Health Care [different]
Transforming the way we educate nurses, pharmacists, & doctors
- Learning to work together in expert teams: WSU health professions break down traditional walls in classroom and clinic
- The latest in high-tech, high-touch education: Sim ™ technology puts students to the test in real time to bring textbook knowledge to life
- Helping real patients while they learn: Providing community health screenings and direct patient care
Unraveling the secrets of health & disease that lie within our DNA
Experts in chromosome biology and reproductive science search for the mechanisms that alter chromosome structure and cause infertility, birth defects, and miscarriages. Understanding these mechanisms may someday lead to treatments.
Signature Genomics, a company founded by two WSU scientists, manufacturers a patented diagnostic microarray that helps clinicians identify chromosomal problems and inform and help their patients. It now employs close to 60 people in Spokane’s growing University District, a home for research-driven businesses.
Exploring inner space: The human brain, our behavior, our performance
WSU researchers pioneered the development of technology and techniques for studies of sleeping, waking, and human performance.
Their findings will save lives as we change work schedules for pilots, long-haul truck drivers, emergency room physicians, and others who perform critical tasks in a 24/7, sleep-deprived environment.
Data mining discoveries: The power of information to change health care practices
Spokane is home to INHS, a nationally recognized innovator in electronic medical records management and telehealth.
WSU researchers partner with INHS to mine their database of hundreds of thousands of patient records—millions of clinical visits—to develop evidence-based practice improvements and identify geographic patterns of disease transmission during outbreaks.
They are working to develop smart environments for health monitoring and assistance that will help elderly adults and people with disabilities remain independent longer.
Designing healthy communities
At the intersection of design and health lie some of the answers to healthier people and communities. WSU design faculty are developing specialized assisted living facilities that use design to overcome limitations created by age and disease; buildings that use the power of daylight to improve everything from student test scores to retail sales; and sustainable designs that benefit individuals and the environment.
Improving health around the globe
- Pharmacy students provide much-needed services and gain international experience as they go through clinical rotations from China to Chile.
- Nursing students learn about traditional healing practices from Native American elders.
- Researchers study diseases that occur with greater frequency in specific cultural and ethnic groups and develop culturally appropriate health information.
Preparing tomorrow’s workforce
The students of today need inspiration, motivation, and preparation for the jobs of the 21st-century economy. Better-prepared students will mean more doctors, nurses, pharmacists, engineers, and scientists creating a healthier future for all of us.
- The Riverpoint Math/Science Partnership and WSU Spokane CityLab bring students and teachers into real research labs for hands-on, inquiry-based learning that ignites genuine excitement about science.
- University faculty and high school teachers work together to make high school math and science more relevant, and to align curriculum for a seamless transition into higher education.
- Targeted recruitment efforts inspire students from underrepresented groups to pursue the sciences and health professions.
Health Sciences News
Download the April 25, 2008, issue of Health Sciences Today (PDF) to read these stories:
Sleep Research:
Making sense of the tired brain
Vice Provost's Message:
Building a pre-eminent health sciences center
Pharmacy:
Sharing expertise with students, community
Interdisciplinary Design:
Team focuses on design for Parkinson's residents
Mental Health:
Research brings hope to injured veterans
Nursing:
Nursing Ph.D. addresses shortage, research needs
Nursing/Pharmacy:
Simulator teaches what books can't
Nursing:
Interventions combat obesity
Creating tomorrow’s big ideas—today.
We know the problems in health care are complex, multi-faceted —seemingly overwhelming.
WSU is finding answers to these challenges, from the high cost of preventable
disease, to the mountains of paper charts in every medical office, to the
effects of environmental toxins on future generations.
We prepare health care professionals
who will approach problems in a new
way, crossing old boundaries that erected barriers to teamwork.
We seek to understand the social, behavioral, cultural, environmental, and
physical factors that influence health and disease.
We reach out
to individuals and communities to share the latest knowledge so
they can make informed decisions.