UW Medicine

02/03/2026

Today, teams across UW Medicine gathered to mark the start of Black History Month with flag‑raising ceremonies at our hospital locations, including the first ever held at Northwest Outpatient Medical Center.

From leadership at every level to clinical care, the knowledge, dedication and expertise of Black team members are vital to our mission to improve the health of all people. Their voices, perspectives and leadership make our organization stronger and our care better.

Thank you to everyone who joined us today.

01/31/2026

Creatine helps supply quick energy for short bursts of high-intensity activity such as lifting weights, but it doesn’t build muscle on its own; it only makes resistance training more effective.

“Over the last several decades, there's been a lot of research around creatine and optimizing those energy systems specifically around those more explosive and high-intensity activities that occur in short bursts,” says Charles Kenyon, DO, a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor and sports medicine specialist. “Of all the different supplements, creatine is one of the most well-researched.”

At recommended doses, creatine supplements are generally safe, but Kenyon also emphasizes the importance of buying products certified by the National Sanitation Foundation and remembering that creatine isn’t a replacement for basics like sleep, hydration and eating enough protein.

Find out more about what creatine does and whether it makes sense for you.

Here's what you need to know.

01/30/2026

A new medical tower is coming to Harborview Medical Center, along with other important facility improvements. Our new video series takes viewers inside the planning and design process.

Hosted by Ted Klainer, senior director of capital development at Harborview, the series explores the work behind the Harborview Medical Center Bond Program, which is guiding the planning, design and construction of the new tower over the next several years.

In Episode 1, Ted is joined by Kellie Hurley, associate administrator of clinical and capital integration. She explains what the Bond Program is, its goals, the overall timeline and the questions she is working through with clinical teams before the project breaks ground.

Watch the full episode on YouTube. : https://bit.ly/4pYOfJ7

01/29/2026

Dr. William H. “Bill” Foege, a 1961 M.D. graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine - WWAMI who is credited with strategies that ended the spread of smallpox worldwide in the late 1970s, died January 24th at 89.

The elimination of smallpox infections was heralded as one of the major victories in global public health. The last recorded naturally occurring case was reported in 1977. The disease was officially declared eradicated in 1980.

“Bill Foege is a lasting inspiration to others because of his unselfish dedication to protecting people from infectious diseases in the United States and globally,” said Dr. Tim Dellit, CEO of UW Medicine and dean of the UW School of Medicine. “He was also an exemplary role model in his national and international leadership in medicine and public health.”

Dr. Foege received many significant honors throughout his career. Among these were a 2001 Lasker Award for biomedical sciences, the Thomas Francis Medal in Global Health, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was presented by President Barak Obama in 2012, and the Future of Life Award in 2020.

“Bill was a wonderful person known for his impeccable integrity, intelligence, humor and remarkable communication skills,” said Dr. Paul G. Ramsey, professor and dean emeritus of the UW School of Medicine and retired UW Medicine CEO. “Via his extraordinary professional career, Bill made an enormous contribution to improve health for all people. He is one of the University of Washington School of Medicine’s most distinguished graduates.”

Read on to learn more about Dr. Foege's astounding career and his contributions to medicine.

Dr. William H. “Bill” Foege, a 1961 M.D. graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine who is credited with strategies that ended the spread of smallpox worldwide in the late 1970s, died Jan. 24 at his home in Atlanta. He was 89.

01/29/2026

ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machines are the most advanced form of life support. They take over the work of the heart and lungs to give the body time to recover.

When medical emergencies left two patients fighting for their lives, ECMO expertise at UW Medicine became their bridge to survival.

Ethan Noack, 20, and Kelli Gehrke, 36, are grateful, in large part because ECMO gave them a second chance.

Their stories show how advanced technology paired with compassionate care can halt health crises and create chances for full recoveries. ECMO specialists explain why UW Medicine's program is considered one of the most advanced in the nation.

01/28/2026

Melatonin is often used to help the body wind down for sleep, but questions have been raised about how it may affect heart health over time.

“Melatonin doesn’t knock you out,” says Dr. Nathaniel Watson, the director of the Harborview Sleep Clinic and co-director of the UW Medicine Sleep Center. “It just nudges the brain toward thinking it’s nighttime. It’s a circadian signal, not a sedative.”

Dr. Watson warns that taking melatonin at high doses can also subtly influence blood pressure and heart rate variability, and for those with pre-existing heart conditions, that could matter.

“For most healthy adults, melatonin is safe,” says Dr. Watson. “But for those with cardiac vulnerabilities, it’s worth discussing dosing and timing with a doctor.”

Learn more about melatonin, heart health and sleep alternatives.

What to know about the risks.

01/27/2026

Founded in 2005, the Downtown Emergency Service Center’s 1811 Eastlake facility houses 75 formerly homeless adults diagnosed with chronic alcohol use disorders. The supportive housing model combines stable housing with onsite medical and case management services to support residents’ overall well-being.

On the second floor of the Downtown Emergency Service Center's facility, there's balcony garden with sculptures, flowers, an avocado tree and a cat sunning himself.

That's thanks to 72-year-old UW Medicine patient Randy Critz, who has remade the space that used to be where residents discarded items. Now, it offers him a source of calm. Much like the garden, Critz’s life has been transformed with careful tending. It’s a 20-year journey that has demanded both personal determination and care at Harborview Medical Center.

In 2007, he was hospitalized for a stroke that had caused temporary blindness in one eye. The care teams at Harborview have also treated his pneumonia, repaired a hernia, removed an appendix, performed colonoscopies and, recently, fixed an injured finger.

Along with improved physical health, Critz has found peace and purpose through his hobbies and his role as a respected elder.

Dr. Aynsley Duncan oversees medical care those living in the facility. She says that the best part of her job is "seeing people living their lives, which is a true privilege. The most rewarding part is really our patients, who are some of the most creative, resilient and hardworking people I've ever met.”

A supportive housing facility sitting next to I-5 in downtown Seattle might not be the first place you’d look for a brightly decorated, serene oasis.  

01/26/2026

This is your sign that it might be time to fix your sleep routine and get back on track.

“Not getting enough sleep can compromise relationships, increase mood problems and irritability, and maybe even contribute to depression,” says Nathaniel Watson, MD, a neurologist, sleep medicine specialist and director of the Sleep Center at Harborview Medical Center.

Avoid caffeine, exercise, food and long naps before bed; keep a consistent bedtime and don’t put so much pressure on yourself to sleep.

Understand that there will always be variation in the quality of your sleep. Some nights will be better than others, and that’s normal.

“Good sleep isn’t something you do; it’s something you give yourself the opportunity for,” Dr. Watson says.

It's not as complicated as you think

01/25/2026

01/22/2026

After experiencing strange vision symptoms, a brain scan revealed a lime-sized tumor pressing on Courtney Griffith’s optic nerves causing temporary blindness and putting her at risk of sudden death. Courtney was immediately directed to go to the emergency room at UW Medical Center – Montlake for emergency surgery to remove her brain tumor.

During her recovery, Courtney was cared for by the team at the Alvord Brain Tumor Center at UW Medical Center, who developed a treatment plan combining oral chemotherapy and 33 sessions of precision proton radiation at the Fred Hutch - Proton Therapy Center, the only one of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.

Now more than a year out from finishing chemotherapy, there is no visible sign of a tumor and Courtney feels like a different person. “My new motto in life is live with no regrets,” she says. “I want my family to live with no regrets. I want them to see that, yes, the world is crazy. Yes, bad things happen, but life is precious and you don't know when or how it can change, so whatever opportunity becomes available, take it, do it, run with it, whatever that is.”

Watch her powerful video and read the full story here.

Here is her story.

01/21/2026

A safety video published by The Sports Institute at UW Medicine will show bystanders and first-responders how to attend to a horseback riding accident in an arena or on the trail.

“I think people don’t realize how many head trauma injuries come out of horseback riding,” said Scott Polovitch-Davis, its associate director.

A report by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine noted that horseback riding is a leading cause of sports-related traumatic brain injury in the United States. A 2023 study of 210 equestrians found a higher incidence of concussion in equestrian sports than football or rugby.

“We hope this video saves lives,” says Dr. Cindy Lin, an equestrian and sports medicine physician and director of The Sports Institute. “We hope it empowers people to be calm when they’re in a crisis.”

It was supposed to be a routine training exercise.  Taking the 3-year-old c**t through his stops and starts, Ellensburg horse trainer Mitch Williams didn’t pay much attention to the weather at first.  

01/20/2026

Every flu season brings challenges, and this year appears especially concerning. Already, an estimated 11 million infections have been reported nationwide, with hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations.

"Influenza impacts everyone. You can be a super healthy person, do all the right things around eating and exercise, but you can still get influenza. It has to do with who you're exposed to and your immune response," said infectious disease expert Dr. John Lynch.

Vaccination remains the most effective tool, with protection building about two weeks after receiving the shot. Infants 6 months and older, pregnant people, older adults and those with chronic medical conditions are at higher risk of severe illness. Masking, especially with high-quality masks like N95s, also helps reduce transmission, protecting individuals and the broader community.