News

Researchers at Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine released a new report that shows eastern Washington counties suffer from higher mortality rates in nine out of 10 of the state’s leading causes of death than western Washington counties.

The report, which uses interactive data visualization, compares health outcomes in eastern and western Washington. Researchers plan to use the data to understand the unique health and social issues of eastern Washington versus those in western Washington, and as a baseline to track and monitor the impact of … » More …

Medical students at Washington State University have a national voice, thanks to David Choi.

Though the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine is one of the newest medical schools in the country, Choi was elected last spring to represent med students in nine states as western region chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ student branch.

AAMC represents all 152 accredited medical schools in the nation and their 89,000 medical students, plus VA medical centers, major teaching hospitals and health systems and academic societies.

Choi, a … » More …

Washington State University Health Sciences Spokane and Team Gleason are proud to announce a collaboration to establish the Steve Gleason Institute for Neuroscience in Spokane’s University District.

The institute will focus on innovative “care and cures” for brain diseases. This class of diseases includes Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Together, these conditions affect millions of Americans and account for billions of dollars in health care costs each year.

Former WSU and NFL star Steve Gleason was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. He founded the … » More …

With support from a five‑year, $7.1 million NIH grant, a new WSU‑led national research center is working toward identifying and promoting effective treatments to reduce alcohol abuse among Native people.

The Native Center for Alcohol Research and Education (NCARE) combines faculty and resources at WSU, the University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Washington.

The center’s researchers are collaborating with tribal partners to test the effectiveness of three interventions in different settings:

A culturally adapted intervention to reduce risky drinking … » More …

Star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes appear to play an essential role in sleep, a new study by scientists from the Washington State University Sleep and Performance Research Center confirms.

Published today in PLOS Genetics, their study shows that astrocytes communicate to neurons to regulate sleep time in fruit flies and suggests it may do the same in mammals, including humans.

This research has opened up new avenues to understanding how sleep works inside the brain, which may eventually help … » More …

Washington State University will lead the establishment of a new center to advance research on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in Native populations across the United States.

Funding for the new Native Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Resource Center in Minority Aging comes from a recently awarded $2.8 million five‑year grant from the National Institute on Aging, a component of the National Institutes of Health.

The center will be a collaboration between WSU, the University of Colorado Denver and Stanford University, with additional expertise drawn … » More …

A foundation created by a thrifty farmer in Grant County is making charitable gifts to both the Washington State University College of Nursing in Yakima and the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine in Spokane.

Thanks to the generosity of the Paul Lauzier Charitable Foundation, the College of Nursing in Yakima will soon have a high-tech mannequin for use in simulation-based education, while the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine will have abdominal exam trainers and computer workstations for its Virtual Clinical Center on the Spokane campus. Last year the College of Medicine received a gift from the foundation to equip exam rooms in … » More …

As part of its mission to expand medical education and health care access in communities across the state, the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine is wasting no time establishing a presence in cities and towns across Washington—particularly in rural areas.

Over the past two years, ESFCOM representatives have met with hospital and clinic staff in 37 of Washington’s 39 counties. As of the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year, the college has secured 63 affiliation agreements with clinical partners across the state, with 24 of them being in rural communities.

» More …

Summer camp often triggers images of campfires, jumping in the lake and cabin hijinks.

But summer camp with the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences means something different—and something life-changing.

It’s called Camp Candoo, a summer camp for children with apraxia, a severe speech disorder. Candoo campers attend for two weeks of intensive speech therapy instruction and games. The children come from across the United States and even from Canada.

Childhood apraxia of speech is when … » More …

The best and most nutritious food is often the freshest food. Yet, when it comes to food pantries, including the campus pantry that provides free food to WSU and EWU students in need of a nutritious meal, the options are typically canned and packaged goods.

With a focus on supplying fresh, organically-grown food, students from the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Science (NEP) developed a fresh food garden to supply the campus pantry.

Launched in summer … » More …