The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) partners with colleges and universities statewide and beyond. These partnerships span from innovative research collaborations to supporting pathways for the next generation of the public health workforce, and they include many special projects that advance strategic priorities in public health across the state.
Selected recent academic partnerships include:
- The Future of AI and the Health Sciences Summit
- Climate and Health Team Project Showcased at Yakima Valley College
- University of Washington Summer Health Professions Education Program
- Care-A-Van Back to School COVID-19 Booster Campaign
The Future of AI and the Health Sciences Summit
Co-hosted by DOH and the University of Washington’s six health sciences schools in the summer of 2024, the Future of AI & the Health Sciences Summit convened partners across academia, government, public health practice, and the private sector.
The Summit addressed topics including practical applications in population health; foundations, tools and frameworks around AI to improve the health of the public; and equity and ethical considerations for AI in the health sciences. Keynote and panel session recordings are available on the AI summit site.
Climate and Health Project Showcased at Yakima Valley College
In the fall of 2024, DOH’s Climate and Health team installed a pollen monitoring station on the Yakima Valley College (YVC) campus in Yakima. The monitor will help track pollen levels in the area and provide valuable information for local allergy sufferers.
The installation is part of a larger initiative to provide better outside air information to Washington residents. The Climate and Health team aims to install pollen monitors in each of Washington’s 10 climate zones. In addition to YVC, monitors have recently been installed at Gonzaga University and Pullman High School. Data from the monitors will be immediately available on the PollenWise app.
In November 2024, YVC showcased this partnership in their college magazine: Collaboration aims to help seasonal allergy sufferers.
University of Washington Summer Health Professions Education Program
In recent summers, DOH has engaged with the UW School of Public Health to support participating college students in the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP). SHPEP is a free enrichment program that aims to strengthen the academic proficiency and career development of students underrepresented in health professions, with 12 program sites nationwide. Coming to UW from across the U.S., the students had a wide range of interests in future public health careers.
Students toured DOH’s Public Health Lab and engaged with DOH staff on a range of public health topics such as cancer prevention, health equity, social marketing, and health policy and evaluation.
As one SHPEP student reflected: "I learned how multidisciplinary the field of public health is, as there are practitioners from both the hard sciences and social sciences who have to work together to promote public health values of surveillance, prevention, education, and equity."
Supporting the development of the future public health workforce is a key priority for DOH. Carrie Evans, senior director of academic affairs in DOH's Office of Strategic Partnerships, shared: "It is such a privilege to support DOH’s academic partnerships with our higher education community. The incredible enthusiasm of our staff as they meet these talented groups of students demonstrates how this type of engagement is beneficial not just for our academic partners, but also for our staff who are so often reinvigorated by opportunities to lend their expertise and connect with the next generation of the public health workforce."
Care-A-Van Back to School COVID-19 Booster Campaign
In the fall of 2022, DOH’s Care-A-Van Mobile Health Services team administered COVID-19 vaccinations at 35 campus events at colleges and universities across Washington state. With "Walk-ups Welcome" signs in front of the pop-up clinics, students expressed their appreciation for the ease of being able to get their booster in between classes and not have to leave campus to do it.
Seeking opportunities to address the lower rates of COVID-19 vaccinations among young adults ages 18 to 25 across the state, health care providers working with DOH’s Power of Providers (POP) Initiative team were interested in reaching college-age students. Engagement with DOH’s Academic Affairs team in the Office of Strategic Partnerships spurred engagement with the DOH Care-a-Van team to host mobile vaccination clinics on college and university campuses.
Many academic partners across the state responded enthusiastically to the free service to support increased vaccination rates among students, faculty and staff on their campus.