DEOHS responds to COVID-19 | Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences

How our research is contributing to the public health response

Experts at the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences are actively engaged in COVID-19 research and service activities to help protect workers and build resilient communities during the global pandemic.

Our impact

A woman in a purple shirt smiles against an outdoor backdrop of trees and mountains.

Landing her dream job

2020 Outstanding Master’s student Kaitlyn Kelly credits her mentors with helping launch her career in environmental health

3 women in PPE including face shields, masks, gloves, coats and closed toed shoes.

Retooling for online learning

From virtual field trips to social distancing in the lab, DEOHS students and faculty find new ways to teach, learn and do research in the face of COVID-19

A woman dressed in a black shirt holds several cleaning products in her arms.

How to clean green

Our COVID-19 disinfecting frenzy could harm our health. A new fact sheet from UW DEOHS and our partners offers safer alternatives

Construction worker sanding a floor with dust flying up

Helping businesses reopen safely

DEOHS researchers launch survey and offer their guidance on reopening in the pandemic

4 images each representing a project, from left to right: water processing bag, field worker, busy street, and grocery store

New funding for pandemic research

UW DEOHS awarded four new rapid-response grants for research related to COVID-19

A grocery store employee stands with his back to the camera near a cart of grocery supplies against a backdrop of empty grocery store shelves.

Food systems under stress

New UW study to evaluate COVID-19 impacts on Washington’s food security, supply and access

In the news

Five years later, the COVID pandemic is still with us

April 8, 2025 | KUOW | Featured: Peter Rabinowitz View

Q&A: UW-led research identifies migration, housing quality as risk factors in earthquake deaths

February 3, 2025 | UW News | Featured: Karen Chen, Diana Ceballos View

Five years of COVID-19: How the pandemic altered the workforce

January 31, 2025 | The Daily | Featured: Marissa Baker View

Five years of COVID-19: What we have learned about SARS-CoV-2 since the beginning of the pandemic

January 29, 2025 | The Daily | Featured: Gerard A. Cangelosi View