Population Health Initiative awards proof-of-concept grants
The Population Health Initiative has awarded four Tier 2 pilot grants to teams representing researchers from four different University of Washington schools and colleges as well as several community-based partners.
Funded projects that include Department Of Medicine faculty members:
Efficacy Assessment of Deployment of Phone-Based Glucose Test Strips for Prediabetes Awareness
Dr. Lorena Alarcon Casas-Wright, professor of clinical practice, (Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition)
Prediabetes affects millions of Americans, yet over 80% of those with the condition are unaware of their status. Current screening methods are often cost-prohibitive or clinic-dependent, creating significant barriers to early detection and subsequent intervention.
This project validates GlucoScreen-C, an ultra-low-cost, smartphone-based test strip that connects directly to a user’s smartphone, transforming the device into a high-accuracy medical reader without the need for standalone hardware.
In a new interdisciplinary collaboration between the UW Computer Science and UW Medicine’s Endocrinology Department, this pilot study will deploy GlucoScreen-C in an at-home model for follow up for some patients.
By sending participants home with a set of test strips compatible with their smartphones, we aim to improve outcomes for individuals who do not traditionally visit physical clinics, effectively extending the reach of existing mobile screening efforts.
This project addresses the population health pillars of human health and social equity by bringing essential screening to underserved and rural communities in Washington.
The success of this deployment validation will provide the proof of efficacy needed to launch this technology as a scalable solution for population-level prediabetes awareness.
Improving Access to Serious Cardiac Illness Care in the WWAMI Region: A Community-Engaged Mixed Methods Study
Drs. Jill Steiner, assistant professor, and Salpy Pamboukian, professor (Cardiology)
The University of Washington (UW) is the largest provider of advanced therapies for serious cardiac illness (SCI; e.g., advanced heart failure (AHF), adult congenital heart disease (ACHD)) in the WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) and one of only two such centers.
Because many SCI patients must travel long distances to Seattle for care, extended journeys that span days or even months are common. This creates a regional population‑health challenge for patients and health systems alike.
In recognition of these challenges, in 2025, with Population Health Initiative Tier 1 support, we formed the “WWAMI Voices” Community Advisory Board to foster community-engaged research and improve SCI care access, experience, and outcomes.
Our Tier 2 project builds on this partnership. Using mixed methods, we will evaluate the current SCI care referral process at UW from both administrative and patient/clinician perspectives. Our aims are to:
- Assess key SCI referral process– and patient‑oriented outcomes, including modifiable areas for improvement; and,
- Characterize the SCI referral and orientation experience across inpatient and outpatient settings through policy and document review, followed by interviews with patients and clinicians.
These aims align with WWAMI Voices priorities, including supporting families during hospitalization and addressing geographic variation, as well as the Population Health pillars of human health and social and economic equity.
This will be WWAMI Voices’ first community‑engaged research project, yielding preliminary data for future work. Findings are expected to inform near‑term grants, broaden engagement with SCI patients and providers and support the co‑development of a referral‑optimization intervention.