All Eyes on Seattle
A note from the editor
By Rob Smith September 8, 2020
This story appears in the July-August combo issue of Seattle magazine and Seattle Business magazine. Subscription information is here.
University of Washington biology Professor Carl Bergstrom was quoted in The Washington Post. Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, has been quoted on CNN.com, The New York Times and Fox News. UW epidemiologist Dr. Alison Roxby appeared on Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the University of Washington School of Medicine and numerous professors and researchers have become sought-after experts on a wide range of topics. Every day, media outlets across the United States cite the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, an independent global health research center launched in 2007 with backing from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the state of Washington. The UW has several Covid-related media resources, including experts who can discuss everything from public and mental health, business implications, data modeling and misinformation.
UW professors have appeared in publications and on radio and TV stations across the country for months now, including NPR, Scientific American, BBC World News, The New Yorker, The Seattle Times, NBC News, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, The Atlantic, PBS Frontline and all local media. Vice President Mike Pence even praised the UW on CNN, saying, “I want to commend the University of Washington for the extraordinary work they’re doing expanding tests to the people impacted in Washington state.”
The publicity brandishes the university’s stellar reputation on a global scale and points to its impressive leadership role — one that is often taken for granted locally.
UW Medicine began garnering media attention as early as February, when it created a home assessment team for the outbreak. Media as far away as Spain covered the story. In March, the UW received permission from federal officials to develop a Covid-19 test. UW Medicine also set up one of the country’s first drive-through testing sites, A video taken by a National Geographic photographer that showed nurses at the drive-through doing yoga aired on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon.
Media outlets today still seek UW experts to weigh in on the coronavirus, which doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon. This attention benefits the entire Puget Sound region, where innovations and breakthroughs happen every day. That’s the driving force behind this special combination issue of Seattle magazine and Seattle Business magazine, which take the pulse of the region: where we’ve been, where we are and, most important, what the future holds as the pandemic continues to unfold.
Moving forward, combination issues are also planned for September-October and November-December.
Thanks for your support during these very challenging times.
Rob Smith
Editorial Director
Seattle magazine/Seattle Business magazine
rob.smith@tigeroak.com
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