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On Friday, June 13, the University of Washington’s Department of Global Health (DGH) proudly celebrated the graduation of 58 students from over 15 countries.
These 58 graduates represented three doctoral and one master’s program:
In the Department of Global Health faculty are dedicated to improving health for all through their research, teaching, and service to the university and our partners around the world. In recognition of their exemplary work at the University of Washington and beyond, two Department of Global Health faculty members, Drs. Kenneth Mugwanya, associate professor, and Julianne Meisner, assistant professor, have been awarded endowed appointments which will support them in advancing innovative teaching, research, and community engagement in DGH and beyond.
Associate Professor of the UW Global Health Department, Jason Daniel-Ulloa, earns the 2025 Distinguished Teaching Award, the UW’s highest teaching honor, among several other star faculty.
Adjunct Professor of Global Health, Helen Chu, went through two years of a rigorous application process to apply to one of the country’s top vaccine advisory panels at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Last July, she began what she thought would be a four-year term with the CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices. But less than a year later and via a brief and vague email, Chu was abruptly dismissed. The June 9 email didn’t specify why, she said.
Adjunct Professor of Global Health, Helen Chu, went through a multiyear process to finally gain a seat on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccines experts panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. She and the rest of her colleagues on the ACIP were summarily terminated.
Every year, we take the time to recognize outstanding staff for their dedication and many contributions to our department. Criteria for selecting outstanding staff included superior service, resourcefulness, innovation, creativity, excellence, integrity, and a commitment to creating and sustaining a climate of equity, justice, and anti-racism. Congratulations to all nominees!
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Kevin Jiang, a recent Ph.D. graduate in Bioengineering, took First Place at this year’s University of Washington’s Three Minute Thesis (UW 3MT) Competition. Grace Umutesi, a Ph.D. student in Global Health Metrics & Implementation Science, was named Runner-Up and earned the People’s Choice Award.
“We have so many evidence-based interventions to reduce child mortality that are inexpensive, and that are unequivocally effective,” Means said. “It's really about getting those interventions to the right people in the right places. That is our challenge.”
Dr. Carey Farquhar, professor of medicine (Allergy and Infectious Diseases) and global health, has received a Global Innovation Fund Award from the UW Office of Global Affairs. The UW Global Innovation Fund seeds initiatives and programs, developing cross-college and cross-continent collaborations that enhance the University of Washington’s global reach.
Jason Daniel-Ulloa, associate teaching professor in the Departments of Health Systems and Population Health and Global Health, has been awarded the University of Washington’s Distinguished Contributions to Lifelong Learning Award. Presented as part of the UW’s 2025 Awards of Excellence, the honor recognizes full-time faculty who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to teaching and designing courses in non-degree programs that serve professional development, personal growth, and career transformation.