Bob Wilbur thought he鈥檇 found a retirement home that would be a place of peace. Nestled against Admiralty Bay on the western edge of Whidbey Island, the three-story house is surrounded by trees and shoreline. It offers the kind of quiet that only an island can provide. Except when the Growlers fly.听

As often as four days a week, Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft based at the nearby Naval Air Station Whidbey Island fly loops overhead as pilots practice touch-and-go landings. The noise is immense, around the level of a loud rock concert. 鈥淚t interrupts your day,鈥� Wilbur said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e unable to have a pleasant evening at home. You can鈥檛 communicate. You constantly try to organize your day around being gone when the jets are flying.鈥�听

New research from the 天美影视传媒 shows that the noise isn鈥檛 just disruptive 鈥� it presents a substantial risk to public health. in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, an analysis of the Navy鈥檚 own acoustic monitoring data found that more than 74,000 people are exposed to noise levels with adverse health effects.听听

“Military aircraft noise is substantially more intense and disturbing than commercial jet noise,鈥� said lead author , a graduate student in the UW College of the Environment. 鈥淣oise exposure has many downstream effects beyond just annoyance and stress 鈥� high levels of sleep disturbance, hearing impairment, increased risk of cardiovascular disease 鈥� these have real impacts on human health and quality of life. We also found that several schools in the area are exposed to levels that have been shown to put children at risk of delayed learning.鈥�

Guided by conversations with community members and local advocacy groups, researchers analyzed four weeks of acoustic and flight operations data , in addition to prior-year data collected by a private acoustics company and the National Park Service. Researchers then mapped noise exposure across the region to estimate how much noise specific communities were exposed to in an average year.听

Researchers estimated that two-thirds of Island County residents, including everyone in the cities of Oak Harbor and Coupeville, were exposed to potentially harmful levels of noise, as was 85% of the population of the Swinomish Indian Reservation. 听

In total, an estimated 74,316 people were exposed to average noise levels that posed a risk of annoyance, 41,089 of whom were exposed to nighttime noise levels associated with adverse effects on sleep. Another 8,059 people 鈥� most of whom lived within fairly close proximity to aircraft landing strips 鈥� were exposed to noise levels that can pose a risk of hearing impairment over time.听

鈥淥ur bodies produce a lot of stress hormone response to noise in general, it doesn鈥檛 matter what kind of noise it is. But particularly if it鈥檚 this repeated acute noise, you might expect that stress hormone response to be exacerbated,鈥� said co-author , a UW professor of environmental and occupational health sciences. 鈥淲hat was really interesting was that we鈥檙e reaching noise exposure levels that are actually harmful for hearing. Usually I only think of hearing in the context of working in factories or other really, really loud occupational settings. But here, we鈥檙e reaching those levels for the community.鈥�听听

Taken as a whole, the potential harms can be quite serious, Seto said. 鈥淚magine people trying to sleep, or children in school trying to understand their teachers and you鈥檝e got these jets flying.鈥�听

Every monitoring station on Whidbey Island measured noise events in excess of 100 decibels when jets were flying. In some instances, noise levels were 鈥渙ff the charts鈥� 鈥� exceeding the limits of models used to predict the health effects of noise exposure around the world. 听

鈥淲e found it striking that Growler noise exceeds the scientific community鈥檚 current understanding of the potential health outcomes,鈥� said co-author , a UW professor of aquatic and fishery sciences. 鈥淔or this reason, our estimates of health impacts are conservative.鈥�听

The noise has been the subject of community disputes and legal controversy since 2013, when the U.S. Navy moved more Growler jets onto Whidbey Island and increased the number of flights to more than 110,000 per year. Bob Wilbur is a member and the current chair of Citizens of Ebey鈥檚 Reserve, a community group that has sued the Navy over the jet noise and increased flight operations. The group also helped facilitate the UW study, and Wilbur is a co-author.听听

Like other military aircraft, the Growlers鈥� noise differs significantly from commercial jets 鈥� louder and deeper, the kind of sound that people feel before they hear.听听

“It鈥檚 the intensity, the intermittent nature of the noise, and the low-frequency energy specifically,鈥� Jacuzzi said. 鈥淭hose three things are very different than what you experience from normal commercial flights, which are predictable and high in altitude. When Growlers fly over a home, they emit a rumbling noise that penetrates windows and shakes walls.鈥澨�听

While commercial jet noise has been the subject of extensive study, research into military aircraft noise is relatively rare. Previous UW-led research found that military flights were the largest cause of noise pollution on the Olympic Peninsula. While discussing that study, Whidbey residents complained that the noise disturbed their sleep and interfered with students鈥� schoolwork, which prompted this new line of inquiry. While conducting this study, researchers worked closely with community members and advocacy groups and held multiple webinars to share results and shape future work.听听

鈥淥ur research was motivated by the growing chorus of complaints by Washingtonians across multiple counties,鈥� Olden said. 鈥淲e believe the science speaks for itself. It鈥檚 no longer a question of whether noise impacts people, but how, where and how much these effects are experienced.鈥�听

Other authors are Lauren Kuehne of Omfishient Consulting, and Anne Harvey and Christine Hurley of Sound Defense Alliance. This research was funded by the UW Population Health Initiative.

For more information, contact Jacuzzi at gioj@uw.edu.听

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, as it became clear that people with suppressed immune systems were particularly vulnerable to the worst of the virus, public health officials prioritized their protection. Leaders presented stay-at-home orders and masking requirements as measures to prevent the virus from spreading to high-risk individuals. And when vaccines became available, many governments placed immunocompromised 听people near the front of the line. 听

All the while, public health officials believed only about 3% of the American population was immunocompromised.听听

New research from the 天美影视传媒 suggests that number may have been a drastic undercount. The study, p, places the prevalence of immunosuppression at around 6.6% of American adults 鈥� more than twice as high as previously understood. That rise could have broad implications for how we navigate the late stages of COVID-19 and prepare for future pandemics. 听

UW News spoke with co-author , a UW associate professor of social work, about the reasons behind the rise and how public health officials can better serve this growing population.听

Immunosuppression and the experiences of immunocompromised people have become more visible in recent years, with the COVID-19 pandemic and our collective attempts to slow its spread. How has that added visibility affected people鈥檚 experiences?听听

Melissa Martinson: The COVID-19 pandemic really brought the experiences of immunosuppressed (more commonly called immunocompromised) people to the public attention, and the voices of this population and other medically vulnerable people were important to how people interacted in their communities in the early days of the pandemic. Early in the pandemic, public health guidance was focused on protecting medically vulnerable people. Four years on, that guidance has changed, and most folks are engaging in activities similarly to before the pandemic.听听

However, for some immunocompromised people, the lack of community protections today despite their continued risk of contracting COVID-19, can be an isolating experience. 听

You set out to find a better estimate of the prevalence of immunosuppression nationwide. Why is a more accurate number important? 听

MM: We were surprised by reports in the popular media that said about 3% of American adults were immunocompromised. Much of my research focuses on framing U.S. health in an international context, and we had seen estimates of immunocompromise prevalence in countries like the United Kingdom and Canada that were much higher than the widely reported American estimate. 听

Getting an updated and accurate estimate is important because immunosuppressed people are more likely to experience viral and bacterial infections, and these infections are more likely to be severe. We also now know that this population is still advised to take precautions against COVID-19 due to the higher risk of serious outcomes like hospitalization, death, and long COVID. This is a group who also has access to public health tools like additional vaccine doses and antiviral treatment (such as Paxlovid) regardless of age, so it is important that these tools are readily available to this population.Having an accurate estimate of the prevalence of immunosuppression can ensure that we have adequate supply of these tools.听

You estimate that about 6.6% of American adults have immunosuppression, which is more than twice as high as the figure in 2013 (2.7%). That鈥檚 quite the jump. What鈥檚 behind it? 听

MM: Unfortunately, we can鈥檛 answer this question definitively with the available data. However, we know that since prevalence was last estimated, immunosuppressive therapies for autoimmune diseases have been prescribed much more frequently and more of these medications are available. It might also be that more people have a better understanding of their immunocompromised health status due to conversations with their healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with awareness from public health guidance.

We also found that the proportional increase in prevalence was almost 2.5 times between 2013 and 2021, and this increase was even higher for some subpopulations including males, people with Hispanic ethnicity, adults under 50, and older adults ages 70 to 79. 听

You write that the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to the increase of immunosuppression prevalence. One obvious possibility is that the virus itself weakened people鈥檚 immune systems, but do you see any other ways in which the pandemic might have contributed to that rise?听

MM: New evidence does suggest that COVID-19 leads to an increased risk of autoimmune conditions that may result in immunosuppression either through the condition itself or medication to treat the condition. We also looked at the data available for the second half of 2020, and the rates were similar to 2021. To us, this suggests that more people may have been informed about their immunosuppressed status in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and conversations they may have had with their healthcare providers due to their increased risk of serious outcomes from infection.听听

From a public health perspective, what changes might we need to consider making in the face of these findings? How do we help to protect a population that might be twice as large as previously thought?听听

MM: It is important to note that almost 1 in 15 adults is immunosuppressed and that this population may need additional precautions in workplaces, schools and universities, and especially medical settings. Making sure that our gatherings and built environment are accessible to people who are at greater risk is something that we can all do. Measures such as ventilation, air filtration, and mask use can protect immunocompromised people in public settings.听听

The pandemic has been a difficult time for everyone, but this is a medically vulnerable group who is still advised to follow precautions that many people have given up at the end of the public health emergency in 2023. Given the recent changes in COVID-19 isolation guidelines from the CDC, it is important for the public 鈥� and policymakers 鈥� to consider that between older adults and this immunosuppressed population at high risk, it is worthwhile to use and promote tools like testing, vaccines, sick leave and staying home when ill, and use of masks or respirators to reduce virus spread to vulnerable people.听

For more information, contact Martinson at melmart@uw.edu. 听

Six 天美影视传媒 subjects ranked in the top 10, and atmospheric sciences maintained its position as No. 1 in the world on the听听list for 2023. The ranking, released at the end of October, was conducted by researchers at the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, a fully independent organization dedicated to research on higher education intelligence and consultation.

Other UW subjects in the top 10 include oceanography at No. 2; public health at No. 5; biological sciences and statistics at No. 7; and clinical medicine at No. 9.

鈥淭he 天美影视传媒 is a powerhouse for research and discovery 鈥� both within and across disciplines,鈥� said UW President Ana Mari Cauce. 鈥淭hat research leads to cures, advances innovation in areas like climate science and transforms our understanding in ways that are critical to the future for all people and communities. We are grateful to see the impact of this vital work recognized by this esteemed organization.鈥�

This ranking takes into account more than 5,000 universities around the world in 54 subjects across natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, medical sciences and social sciences. More information about the methodology used to calculate the rankings can be found .

In 2023, the UW was ranked No. 18 on the group鈥檚 annual听Academic Ranking of World Universities听list.

Note: The subject names below are general descriptions from the ranking website, and not necessarily the names of the UW unit ranked.

doesn鈥檛 want her work to scare people. It鈥檚 already unsettling when wildfire smoke descends upon a community, when eyes burn and throats scratch and people trickle into emergency rooms. She鈥檇 rather people see her research, which ties wildfire smoke to an increased risk of emergency department visits, as a step toward protecting themselves. 听

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 useful to see it as more information, and use that to help us figure out what we can do to protect ourselves,鈥� said Doubleday, who completed the research while working toward her doctorate in environmental health at the UW and now works on air quality for the Washington State Department of Health. 鈥淔or me the takeaway is we鈥檙e all at risk of health impacts. Obviously some more than others, such as those with pre-existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions, but we all should be taking steps to reduce exposure and watching for any symptoms.鈥�听

That’s the crux of two papers recently published in Environmental Research: Health by researchers at the 天美影视传媒, which found an increased risk of hospital service encounters in the days following wildfire smoke events. Taken together, their findings suggest that wildfire smoke poses a risk to people of all ages, not just young children and older adults. 听

The researchers found that the risk of respiratory-related emergency department encounters increased most sharply for those between the ages of 19 and 64. The findings suggest that public health messaging should also target younger and middle-aged adults, who may not see themselves as vulnerable to wildfire smoke. 听

鈥淲e do have this younger age group in there who may think they鈥檙e invincible, or that the risk messaging doesn鈥檛 apply to them because they鈥檙e not very young or elderly,鈥� said , teaching professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW and co-author of both papers. Isaksen is also co-director of the , which has produced a string of papers on the risks of wildfire smoke. 听

鈥淜nowing that essentially all age groups are at risk of negative health outcomes during wildfire smoke events is an important finding and a shift in how we think of who is vulnerable in our population during these events,鈥� Busch Isaksen said. 鈥淚 expect these results will be informative to public health risk communication strategies aimed at reducing wildfire smoke exposure in all age groups through behavior change such as limiting time outdoors, actively cleaning your indoor air, etc. 鈥�听

The first study, led by Doubleday and , analyzed emergency department (ED) data from hospitals across Washington state. It found an increased risk of respiratory-related ED visits, including visits for asthma, in the five days following a smoke event. Researchers also observed a delayed increase in the odds of cardiovascular-related ED visits. 听

The analysis also found a correlation between the amount of smoke in the air and the risk of ED encounters. For every 10 碌g尘鈭�3 increase in the concentration of fine particle pollution 鈥� PM 2.5 or particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or smaller 鈥� the odds of ED visits rose accordingly. 听

The second study, led by recent UW graduate , is among the first to document the health effects of wildfire smoke on children in Washington state. , it analyzed 15 years of data from Seattle Children鈥檚 Hospital鈥檚 emergency department and in-patient hospital admissions, comparing rates of visits on days with and without smoke. 听

Researchers linked wildfire smoke events to a 7% increase in the odds of all-cause hospital admissions. Notably, the odds of hospitalization remained elevated in the week after smoke events, highlighting the need to monitor children鈥檚 symptoms well after exposure.听

鈥淲e definitely want to be more cognizant of exposure when it comes to children during wildfire smoke season,鈥� said Iyaz, who earned a master鈥檚 in environmental health from the UW and now works in extreme heat mitigation for King County. 鈥淎fter children are exposed to wildfire smoke, keep monitoring symptoms for a couple of days, because they can lag, especially if there are underlying health conditions that might contribute.鈥�听

The study did not find any change in visits to the emergency department, which researchers attributed to the unique population served by Seattle Children鈥檚. As a Level I trauma center, the hospital draws medically complicated cases from across the region, so its patients may be at greater risk of hospitalization than the general population. Parents may also be more likely to bring a sick child to the nearest emergency room, where their visit wouldn鈥檛 be captured by this specific dataset.听

Even before these papers were published, the findings began to show real-world impacts on public health.听Iyaz designed an easy-to-read summary of how smoke can affect children鈥檚 health, so patients鈥� families can better prepare for future events. 听

鈥淲ildfire smoke days are relatively new, and not all people may understand them,鈥� Iyaz said. 鈥淚f people aren鈥檛 aware of what wildfire smoke is and the impacts it can have, that makes it more important to meet communities where they are and talk about what the health effects can be.鈥�听

For more information, contact Busch Isaksen at tania@uw.edu, or visit the

The 天美影视传媒 rose from No. 7 to No. 6 on the听, released on Tuesday. The UW maintained its No. 2 ranking among U.S. public institutions.

U.S. News also ranked several subjects, and the UW placed in the top 10 in 10 subject areas, including immunology (No. 4), molecular biology and genetics (No. 5) and clinical medicine (No. 6).

In another ranking out this week, Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023 by Subject, six subject areas at the UW placed in the top 25.

鈥淎s a global public research university, the UW鈥檚 mission is to create and accelerate change for the public good,鈥� UW President Ana Mari Cauce said. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud that these rankings reflect the outstanding and wide-ranging work of our faculty, staff and students to expand knowledge and discovery that is changing people鈥檚 lives for the better, particularly in the health sciences.鈥�

The U.S. News ranking 鈥斕� based on Web of Science data and metrics provided by Clarivate Analytics InCites 鈥� weighs factors that measure a university鈥檚 global and regional research reputation and academic research performance. For the overall rankings, this includes bibliometric indicators such as publications, citations and international collaboration.

The overall Best Global Universities ranking, now in its ninth year, encompasses the top 2,000 institutions spread across 90 countries, according to U.S. News.听American universities make up eight of the top 10 spots.

Here are all the top 10 UW rankings in U.S. News鈥� subject rankings:

• Immunology 鈥� No. 4
• Molecular biology and genetics 鈥� No. 5
• Clinical medicine 鈥� No. 6
• Geosciences 鈥� No. 7
• Infectious diseases 鈥� No. 7
• Public, environmental and occupational health 鈥� No. 7
• Social sciences and public health 鈥� No. 7
• Biology and biochemistry 鈥� No. 8
• Microbiology 鈥� No. 10

In the rankings, UW鈥檚 programs in these areas placed in the top 25:

• : No. 15
• (includes agriculture and forestry, biological sciences, veterinary science and sport science): No. 16
• (includes medicine, dentistry and other health subjects): No. 17
• (includes communication and media studies, politics and international studies 鈥� including development studies, sociology and geography): No. 18
• (includes mathematics and statistics, physics and astronomy, chemistry, geology, environmental sciences, and Earth and marine sciences): No. 19
• (includes education, teacher training, and academic studies in education): No. 23

The subject tables employ the same used in the overall听; however, the methodology is recalibrated for each subject, with the weightings changed to suit the individual fields.

Eight 天美影视传媒 subjects ranked in the top 10 and atmospheric sciences moved to its position as No. 1 in the world on the list for 2022. The ranking, released Tuesday, was conducted by researchers at the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, a fully independent organization dedicating to research on higher education intelligence and consultation.

Other UW subjects in the top 10 include oceanography at No. 2; public health at No. 4; biological sciences, dentistry and oral sciences, education, and library and information sciences at No. 7; and clinical medicine at No. 10.

鈥淭he research听produced by 天美影视传媒 faculty, staff and students is critical to听understanding听and addressing global challenges, from climate change to human health,鈥� said President Ana Mari Cauce. “We are gratified and honored to have the incredible impact that UW researchers are making across so many disciplines once again recognized by this prestigious organization.”

The group ranked more than 5,000 universities around the world in 54 subjects across natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, medical sciences and social sciences. More information about the methodology used to calculate the rankings can be found .

In 2021, the UW was ranked No. 19 on the group鈥檚 annual听听list. This year鈥檚 university ranking has not yet been released.

Note: The subject names below are general descriptions from the ranking website, and not necessarily the names of the UW unit ranked.