For Researchers

PI: Pablo Monsivais (WSU)Project number: R21DK129895Project dates: 9/22/2022-5/31/2025 Unhealthy diet is a key behavioral risk factor for several chronic diseases, particularly type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. Long-term measures of diet are typically self-reported and subject to known sources of error and bias. A recognized population-level determinant of diet is access to and use […]

PI: David Sbarra (University of Arizona)Project number: R01AG078361Project dates: 8/15/2022-4/30/2027 A large body of evidence indicates that high-quality social relationships are correlated with decreased risk for morbidity and mortality from a range of disease outcomes, and that social disconnection and poor relationship quality are correlated with considerable risk for negative health outcomes. Although most of […]

PI: Perry HystadProject number: R21ES031226Project dates: 7/17/2020-6/30/2021 Built environments directly influence health, for example through air pollution and noise exposures, and indirectly influence health through changing health-related behaviors, for which physical activity is a major contributor. Nearly all epidemiology studies examining the relationships between long-term built environment related exposures and health have relied solely on […]

PI: Perry HystadProject number: R21ES029722Project dates: 8/17/2019-7/31/2021 The built environment is an important modifiable determinant of human health, yet our ability to understand its effects on human health have been limited by the lack of scalable data on specific components (and exposures) of the built environment. The emergence of ubiquitous geo-referenced imagery in the United […]

PI: Glen DuncanProject number: 2R56AG042176Project dates: 9/30/2017–8/31/2018 The overall goal of this research is to determine how the built environment (BE) in which individuals live, work, and play in on a daily basis influences their health. This proposal will continue a productive line of research into associations among the BE and health in a community-based sample of […]

PI: Edmund Seto (UW) and Glen Duncan (WSU)Project number: R33ES024715Project dates: 9/1/2017–8/31/2021 This research addresses the mission of the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences by increasing our understanding of how the environment influences human health through validation of a new wearable device that measures multiple environmental toxicants in real-time and space, called the Portable University of […]

PI: Edmund Seto and Glen DuncanProject number: 5R21ES024715Project dates: 3/1/2015–2/28/2017 This research addresses the mission of the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences by increasing our understanding of how the environment influences human health through validation of a new wearable device that measures multiple environmental toxicants in real-time and space, called the Portable University of Washington […]

PI: Kari NadeauProject Number: 5R01HL118612Project Dates: 1/15/2014–12/31/2017 Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) is associated with a greater lifetime risk of developing asthma, more severe asthma, and increased asthma hospitalizations for both children and adults. While much of the immunopathogenesis of asthma remains incompletely understood, key molecular events include changes in regulatory T cell (Treg) and effector […]

PI: Jinying Zhao and Eric StrachanProject number: 5R01MH097018Project dates: 8/15/2013–7/31/2018 Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a devastating psychiatric disorder that affects millions of Americans. Despite substantial research, no specific risk factor has yet been identified as having a causal role in MDD. Epigenetic modifications, especially DNA methylation, are increasingly being recognized as a key mechanism involved in […]

PI: Sangkyu KimProject Number: 5P20GM103629Sub-Project ID: 8393Project Dates: 8/1/2012–5/31/2017 Aging can be defined as progressive deterioration of various biological functions with gradual increase in the risk of disease and death. This phenomenon is very complex with both genetic and non-genetic factors in action. The heritability of human longevity is estimated to be somewhere between 0.15 and […]

PI: Lisa ShinProject Number: 5R01MH054636Project Dates: 6/1/2012–10/31/2014 This competing continuation proposal will take advantage of a unique opportunity to further follow up on a series of investigations of the origin of biologic markers for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a population of identical twins discordant for combat exposure in Vietnam. The main possible marker origins to […]

PI: Brian PoeschlaProject Number: 5R03NR012841Project Dates: 2/15/2012–7/31/2014 Both acute and persistent pains are major public health concerns yet causes and prognoses are poorly understood. In addition to basic pain stimulus perception (i.e. nociception) genetic, endocrine, immunologic and nutritional factors are hypothesized to contribute. Women may be especially at risk. One putative risk factor is vitamin D […]

PI: Glen DuncanProject Number: 7R01AG042176Project Dates: 9/30/2011–5/31/2016 The goal of this research is to determine how the built environment in which individuals live, work, and play in on a daily basis influences their lifestyle behaviors and health. We couple advanced methods in geospatial data management and analysis with cutting-edge technology, the multisensor board (MSB), to gather […]

PI: Ellen SchurProject Number: 5R01DK089036Project Dates: 9/20/2011–8/31/2016 Twin studies have provided decisive evidence for the hereditary nature of body weight regulation, demonstrating that individual differences in tendencies to gain weight can be explained by an interaction between genotype and nutrition. The exact mechanisms that connect genes to weight gain remain unknown, but they are crucial to […]

PI: Robert EmeryProject Number: 2R01HD056354Project Dates: 6/1/2011–5/31/2014 Family life is widely viewed as having a profound influence on both children and adults. However, broad changes in family structure have contributed to evolving, and controversial, ideas about what makes a “normal” or “healthy” family. Social scientists contribute both to basic knowledge about family life, and to social […]

PI: M. Juliana McElrathProject Number: 5UM1AI069481Project Dates: 2/1/2007–12/9/2013 Development of a safe vaccine to halt the HIV-1 epidemic is an urgent global public health priority. Our Seattle vaccine unit and community have devoted more than 17 years to clinical HIV vaccine development. Our accomplishments include long-standing leadership with the HVTN, an outstanding track record in volunteer […]

PI: Dedra BuchwaldProject Number: 1RC2HL103416Project Dates: 9/30/2009–7/31/2011 The value of twin studies is well recognized at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where an estimated 255 twin studies were funded in 2009. Twin studies have provided insights into the epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, and natural history of diverse disease and developmental endpoints. However, a substantial proportion of […]

PI: Eric StrachanProject Number: 1R21AI081347Project Dates: 9/1/2009–8/31/2011 A large and growing body of psychoneuroimmunology research demonstrates that psychological stress is an important moderator of immune system functioning. Recent studies suggest, however, that it is not the presence of a stressor per se but rather individual difference in appraisals of, and responses to, the stressor that leads […]

PI: Nathaniel WatsonProject Number: 5K23HL083350Project Dates: 5/01/2007–3/31/2012 This K23 award will allow Dr. Watson to become an investigator proficient in genetic epidemiology and the design and conduct of interdisciplinary research on gene-environment interactions in sleep medicine. The training and research activities will focus on complex environmental and genetic influences on habitual sleep duration and the impact […]

PI: Niloofar AfariProject Number: 5R01AR051524Project Dates: 9/25/2005–7/31/2011 Chronic widespread pain (CWP) occurs in 4-13% of people and is one of the defining characteristics of Fibromyalgia (FM). Although tender points were originally considered as essential to the diagnosis of FM, it is now felt that they reflect pain severity and distress, and that FM lies at one […]