In March of 2021, Horacio Chacon Torrico arrived in Seattle to begin his second year of graduate studies at the University of Washington School of Public Health, after having completed the first two quarters remotely from his home in Lima, Peru. Within no more than a week of arriving, he received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. But as he scrolled through his Facebook feed, he saw posts from friends in Peru who grieved their lost loved ones from the pandemic. Chacon Torrico felt guilt at having so easily received his vaccine, when so many from his home country were suffering.

Today, May 17 is “International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia”. We celebrate the proud resistance and long struggle for basic rights waged by LBGTQIA2S+ activists and their allies. This struggle has a deep connection to public health activism. May 17th was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.

The University of Washington School of Medicine (SoM) and UW School of Public Health (SPH) are pleased to announce that Dr. Carey Farquhar, MD, MPH has agreed to serve as Interim Chair of the Department of Global Health (DGH) until a permanent chair is found. “We are confident that Carey will continue to provide outstanding leadership for the department” said Dean of Public Health Hilary Godwin and Dean of Medicine Paul Ramsey.  

Custodial workers have served diligently during the pandemic. Department of Global Health alumni Evalynn Romano, ’10, ’21, thinks it’s time they got some appreciation.