UW Medicine

November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month. There are 3.4 million people living with epilepsy in the United States. UW Medicine is home to a nationally recognized Level 4 epilepsy center, accredited by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers, that’s staffed by board-certified neurologists with advanced training in epilepsy care (epileptologists). The Level 4 designation is only given to organizations that provide the highest level of care available for seizure disorders. #NEAM2024

An economic contribution analysis shows that the University of Washington generated a total impact on the state’s economy of $20.9 billion in fiscal year 2023 and supported or sustained 111,951 jobs statewide. A large portion of the UW’s overall effect on the state’s economy is attributed to UW Medicine, which has an annual economic impact of $12.5 billion, supports or sustains 60,717 jobs and generates $588.3 million in state and local tax revenue. Beyond the medical and social impact of this integrated health system, UW Medicine connects residents with a top-rated medical school and an internationally recognized research organization. The study shows that UW Medicine’s impact continues to grow. “As this report makes clear, the UW is making an impact that betters our state’s economy and improves the health and the lives of everyone we serve. We are proud to contribute and to help make all people in Washington thrive," said UW President Ana Mari Cauce.

Today, in recognition of Native American Heritage Month, we raised flags across our hospital campuses to celebrate the diverse cultures, histories and contributions of American Indian and Alaska Native peoples. The flag depicts The Medicine Wheel, which is often composed of four colors: black, white, yellow and red. These represent the Four Directions (East, South, West and North), Father Sky, Mother Earth and Spirit Tree, which symbolize aspects of health and the cycles of life. The Medicine Wheel also represents all human races, and the life path and health of all human beings. Please join us in honoring and celebrating the many rich heritages of our Native American and Alaska Native team members and patients.

Happy Halloween! Each year, our teams at UW Medical Center participate in a pumpkin decorating contest. Here are this years winners in each category: People's Choice, Most Original, All In The Details and Best Group Effort!

Our staff sure knows how to celebrate the season! Each year, our teams at UW Medical Center - Montlake hold a pumpkin carving contest and then vote on their favorite creations for a "People's Choice Award". Some of the other categories include: most original, "all in the details", and best group/team effort. Here are some of this year's creative submissions! Which one is YOUR favorite? 🎃

Join us in congratulating Dr. Bonnie W. Ramsey, the recipient of the 2025 American Pediatric Society John Howland Award! The American Pediatric Society (APS) is recognizing Dr. Ramsey, a Professor Emerita in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington - School of Medicine, for her significant contributions to advancing child health and the profession of pediatrics. Since 1952, this annual award has recognized individuals for their distinguished service to pediatrics. It is the highest honor bestowed by the APS.

UW Medicine has been providing comprehensive care to the Ballard community for almost 10 years and is proud to now sponsor Ballard FC and the new Salmon Bay FC women’s soccer team. Both teams are dedicated to bringing an exciting and inclusive soccer experience to Ballard. We are especially honored to be the exclusive healthcare partner of Salmon Bay FC, joining them in empowering female athletes and championing the continued growth of women’s soccer at all levels of the sport.

UW School of Medicine physician-scientist Nora Disis, MD, was the Fall 2024 featured speaker in the Next Generation Medicine lecture series in Spokane, WA as part of the UW School of Medicine - Gonzaga University Health Partnership. Dr. Disis gave an update on her research to develop a breast cancer vaccine that teaches the body’s immune system to recognize and destroy breast cancer cells. Dr. Disis, who has devoted her career to learning how the body fights cancer and to developing a breast cancer vaccine, believes they will become part of the standard of care for cancer treatment within the next decade. You can watch her full lecture at the link below. https://lnkd.in/gXXYRfqS

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Bransford, who specializes in spine and back procedures, recently performed surgery with a robotic-assisted device to treat a patient with degenerative disc disease. “We've been using navigation and spine surgery for a while, but what the robot allows us to do is to very precisely find that angle and navigate that angle,” Bransford said. “The robot arm can kind of tell us where to place that screw, which the study suggests is a more accurate, and therefore more effective, tool.”

Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology (SeaHub), a landmark collaboration between the University of Washington, the Allen Institute and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is on a mission to build new technologies to record the history of cells over time. Researchers will build on groundbreaking technology that turns living cells into devices for recording complex biological information by encoding the cell as DNA sequences that are written to the genome. “We aim to recover the full autobiography of each cell, rather than only the last page,” says Dr. Jay Shendure, one of the researchers. Shendure’s cell-recording research will bring new insights into the changes that cells go through over the course of a disease. Then, Dr. Cole Trapnell, a professor in the UW Department of Genome Sciences, will use AI and deep learning to develop software and tools to analyze genomic data in the recorder cells. Their discoveries will inform Dr. Marion Pepper's work on designing better vaccines and programming immune cells to fight off pathogens more effectively. In the longer term, Seahub researchers hope their work will transform how scientists use DNA to study the role of cells and genes in human health. They plan to share their findings widely with the scientific community, fueling progress in labs throughout the region and around the world.