UW Core Center Researchers Work to Improve Air Quality for Washington Communities | National Institute of Environmental Health S
Source: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/centers/core/spotlight/air-pollution
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:36
UW Core Center Researchers Work to Improve Air Quality for Washington Communities | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
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UW Core Center Researchers Work to Improve Air Quality for Washington Communities
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October 16, 2023
Researchers from the NIEHS-funded
Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) Core Center at the University of Washington
are collaborating with community partners to measure air pollution, study its health impacts, and test possible solutions to improve air quality. Their research runs the gamut, examining the health effects of air pollution in children and older adults as well as rural and urban populations.
UW EHS Core Center member Lianne Sheppard, Ph.D., found that Seattle area residents who lived in places with higher exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution had a
higher incidence of dementia
.
Catherine Karr, M.D., Ph.D., a practicing pediatrician, environmental epidemiologist, and UW EHS Core Center member, discovered that air quality in Yakima Valley, a rural agricultural region of Washington State, was
contributing to health problems
among children with asthma. Working with community partners, she led
an intervention study
which demonstrated that combining high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters with in-home asthma education programs reduced children’s asthma symptoms and clinical care visits for asthma.
UW EHS Core Center member Elena Austin, Sc.D., found that air pollutants from airplane and roadway traffic infiltrate schools located near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. An intervention study led by Austin showed that HEPA air cleaners
significantly improved air quality
in classroom environments. This work was funded by the Washington State Legislature. The UW EHS Core Center supported community engagement and messaging of study goals and findings.
According to Center member Michael Yost, Ph.D., community involvement has been foundational to these projects. Community engagement benefits both the scientists’ ability to do high-quality, meaningful research and the community’s power to make positive change. It also means decision makers are more likely to fund interventions.
Read more about these air pollution projects in
this news article
from the UW Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences.
Learn about other clean air efforts at this
UW EHS Core Center webpage
.
Back
to Top
Last Reviewed: January 05, 2026
Skip Navigation
UW Core Center Researchers Work to Improve Air Quality for Washington Communities
Close the left navigation
Add
October 16, 2023
Researchers from the NIEHS-funded
Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) Core Center at the University of Washington
are collaborating with community partners to measure air pollution, study its health impacts, and test possible solutions to improve air quality. Their research runs the gamut, examining the health effects of air pollution in children and older adults as well as rural and urban populations.
UW EHS Core Center member Lianne Sheppard, Ph.D., found that Seattle area residents who lived in places with higher exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution had a
higher incidence of dementia
.
Catherine Karr, M.D., Ph.D., a practicing pediatrician, environmental epidemiologist, and UW EHS Core Center member, discovered that air quality in Yakima Valley, a rural agricultural region of Washington State, was
contributing to health problems
among children with asthma. Working with community partners, she led
an intervention study
which demonstrated that combining high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters with in-home asthma education programs reduced children’s asthma symptoms and clinical care visits for asthma.
UW EHS Core Center member Elena Austin, Sc.D., found that air pollutants from airplane and roadway traffic infiltrate schools located near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. An intervention study led by Austin showed that HEPA air cleaners
significantly improved air quality
in classroom environments. This work was funded by the Washington State Legislature. The UW EHS Core Center supported community engagement and messaging of study goals and findings.
According to Center member Michael Yost, Ph.D., community involvement has been foundational to these projects. Community engagement benefits both the scientists’ ability to do high-quality, meaningful research and the community’s power to make positive change. It also means decision makers are more likely to fund interventions.
Read more about these air pollution projects in
this news article
from the UW Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences.
Learn about other clean air efforts at this
UW EHS Core Center webpage
.
Back
to Top
Last Reviewed: January 05, 2026