.K. government.

With around 2 billion people relying on smallholder farming and with many facing vitamin deficiencies, protecting the ecosystems that support nutritious food is essential and crucial for sustainable development.

The study鈥檚 findings offer a practical framework to help policymakers and farmers design more nature鈥憄ositive farming systems. Although the research is focused on Nepal, the same connections shape food systems everywhere. Diets, even in industrialized countries, still depend on the pollinators and ecosystems that sustain global agriculture.

The researchers 鈥� spanning universities and non-governmental organizations across Nepal, the U.K., the U.S. and Finland 鈥� are now putting their findings into action across Nepal to tackle pollinator declines and repair the pollination systems that support food production. Working with farmers, local organizations, researchers and government partners, they are helping people understand the value of pollinators and how to support them in everyday farming.

By demonstrating why pollinators matter, and sharing simple, practical techniques to support them, the researchers are already seeing farmers adopt changes that boost crop yields, nutrition and income.

鈥淎 鈥榳in-win鈥� scenario exists where we can simultaneously improve conditions for both biodiversity and people,鈥� said co-author , professor of ecology at the University of Bristol. 鈥淚t takes ecological understanding, but it costs remarkably little and there are significant gains for both parties.鈥�

This story was adapted from a

For more information or to contact the researchers, email Alden Woods at acwoods@uw.edu.

UPDATE April 7, 2026:听The original version of this story omitted two 糖心少女programs that were included in the rankings: Occupational Therapy (Tied for 20th) and Physical Therapy (Tied for 31st).听

The 糖心少女鈥檚 graduate and professional degree programs again were recognized as among the best in the nation, according to .

Topping this year鈥檚 list include programs at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, the School of Public Health, the School of Nursing, the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering in the College of Engineering and the College of Education. The College of Arts & Sciences and the College of the Environment also had top-rated programs.

In total, 81 graduate and professional degree programs across the 糖心少女placed in the top 35 in this year鈥檚 U.S. News rankings.

“These rankings highlight the strength and impact of the 糖心少女鈥檚 graduate and professional programs,鈥� said 糖心少女President Robert J. Jones. 鈥淭hese programs equip students with the skills and knowledge to meet critical workforce needs and serve society, while demonstrating the power of higher education to advance the public good. We are proud to foster an environment where students and faculty can thrive and have a real impact on the world around them.鈥�

While the 糖心少女celebrates the success and impact of the programs recognized by U.S. News 鈥� and notes that many applicants use these rankings to help them select schools and discover potential areas of study 鈥� the University also recognizes shortcomings inherent in the ranking systems.

The 糖心少女School of Law and the 糖心少女School of Medicine withdrew from the U.S. News rankings in 2022 and 2023, respectively, citing concerns that some of the methodology in the rankings for those specific disciplines incentivize actions and policies that run counter to the schools鈥� public service missions.

糖心少女leaders continue to work with U.S. News and other ranking organizations to improve their methodologies, to the extent that the organizations are open to it. Schools, colleges and departments continually reevaluate the benefits and potential shortfalls of participating in specific rankings.

Excluding the School of Law and the School of Medicine, 29 糖心少女programs placed in the top 10, and 81 are in the top 35.

听The 糖心少女this year placed in the top 10 nationwide in public affairs, biostatistics,听 nursing, computer science, education, psychology, speech and language pathology, statistics and Earth sciences.

The UW鈥檚 Evans School of Public Policy & Governance has maintained its top-10 ranking for more than a decade and tied for fifth in the nation this year. The Evans School鈥檚 environmental policy program was ranked second, while public finance and budgeting as well as leadership both ranked No. 10.

The 糖心少女School of Nursing鈥檚 doctor of nursing practice program tied for No. 1 among public institutions. The School of Public Health has maintained its top-10 ranking for more than a decade, coming in this year at No. 9. The school also had three programs in the top 10: biostatistics, environmental health sciences and epidemiology.听

The UW鈥檚 programs in speech and language pathology tied for No. 6.听 Two programs from the College of Education placed in the top 10. And the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering this year tied for seventh place overall with three programs ranked in the top 10, including artificial intelligence, programming language and systems.

U.S. News ranks biostatistics in two ways. 糖心少女ranked No. 3 as a science discipline that applies statistical theory and mathematical principles to research in medicine, biology, environmental science, public health and related fields. UW鈥檚 School of Public Health ranked No. 7 in biostatistics as an area of study that trains students to apply statistical principles and methods to problems in health sciences, medicine and biology. At the UW, biostatistics is a division of the School of Public Health.

In some cases, such as the College of Arts & Science and the Foster School of Business, U.S. News ranks several professional disciplines housed within academic units. Programs in dentistry are not ranked.听

The rankings below are based on preliminary data and may be updated. relies on both expert opinions and statistical indicators.

TOP 10:

Library and Information Studies (overall): Two-way tie for 1st (ranked in 2025)

Public Affairs (environmental policy): 2nd

Library and information studies (digital librarianship): Two-way for 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Library and Information Studies (information systems): 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Biostatistics: 3rd

Physics (nuclear): Two-way tie for 3rd (ranked in 2024)

Nurse practitioner (doctor of nursing practice): Four-way tie for 4th

Evans School of Public Policy & Governance (overall): Four-way tie for 5th

Library and Information Studies (library services for children and youth): Two-way for 5th (ranked in 2022)

Computer science (systems): Tied for 6th

Education (elementary education): 6th

Psychology (clinical): Three-way tie for 6th

Speech-language pathology: Five-way tie for 6th

Statistics: Four-way tie for 6th

Public Health (biostatistics): 7th

Computer science (overall): Three-way tie for 7th

Computer science (programming language): Tied for 7th

Education (secondary education): 7th

Nursing (midwifery): Five-way tie for 7th

Public Health (environmental health sciences): 7th

School of Social Work (overall): 7th (ranked in 2025)

Public Health (epidemiology): 8th

Computer science (artificial intelligence): 9th

Earth sciences: Tied for 9th听

Geophysics: Three-way tie for 9th (ranked in 2024)

Public Affairs (nonprofit management): 9th

School of Public Health (overall): Tied for 9th

Public Affairs (public finance and budgeting): 10th

Public Affairs (public management and leadership): 10th

TOP 25:

Biological sciences: Five-way tie for 16th

Business (accounting): 10-way tie for 16th

Business (entrepreneurship): Five-way tie for 17th

Business (information systems): Three-way tie for 15th

Business (part-time MBA): Three-way tie for 11th

Business (full-time MBA): 20th

Business (management): Five-way tie for 25th

Business (marketing): Eight-way tie for 25th

Chemistry (analytical): Four-way tie for 16th (ranked in 2024)

Chemistry: Seven-way tie for 22nd

Chemistry (inorganic): Three-way tie for 22nd (ranked in 2024)

Computer science (theory): Tied for 11th

College of Education (overall): Tied for 24th

Education (administration): Tied for 11th

Education (curriculum/instruction): Tied for 12th

Education (policy): Tied for 14th

Education (special education): Tied for 12th

College of Engineering (overall): Three-way tie for 22nd

Engineering (aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical): Tied for 17th

Engineering (biomedical/bioengineering): Five-way tie for 12th

Engineering (civil): Four-way tie for 13th

Engineering (computer): 12th

Engineering (electrical): Three-way tie for 22nd

Engineering (industrial/manufacturing/systems): Seven-way tie for 24th

Engineering (materials engineering): Five-way tie for 25th

Library and Information Studies (school library media): Two-way tie for 11th (ranked in 2022)

Mathematics (applied math): 21st (ranked in 2024)

Nursing master鈥檚 (overall): Tied for 12th

Nurse practitioner (adult gerontology acute care): Tied for 11th

Nurse practitioner (family): Tied for 15th

School of Pharmacy (overall): Tied for 14th

Physics (overall): Tied for 20th听

Public Affairs (public policy analysis): 14th

Public Affairs (social policy): Tied for 13th

Public Affairs (urban policy): Three-way tie for 21st

Public Health (health care management): Three-way tie for 16th听

Public Health (health policy and management): 11th

Public Health (social behavior): 13th

Sociology (overall): Two-way tie for 22nd (ranked in 2025)

Sociology (population): Two-way tie for 15th (ranked in 2022)

TOP 35:

Business (analytics): Seven-way tie for 32nd

Business (executive MBA): Three-way tie for 29th

Business (finance): Nine-way tie for 31st

Business (international MBA): Tie for 32nd

Business (production & operations): Five-way tie for 27th

Engineering (chemical): Tied for 28th

Engineering (mechanical): 34th

English: Two-way tie for 34th (ranked in 2025)

Fine arts: 15-way tie for 34th

History: Three-way tie for 31st (ranked in 2025)

Mathematics: Four-way tie for 26th

Occupational Therapy: Tied for 20th

Physical Therapy: Tied for 31st

Political science: Five-way tie for 33rd (ranked in 2025)

Over five decades, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has become known as the nation鈥檚. Low-income families receiving WIC benefits 鈥� which provides nutritious food in designated categories, nutrition education and access to other social services 鈥� have .听

But many families who are income eligible to participate in WIC aren鈥檛 receiving those benefits. Research has found that households who don鈥檛 use the full amount of their nutrition benefits are more likely to drop from the program.听

New research by the 糖心少女 has found that households who redeem more of their benefits in the most popular food categories are more likely to remain in the program long-term. Better understanding these patterns could help WIC agencies identify families who might need a little extra encouragement to stay enrolled.

The study was .听

鈥�Finding ways to identify kids and families that are at risk of dropping out of the program is of high importance,鈥� said , a 糖心少女assistant professor of health systems and population health and first author of the study. 鈥�That鈥檚 basically what we鈥檝e identified 鈥� a way to flag families who may be at risk of dropping off.鈥�

WIC provides families with food benefits in , with fruits and vegetables and eggs as the most popular. In partnership with (PHFE WIC), a Southern California WIC agency with a large research and evaluation division, researchers analyzed redemption data from 188,000 participating infants and children 0-3 years old, between the years 2019 and 2023.听

Among those children, higher redemption of fruits and vegetables, eggs, whole milk and infant formula was associated with lower risk of their household discontinuing WIC participation.听

The risk of discontinuation decreased in a somewhat linear fashion as redemption rates increased.

Chaparro hopes that local WIC agencies will build on these findings and seek new ways to engage families at risk of dropping off. All WIC providers must offer nutrition education, which could be an opportunity to target households with lower redemption rates in popular categories.听

The findings come just over a year after the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees WIC, . Among other changes, the 2024 rule significantly increased benefits for fresh fruits and vegetables, which has proven popular.

鈥淭he expansion of fruit and vegetable benefits for WIC families has been among the most important policy changes of the last decade,鈥� said , director of research and evaluation at PHFE WIC and co-author of the study. 鈥淔amilies want more fruits and vegetables, and this research demonstrates that their inclusion in the WIC food package is essential for longer-term engagement in the program.鈥�

of the University of Tennessee and PHFE WIC is the corresponding author. This study was funded by .

When uncontrolled wildfires moved from the foothills above Los Angeles into the densely populated urban areas below in January 2025, evacuation ensued and a thick layer of toxic smoke spread across the region. Air quality plummeted. Local hospitals braced for a surge,.听听

Research led by the 糖心少女 and Kaiser Permanente Southern California sheds new light on how the Los Angeles fires affected people鈥檚 health, and how people navigated the health care system during an emergency. In the rapid study, published , researchers analyzed the health records of 3.7 million Kaiser Permanente members of all ages living in the region. They found that health care visits did rise above normal levels, especially virtual services.听听

In the week after the fires ignited, Kaiser Permanente members made 42% more virtual visits for respiratory symptoms than expected. Those living near a burn zone or within Los Angeles County also made 44% and 40% more virtual cardiovascular visits, respectively, than expected.听

In-person outpatient visits for respiratory symptoms also increased substantially. Members who lived near a burn zone or within Los Angeles County made 27% and 31% more virtual cardiovascular visits, respectively, than expected.听

Extrapolating to all insured residents of the county, the researchers estimated an excess of 15,792 cardiovascular virtual visits, 18,489 respiratory virtual visits and 27,903 respiratory outpatient visits in the first week of the fires.听

The results suggest that people may rely more heavily on virtual health care during climate-related emergencies, and that providers should better prioritize virtual and telehealth services as they prepare for future crises.听

鈥淲e saw over 6,241 excess cardiorespiratory virtual visits in the week following the fire ignition. This represents a substantial increase in care,鈥� said, a 糖心少女associate professor of environmental and occupational health sciences and of epidemiology who led the research. 鈥淲hile the fires clearly impacted health, virtual care likely enhanced the ability of providers to meet the health care needs of people experiencing an ongoing climate disaster.鈥澨�

In collaboration with Kaiser Permanente Southern California, an integrated health care system with millions of members across the region, researchers analyzed health records of people who were highly or moderately exposed to wildfires. They defined high exposure as living within about 12 miles (20 kilometers) of a burn zone, and moderate exposure as living within Los Angeles County but farther than 12 miles during the time of the fires.听听

Researchers looked back three years to estimate how many health care visits to expect in the weeks following Jan. 7 鈥� the first day of the fires 鈥� under typical conditions. They then estimated how many people sought care in the first week of the fires, when smoke levels were highest, evacuations took place, and Los Angeles County public schools were closed.

In addition to the spike in cardiovascular and respiratory visits, researchers found a sharp increase in the number of visits for injuries and neuropsychiatric symptoms. On Jan. 7, outpatient injury visits were 18% higher than expected among highly exposed members, and virtual injury visits were 26% and 18% higher than expected among highly and moderately exposed groups, respectively. Among those same groups, outpatient neuropsychiatric visits rose 31% and 28% above expectations, respectively.

While both groups made significantly more visits than expected, proximity to the fires mattered. When researchers zoomed in on respiratory-related virtual visits, they found that minimally exposed members made 31% more visits, moderately exposed members made 36% more, and those living in highly exposed areas made 42% more.听听

鈥淲hile healthcare systems often plan to increase the number of hospital beds available or clinic staffing during an emergency, this work highlights the importance of considering virtual care capacity,鈥� said, a 糖心少女doctoral student of epidemiology and co-author on the study. 鈥淭his may be particularly true for climate disasters like wildfires, during which people are advised to stay indoors or when people must evacuate 鈥� motivating them to seek care online if at all possible. As climate disasters increase in frequency and intensity, it is essential that health care systems know how to prepare for a sudden and dramatic surge in health care utilization.鈥澨�

Other authors on this study are , and of Kaiser Permanente Southern California; of the University of California, Berkeley; of Kaiser Permanente Hawaii; and of Columbia University; and of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego; and of the Scripps Institution and the University of Rennes in France.

This research was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences.听

For more information or to reach the research team, contact Alden Woods at acwoods@uw.edu.

About . Birth before 37 weeks can lead to a cascade of health risks, both immediate and long-term, making prevention a vital tool for improving public health over generations.听

In recent years, researchers have identified a potential link between wildfire smoke 鈥� one of the fastest-growing sources of air pollution in the United States 鈥� and preterm birth, but no study has been big or broad enough to draw definitive conclusions. A new study led by the 糖心少女 makes an important contribution, analyzing data from more than 20,000 births to find that pregnant people who are exposed to wildfire smoke are more likely to give birth prematurely.

鈥淧reventing preterm birth really pays off with lasting benefits for future health,鈥� said lead author , a 糖心少女postdoctoral researcher in environmental and occupational health sciences. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also something of a mystery. We don鈥檛 always understand why babies are born preterm, but we know that air pollution contributes to preterm births, and it makes sense that wildfire smoke would as well. This study underscores that wildfire smoke is inseparable from maternal and infant health.鈥�

In the study, ,听researchers used data from the , a federal research project focused on how a wide range of environmental factors affect children鈥檚 health. The sample included 20,034 births from 2006-2020 across the contiguous United States.

Researchers estimated participants鈥� average daily exposure to fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, generated by wildfire smoke, and the total number of days they were exposed to any amount of smoke. They estimated the intensity of smoke exposure by how frequently participants were exposed to wildfire PM2.5 levels above certain thresholds.

They found that pregnant people exposed to more intense wildfire smoke were more likely to give birth prematurely. In mid-pregnancy, exposure to any smoke was associated with an elevated risk of preterm birth, with that risk peaking around the 21st week of gestation. In late pregnancy, elevated risk was most closely associated with exposure to high concentrations of wildfire PM2.5, above 10 micrograms per cubic meter.

鈥淭he second trimester is a period of pregnancy with the richest and most intense growth of the placenta, which itself is such an important part of fetal health, growth and development,鈥� said co-author , a 糖心少女professor of environmental and occupational health sciences and of pediatrics in the 糖心少女School of Medicine. 鈥淪o it may be that the wildfire smoke particles are really interfering with placental health. Some of them are so tiny that after inhalation they can actually get into the bloodstream and get delivered directly into the placenta or fetus.鈥澨�

The link was strongest and most precise in the Western U.S., where people were exposed to the highest concentrations of wildfire PM2.5 and the greatest number of high-intensity smoke days. Here, the odds of preterm birth increased with each additional microgram per cubic meter of average wildfire PM2.5.

It鈥檚 possible those results were more precise simply because the West experiences more wildfire smoke on average, making the exposure model perform better, Sherris said. But there may be other factors behind the regional differences.听

The composition of wildfire smoke is different across the country. In the West, smoke tends to come from fires nearby, while in places like the Midwest, smoke has typically drifted in from faraway fires. and reacts with sunlight and airborne chemicals, which could have affected the results. Researchers also noted that external factors like co-occurring heat or housing quality may have effects that aren鈥檛 fully understood.听

Researchers hope that future studies will examine the exact mechanisms by which wildfire smoke might trigger preterm birth. But in the meantime, Sherris said, evidence for a link is now strong enough to take action.听

鈥淭here are a couple avenues for change,鈥� Sherris said. 鈥淔irst, people already get a lot of public health messaging and information throughout pregnancy, so there鈥檚 an opportunity to work with clinicians to provide tools for pregnant people to protect themselves during smoke events. Public health agencies鈥� messaging about wildfire smoke could also be tailored to pregnant people and highlight them as a vulnerable group.鈥�

Co-authors include , doctoral student of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW; , clinical associate professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW; , professor of biostatistics at the UW; , associate professor of environmental and occupational health sciences and of epidemiology at the UW; , postdoctoral fellow of epidemiology at the UW; and , assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW. A full list of co-authors is included with the paper.

This research was funded by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program at the National Institutes of Health under multiple awards. A full list of ECHO funding awards is included with the paper.听

For more information or to contact the researchers, email Alden Woods at acwoods@uw.edu.

A statewide initiative to put more healthy, climate-friendly grains on people鈥檚 plates has received a $19 million boost, which will sustain every step in building a network from the field to the fork.

The initiative, a public-private partnership led by Washington State University with support from the 糖心少女, received a $10 million BioInnovation Grant from the and matching funds from several other organizations, including more than $3 million from the Washington Grain Commission.

It targets a global health problem: the lack of whole grains in people鈥檚 diets, which contributes to widespread health problems.

The funding will allow WSU researchers to continue developing new crop varieties for farmers. It will fuel efforts to bring more whole grains to the public, including into school lunchrooms and will expand Washington state鈥檚 commercial infrastructure for storing, transporting, milling and marketing whole grains. The funding will also support the establishment of a commercial kitchen at the 糖心少女to help entrepreneurs bring whole-grain foods to market.

鈥淭his work is about making sure that nutritious grains reach the people who need them,鈥� said , a professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW. 鈥淏y understanding the policies, systems, and human decisions that shape food production and the supply chain for school meals, we can help bridge the gap between innovation and impact.鈥�

Two teams of 糖心少女researchers will contribute to this effort.听

, professor of industrial & systems engineering and of mechanical engineering at the UW, will help lead development of ready-to-eat meals and will support private organizations using 糖心少女facilities to produce sample meals for school breakfast and lunch.听

The UW鈥檚 implementation science team, which includes Otten, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences , and assistant professor of epidemiology , will examine how innovations in grain breeding and food product development can be successfully adopted in school settings. They will study what policy, budgetary, and social factors help ensure that new whole grain and legume varieties are embraced across the supply chain and, ultimately, by school-aged children who rely on them for the nutrition they need to grow and thrive.

This team will also lead study-away programs, where students can learn about new whole grains and legumes in both urban and rural areas of Washington state. Curriculum from these five-week summer programs will be made publicly available.听

鈥淭he timing of the grant is perfect,鈥� said , a WSU professor of international seed and cropping systems and director of the WSU Breadlab, who will lead the grant work. 鈥淲e鈥檙e right at the stage where we鈥檝e got a critical mass of cross-disciplinary research, encompassing a range of agricultural, food and health sciences. Now we can start commercializing, getting these crop varieties to farmers, getting whole grains on our plates and into schools.鈥�

The grant funding will be matched by contributions from the Washington Grain Commission, the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council, the American Heart Association, The Land Institute, and food and technology companies.

鈥淭his is truly a historic investment for Washington farmers,鈥� said Casey Chumrau, CEO of the Washington Grain Commission.

Adapted from . For more information or to reach the project team, contact Alden Woods at acwoods@uw.edu or WSU鈥檚 Shawn Vestal at shawn.vestal@wsu.edu.

In the 10 years since the federal government , studies have suggested the policy has wide-ranging benefits. Students in participating schools , are and .

Now, as cuts to food assistance programs threaten to slash access to universal school meals, a new study led by the 糖心少女 finds another potential benefit to the programs: Students in participating schools were less likely to have high blood pressure, suggesting that universal free meals might be a powerful tool for improving public health.听

鈥淗igh blood pressure is an important public health problem that isn鈥檛 studied as much on a population level as obesity,鈥� said , a 糖心少女postdoctoral researcher of health systems and population health and lead author of the study. 鈥淲e have evidence that CEP increases participation in school meals, and we also have evidence that school meals are more nutritious than meals that kids obtain elsewhere. This is a public health policy that is delivering nutritious meals to children who may not have previously had access.鈥�

For the study, , researchers linked two datasets that rarely interact. They obtained medical records of patients ages 4-18 from community health organizations, and used patients鈥� addresses to identify the school they attended. The data encompassed 155,778 young people attending 1,052 schools, mostly in California and Oregon.

Researchers estimated the percentage of students with high blood pressure before and after schools opted into universal free meals, and compared those results against eligible schools that had not yet participated in the program. They also tracked students鈥� average systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings. All data were aggregated at the school level.听

They found that school participation in the CEP was associated with a 2.71% decrease in the proportion of students with high blood pressure, corresponding to a 10.8% net drop over five years. School participation in CEP was also associated with a decrease in students鈥� average diastolic blood pressure.听

鈥淚n previous work on the health impacts of universal free school meals, our team found that adoption of free meals is associated with decreases in and , which are closely linked to risk of high blood pressure,鈥� said , a professor of health, society and behavior at the University of California Irvine鈥檚 Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health and senior author of the study. Jones-Smith conducted much of this research while on faculty at the 糖心少女School of Public Health. 鈥淪o in addition to directly affecting blood pressure through provision of healthier meals, a second pathway by which providing universal free meals might impact blood pressure is through their impact on lowering risk for high BMI.鈥澨�

Improved nutrition of school meals may have helped drive the decrease, researchers said. The 2010 law that established the CEP also created stronger nutritional requirements for school meals. As a result, those meals now more closely resemble the , which to be an effective tool for managing hypertension.听

Despite the evidence supporting the DASH diet鈥檚 effectiveness, public health officials previously lacked an effective mechanism to encourage people with high blood pressure to follow its recommendations. 鈥淲e know there are a lot of barriers to people eating this diet,鈥� Localio said, but the combination of universal free meals and increased nutritional standards likely helped students overcome those barriers.

The study also contradicts the common misperception that universal free meals mostly benefit wealthier students, because students from low-income families would already receive free meals. The study sample consists primarily of low-income patients, with 85% of included students enrolled in public health insurance such as Medicaid.

鈥淭here is a perception that providing universally free school meals will only improve outcomes for students of relatively higher-income families, but our findings suggest that there are benefits for lower-income children as well,鈥� Jones-Smith said. 鈥淧otential mechanisms for this include decreasing the income-related stigma around eating school lunch by providing it free to all students and eliminating the time and paperwork burden of individually applying, thus decreasing barriers to participation in school meals.鈥�

These findings come at an uncertain time for universal free meals. A school is eligible to participate in the CEP if . In this way, recent cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation鈥檚 largest food assistance program, may affect schools鈥� access to the program.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in a contentious time for public health, but it seems like there鈥檚 bipartisan support for healthy school meals,鈥� Localio said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 legislation being considered in a number of states to expand universal free meals, and these findings could inform that decision-making. Cutting funding to school meals would not promote children鈥檚 health.鈥澨�

Co-authors on the study include , research professor emeritus of health systems and population health at the UW; , teaching professor of economics at the UW; Wyatt Benksen and Aileen Ochoa of OCHIN; and , associate professor of nursing at the UW. This study was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development.听

For more information or to contact the researchers, email Alden Woods at acwoods@uw.edu.

Warmer weather across the globe is reshaping the landscape of human health. Case in point:听Dengue fever incidence could rise as much as 76% by 2050 due to climate warming across a large swath of Asia and the Americas, according to a new study led by , a researcher at the 糖心少女.听

Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease once confined largely to the tropics, often brings flu-like symptoms. Without proper medical care, it can escalate to severe bleeding, organ failure, and even death.鈥�

The study,, is the most comprehensive estimate yet of how temperature shifts affect dengue鈥檚 spread. It provides the first direct evidence that a warming climate has already increased the disease鈥檚 toll.听听

鈥淭he effects of temperature were much larger than I expected,鈥� said Childs, a 糖心少女assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences who conducted much of the research as a doctoral student at Stanford University. 鈥淓ven small shifts in temperature can have a big impact for dengue transmission, and we鈥檙e already seeing the fingerprint of climate warming.鈥澨�

The study analyzed over 1.4 million observations of local dengue incidence across 21 countries in Central and South America and Southeast and South Asia, capturing both epidemic spikes and background levels of infection.听听

Dengue thrives in a 鈥淕oldilocks zone鈥� of temperatures 鈥� incidence peaks at about 27.8 degrees Celsius, or 82 degrees Fahrenheit, rising sharply as cooler regions warm but dropping slightly when already-hot areas exceed the optimal range. As a result, some of the largest increases are projected for cooler, high-population regions in countries such as Mexico, Peru and Brazil. Many other endemic regions will continue to experience larger, warming-fueled dengue burdens. By contrast, a few of the hottest lowland areas may see slight declines.听听

Still, the net global effect is a steep rise in disease.听

The findings suggest that higher temperatures from climate change were responsible for an average 18% increase of dengue incidence across 21 countries in Asia and the Americas from 1995 to 2014 鈥� translating to more than 4.6 million extra infections annually, based on current incidence estimates. Cases could climb another 49% to 76% by 2050 depending on greenhouse gas emissions levels, according to the study. At the higher end of the projections, incidence of dengue would more than double in many cooler locations, including areas in the study countries that are already home to over 260 million people.听听

鈥淢any studies have linked temperature and dengue transmission,鈥� said senior author, a professor of biology in the. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 unique about this work is that we are able to separate warming from all the other factors that influence dengue 鈥� mobility, land use change, population dynamics 鈥� to estimate its effect on the real-world dengue burden. This is not just hypothetical future change but a large amount of human suffering that has already happened because of warming-driven dengue transmission.鈥澨�

The researchers cautioned that their estimates are likely conservative. They do not account for regions where dengue transmission is sporadic or poorly reported, nor do they include large endemic areas such as India or Africa where detailed data is lacking or not publicly available. The researchers also highlighted recent locally acquired cases in California, Texas, Hawaii, Florida, and in Europe 鈥� a signal of the expanding range of dengue. Urbanization, human migration and the evolution of the virus could amplify risks, while medical advances may help blunt them, making projections uncertain.听

Aggressive climate mitigation would significantly reduce the dengue disease burden, according to the study. At the same time, adaptation will be essential. This includes better mosquito control, stronger health systems and potential widespread use of new dengue vaccines.听

In the meantime, the findings could help guide public health planning and strengthen efforts to hold governments and fossil fuel companies accountable for climate change damages. Attribution studies are increasingly entering courtrooms and policy debates, used to assign responsibility for climate damages and to support funds compensating countries most affected.听听

鈥淐limate change is not just affecting the weather 鈥� it has cascading consequences for human health, including fueling disease transmission by mosquitoes,鈥� Mordecai said. 鈥淓ven as the U.S. federal government moves away from investing in climate mitigation and climate and health research, this work is more crucial than ever for anticipating and mitigating the human suffering caused by fossil fuel emissions.鈥澨�

Co-authors of the study include of Arizona State University, of the University of Maryland, and of Stanford. Lyberger and Harris completed much of their work while at Stanford.听听听

The research was funded by the Illich-Sadowsky Fellowship through the Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship program at Stanford University; an Environmental Fellowship at the Harvard University Center for the Environment; the National Institutes of Health; the National Science Foundation (with the Fogarty International Center); 迟丑别鈥� 迟丑别鈥� and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.听

Adapted from a. For more information or to contact the researchers, email Alden Woods at acwoods@uw.edu.

New research from the 糖心少女 shows that the program can improve fruit and vegetable intake and food security among low-income populations by providing financial support for buying healthy food.

The Fresh Bucks program works with local partners to help Seattle residents access healthy food. The program accepts applications from Seattle households with income less than 80% of the area median 鈥� $110,950 for a family of four in 2024. Recipients can use the $40 per month benefit to purchase fruits and vegetables at more than 40 retail locations throughout Seattle, including farmers markets, Safeway stores and independently owned grocery stores.

The study, , shows that Fresh Bucks households 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.

鈥淚 would classify both of those numbers as pretty large,鈥� said , co-author, 糖心少女affiliate professor of health systems and population health and of epidemiology and University of California, Irvine professor of health, society and behavior. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 routinely see interventions that work that well. It鈥檚 a pretty big impact on diet in terms of what we can do from a policy perspective and expect to make a difference in food insecurity.鈥�

Food insecurity, or the lack of access to nutritionally adequate foods, is linked to lower-income households and is often associated with poor nutrient intake, diabetes and hypertension. Diet quality, including fruit and vegetable intake, impacts the risk for premature disability and death from cardiometabolic disease, cancer and other causes. But fresh fruits and vegetables tend to be less available in lower-income neighborhoods and more expensive than processed foods.

鈥淭he UW鈥檚 study helps us understand how the City of Seattle鈥檚 Fresh Bucks program shows up in the day-to-day decisions of our enrolled households,鈥� said Robyn Kumar, Fresh Bucks program manager at the City of Seattle Office of Sustainability. 鈥淔indings show that the healthy food access program makes a tangible difference for customers, significantly increasing food security and fruit and vegetable intake. We know these lifestyle changes have long-lasting benefits, and Fresh Bucks is helping to ensure that our most overburdened community members have equitable access to healthy foods and increased quality of life.鈥�

In October 2021, 6,900 new applicants and existing beneficiaries applied to receive benefits in 2022. The total number of applicants exceeded program funding, so 4,200 households were randomly chosen to receive benefits. The remaining applicants were placed on a waitlist. The City of Seattle then mailed a follow-up survey to all 6,900 applicants in July 2022. The sample for this study consists of the 1,973 households who completed and returned the survey.

Researchers compared new applicants who received the benefit and new applicants assigned to the waitlist. They also considered the impact of losing Fresh Bucks by comparing returning applicants who were placed on the waitlist with those who continued receiving benefits. Losing the benefit reduced food security by 29% and resulted in households being 26% less likely to eat fruits and vegetables at least three times a day.

鈥淭he results were quite symmetric,鈥� said , lead author and 糖心少女teaching professor of economics. 鈥淭he people who gained the program saw nearly the same benefit as what was lost by the people who lost the program. So, it seems like there are two things going on: One is that the program is helping people, and the other is these effects don鈥檛 magically sustain themselves without funding.鈥�

Because of the health risks associated with poor diet, insurers have recently shown increased interest and investment in 鈥渇ood is medicine,鈥� or FIM, programs, which include produce prescriptions and programs that provide free, healthy food for patients. Before FIM programs, federal grants funded 鈥渘utrition incentive programs鈥� to increase healthy food access and food security.

But Fresh Bucks differs from other healthy food benefit programs in several ways, including focused enrollment within households disproportionately impacted by food insecurity and diet-related chronic disease, divesting enrollment from SNAP participation, enabling participants to redeem benefits at a large chain food retailer and smaller local stores and no required match spending 鈥� where participants receive additional benefits based on how much of their own money they spend.

鈥淲e clearly see that once this program goes away, people can no longer afford to eat these foods, as evidenced by the increase in fruits and vegetables when people are receiving the benefit, but the near symmetric decrease when benefits are lost,鈥� Jones-Smith said. 鈥淚 think that really drives home the fact that money or material resources are necessary for enacting this kind of dietary change.鈥�

Other co-authors from the 糖心少女include , recently graduated doctoral student of health systems and population health; , associate professor of health systems and population health; and , community research coordinator. The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

For more information, contact Knox at knoxm@uw.edu.