Amelia Gavin is an associate professor in the School of Social Work and the director of the bachelor of arts in social welfare program. Her research explores racial and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes. "I'm very interested in why black women are nearly twice as likely as their white counterparts to deliver a low-weight or pre-term infant. That disparity looks worse for Native American women," Gavin said. "We've had all these innovations in technology around what to do in pregnancy, but we still have these disparities. What could explain them in a resource-rich place like the United States?"

Here are eight great books perfect for your summer reading list. Come on by and check them out today! Wayward Pines Series by Blake Crouch Based on Blake Crouch’s bestselling series of psychological thrillers, Fox’s Wayward Pines is one of the most anticipated television events of 2015. Compared to Twin Peaks, the spine-tingling suspense begins [...]

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Championing the physical fitness of my patients is one of my primary goals as a physician. Being physically active can significantly decrease risks for multiple health conditions. Yet, exercise frequently gets neglected in our daily busyness, especially by women, who are often consumed with the multitude of tasks required to manage their families and careers. [...]

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Have you ever heard of UW Carelink? Maybe you’ve heard of it, didn’t know what it was, and never gave it another thought. That was me, but then life started happening: children born, more children born, bought a house, changed positions at the UW, parents started aging and needing different types of attention, etc. During [...]

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We all know grief is a natural part of life. In its narrowest sense, it is a response to a significant loss of a person, a pet, or even an object through some form of death. In its broadest sense, it refers to the coping of a variety of losses throughout one’s life, such as [...]

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We created the Dare to Do Challenge to encourage faculty and staff to move more throughout the first six weeks of 2015. We’re happy to report that they rose to the occasion! Participants tracked their progress online each week, collectively climbing over 110 million steps and exercising nearly 800,000 minutes. In other words, we made [...]

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For the second time, we asked UW faculty and staff what they’d like to see from The Whole U. Nearly 2,000 participants from all UW locations took the time to share their interests with us. These results will drive our event and website direction for the year to come. March Culinary Countdown, for instance, is [...]

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It’s flu season. Staying healthy should be a top priority, especially for those of us who come in contact with people who have weakened immune systems. Many factors play a role in whether or not you will fall victim to the dreaded flu this year, including your diet. While foods alone won’t guarantee your health [...]

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The Whole U launched in January 2014. What a year it has been… The Whole U – By the Numbers Participants 17,621 Non-Unique Participant Interactions 52% Pro Staff 32% Classified Staff 12% Academic Personnel 4% Retiree/Other Pillar Breakdown Being Active 69 Articles 47 Events 10 Social Groups Eating Well 41 Articles 7 Events 1 Social [...]

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We hope you got through this holiday season with more ease thanks to the Stress Less Holiday challenge. Now it’s time to reset for the New Year. Nearly half of the American population sets a New Year’s resolution. Mine are always about eating more quality food, spending more time with my family, stop sweating the [...]

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Traditions pull us out of the current moment and take us back in time. That’s why they’re so reassuring and calming: they connect us with the past. Instead of thinking about our present-day stressors, we remember previous years and focus on what matters. Children especially enjoy the predictability of traditions, but it’s good for everyone [...]

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It’s week six of The Stress Less Holiday Challenge and sometimes family can be stressful. My parents, my sister, and my sister’s boys are all coming into town this year. There will be 11 people in my small home for 10 days. Some may cringe at the thought of hosting for that long, but not [...]

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