Health & Medicine

AI research supports health equity in rural Washington

Washington State University sociologist Anna Zamora-Kapoor is studying how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) could help improve cancer survival outcomes among the Pacific Northwest’s rural Hispanic population. As one of 25 fellows in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) AIM-AHEAD leadership program, and in partnership with Three Rivers Hospital in Brewster, Washington, Zamora-Kapoor is using […]

Potential link found between high maternal cortisol, unpredicted birth complications

A snippet of hair can reveal a pregnant person’s stress level and may one day help warn of unexpected birth problems, a study indicates. Washington State University researchers measured the stress hormone cortisol in hair samples of 53 women in their third trimester. Of that group, 13 women who had elevated cortisol levels later experienced […]

WSU experts offer advice on turning New Year’s resolutions into reality

From ancient Babylonians making new commitments to their gods to today’s average office worker pledging to give up soda, humans have been struggling with New Year’s resolutions for a very long time. Yet there is hope, according to a group of Washington State University experts who offer their insights into keeping positive lifestyle changes going […]

New pathway for psychology students to help reverse state’s mental health care shortage

Psychology students interested in pursuing a career in mental health care can now do so through an accelerated program at Washington State University. The program enables students to receive their bachelor’s and professional pharmacy degree in just seven years. The first three years will be fulfilling pre-pharmacy and psychology requirements, and the remaining four years […]

New biomarkers could predict rheumatoid arthritis

Cells from a cheek swab revealed biomarkers for rheumatoid arthritis that could lead to a way to diagnose and begin treatment before the disease develops, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. In the study, researchers from Washington State University and Arthritis Northwest in Spokane, Washington, identified a set of epimutations in cells from

Cannabis research center established

Early efforts in cannabis research at WSU have now grown into a full, multi-disciplinary research center with nearly 100 scientists working on a diverse range of cannabis-related projects. More than a dozen CAS faculty across chemistry, sociology, psychology, criminal justice, and political science are affiliated with the newly christened Center for Cannabis Policy, Research and […]

Leveraging the secrets of hibernation to treat diabetes

WSU evolutionary biologist Joanna Kelley studies genetic adaptation to extreme environments: tropical fish that thrive in waters thick with hydrogen sulfide; an Antarctic midge which can survive brutally cold temperatures of -50 degrees Celsius; and now, the charismatic grizzly bear, a species that is insulin-resistant—a metabolic state similar to diabetes in humans—during hibernation but insulin-sensitive during […]

Workplace protocols impact overall behavior

Employer COVID‑19 safety measures influenced worker precautions even when they were not on the clock, according to a new study led by WSU psychology professor Tahira Probst. Researchers found workplace cultures that adopted COVID‑19 prevention measures, such as daily health checks and encouraging sick workers to stay home, resulted in less “sickness presenteeism” or going […]

Seeds of economic health disparities

No billionaires live among the Tsimane people of Bolivia, although some are a bit better off than others. These subsistence communities on the edge of the Amazon also have fewer chronic health problems linked to the kind of dramatic economic disparity found in industrialized Western societies. “The connection between inequality and health is not as […]

WSU research behind potential Alzheimer’s drug

It was 1991 and medicinal chemist Joe Harding was in his lab researching potential new options for relieving high blood pressure. Anomalies kept showing up in his lab tests, and if they meant what he thought they might, he and his research partner, WSU psychology professor John (Jay) Wright, were on the brink of a […]