Here you can:
Measure the impact
of wildfire smoke
on people’s health.
Harness your passion for improving public health.
At DEOHS, you can:
Lead a groundbreaking study on the odds of mortality associated with wildfire smoke (thesis project of Annie Doubleday, pictured above)
Promote healthy aging and build the resilience of older adults to natural disasters.
Develop a mapping tool to show communities most impacted by pollution and environmental inequality.
Why study Environmental Public Health?
Environmental public health focuses on the ways the natural and built environments affect human health. Specialists in this field identify, evaluate and control exposures to chemical and microbial contaminants in air, water, soil and food to improve health and health equity.
As a student focusing on Environmental Public Health, you will:
- Take common core courses introducing foundational concepts and skills, including: risk assessment, management and communication; assessment and management of exposures to environmental hazards; core principles of toxicology; and how to use a One Health approach to address complex challenges.
- Learn about policies and practices that prevent or control environmental hazards in a variety of settings and choose additional courses on topics that align with your interests, such as disaster preparedness, the built environment, climate change or hazardous waste.
- Complete a culminating experience (thesis or dissertation) showcasing your ability to integrate the skills you have learned to address an environmental or occupational health problem.
"The guidance and support I’ve received from my faculty adviser has helped me excel and has already resulted in several career opportunities that could help me make a positive impact in the world."
Marissa VanRy, MPH, 2021
Read moreStudent research
Matthew Hileman
Application of the Sterile Insect Technique within Existing Mosquito Control Programs in Riverside County, California
MS Applied, 2025
Faculty: Emily Hovis
Briahna Lynne Koger
Sexually Transmitted Infection Wastewater-Based Surveillance in Rural and Urban Washington State
MS Thesis, 2025
Faculty: Erica Fuhrmeister
Kaitlyn Kelly
Informing the use of N95 respirators by the general public to reduce wildfire smoke exposure
MPH in Environmental and Occupational Health, 2020
Faculty: Tania M Busch Isaksen
Our faculty and research
"As our climate continues to change and our communities at the wildland interface grow, we can expect that wildfires and the smoke that they produce will become an increasingly important public health hazard in the Pacific Northwest."
Tania Busch Isaksen, PhD
DEOHS Teaching Professor and Co-founder, the Collaborative on Extreme Event Resilience
Research spotlight
Tackling climate change by the numbers
From infectious diseases to wildfire smoke, new faculty member Marissa Childs predicts how climate change will influence health
Air pollution linked with high blood pressure in kids
Children exposed to common air pollutant in the womb and infancy may be at higher risk for elevated blood pressure, DEOHS research finds
Looking out for “invisible” workers
New DEOHS Assistant Professor Rachel Sklar sparks solutions for marginalized workers and communities
Career pathways
Our Environmental Public Health graduates find careers in a range of private, public, nonprofit and academic positions. Recent DEOHS graduates work as:
- Air Quality Specialist at Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.
- Quantitative Health Risk Analysis Consultant at EpiX Analytics.
- Microbiologist with the US Food and Drug Administration.
"My time at UW empowered me to pursue a dynamic career in public service."
Jonathan Nagata, MS, 2015
Read more