Research
UW Medicine is a leader in stem-cell research
The UW Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine has one of the nation’s largest concentrations of researchers studying human embryo cells. UW faculty members are conducting basic research in biology, engineering and medicine to find potential and innovative uses of stem cells in the treatment of various medical conditions, including heart disease and blindness.
Center for AIDS Research (CFAR)
The UW has been at the forefront of HIV/AIDS research
since 1988 and is one of the first AIDS research centers in the United States.
Pancreatic cancer research
UW Professor Teri Brentnall, professor of medicine in gastroenterology, led an international team of scientists that discovered the link between a genetic mutation and familial pancreatic cancer. The team also developed a screening protocol for the disease using endoscopic ultrasound.
Tumor Vaccine Group
The UW Tumor Vaccine Group is working on a cancer vaccine to prevent cancer relapse. Despite advances in surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, patients with cancer may ultimately relapse because of residual microscopic disease. Our cancer vaccine program targets that patient population whose disease has been optimally treated with standard therapies but who remain at risk for relapse.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the UW is an independent research center that is rigorously measuring the effectiveness of responses to the world’s most pressing health issues. The institute provides scientific evaluations of health system and health program performance in order to guide health policy and accelerate global health progress.
The UW School of Medicine is ranked consistently among the top three schools in receipt of National Institutes of Health grant funding in U.S. News & World Report surveys.
The 2009 rankings:
- Harvard
- University of Washington
- University of Pennsylvania
UW School of Medicine research provides a significant economic benefit to the community.
UW Medicine generated more than $800 million in research funds last year. A number of established and start-up biotechnology companies, including Zymogenetics and ICOS, have their roots in UW School of Medicine research.
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Education
The five-state WWAMI regional medical educational network, serving Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, is widely considered the best academic model for the training and placing of physicians in underserved communities.
The UW School of Medicine has been ranked as the No. 1 primary care medical school in the country for 16 consecutive years. In addition, UW Medicine teaching programs are ranked among the best in the country in the 2010 rankings by U.S. News & World Report:
- Family medicine (No. 1 for 18 years)
- Rural medicine (No. 1 for 18 years)
- AIDS
- Women’s health care
- Geriatrics
- Pediatrics
- Internal medicine
Clinical care
UW Medicine medical centers are ranked among the top medical centers.
Several UW Medicine programs were ranked highly by U.S. News & World Report, including rehabilitation medicine and cancer.
Harborview Medical Center is the only Level I adult and pediatric trauma and regional burn center serving Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, and is the designated Disaster Control Hospital for Seattle-King County. Harborview was the 2007 recipient of the prestigious Foster G. McGaw prize, which honors excellence in community service and outreach in health care. Harborview is owned by King County and managed by the University of Washington. All staff are UW employees, and all physicians are UW faculty.
Serving as the leading provider of charity medical care in Washington, Harborview and UW School of Medicine faculty physicians based there provide more than $150 million in charity care per year.
UW Medical Center ranked in the top 1 percent out of more than 5,000 major medical centers in the 2009 “Best Hospitals Honor Roll” by U.S. News & World Report and was the first medical center in the country to achieve Magnet Hospital certification, the highest honor awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. It is also a leader in transplantation and heart care.
UW Neighborhood Clinics is a network of primary care clinics with seven neighborhood locations throughout the greater Puget Sound area. The clinics offer a complete spectrum of primary care services for the entire family, from pediatrics to geriatrics. They also offer ancillary services, including on-site laboratory and X-ray facilities and nutrition services.
Medic One, the international model for emergency care, was developed at Harborview Medical Center. Medic One was developed in a collaborative effort among Harborview, the Seattle Fire Department and the UW School of Medicine. The system, one of the first of its kind in the world, is the model most emulated by communities throughout the country.
Airlift Northwest, an air medical transport program, was founded by a consortium of hospitals in the Seattle area, including Harborview Medical Center, UW Medical Center and Seattle Children’s. Airlift Northwest has provided air medical transport for more than 80,000 patients since 1982.
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