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WSU Health Sciences Spokane Extra

10 Years of WSU Health Sciences: 10 research highlights since 2010

10 year graphic

By Judith Van Dongen

When the Washington State University Board of Regents designated WSU Spokane as the university’s official health sciences campus on Sept. 3, 2010, it paved the way for growth and transformation of health sciences education and research in Spokane.

Today, we’re sharing 10 research highlights from the past 10 years. This isn’t a ranking, but rather a showcase of the incredible, world-changing research on campus in the past decade.

To the highlights!

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WSU Spokane releases student results of campus climate survey

WSU Spokane

WSU Health Sciences Spokane sponsored a survey in 2019 to evaluate perceptions and experiences of its students, faculty, and staff with regard to diversity and climate issues. WSU Health Sciences implemented online surveys of currently enrolled students and faculty and staff in spring 2019.

Today, results of the students’ surveys are available to view, as well as related recommendations for consideration. Stay tuned in the coming months for results from staff and faculty surveys.

You can read the Executive Summary here, and the entire results here.

WSU Health Sciences to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy with multiple acts of service

MLK parade

MLK parade

The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Jan. 20, 2020, marks the 25th anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the civil rights leader’s life and legacy. Students, staff and faculty of WSU Health Sciences Spokane are planning several activities during the week to honor Dr. King. The campus Diversity Center and Office of Community Engagement are teaming up to sponsor these activities.

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World experts on shift work meet for WSU-organized conference

Busy city night scene with well-lit skyscrapers, car lights, and constructionMany of the world’s leading experts on shift work are converging on the Inland Northwest this week to present and discuss issues related to night shifts and non-standard working hours. Organized by the Washington State University Sleep and Performance Research Center on behalf of the Working Time Society, the 24th International Symposium on Shiftwork and Working Time—Shiftwork2019—will bring together scientists and practitioners focused on improving the health and safety of shift workers. » More …

Celestina Barbosa-Leiker honored with YWCA Women of Achievement award

Celestina Barbosa-Leiker

Celestina Barbosa-LeikerCelestina Barbosa-Leiker, WSU Health Sciences’ vice chancellor for research, is one of 10 winners of the 2019 YWCA Women of Achievement award. Barbosa-Leiker is WSU Health Sciences’ third YWCA Women of Achievement award winner in the last four years, joining Lois James in 2018 and Robbie Paul in 2016. Patricia Butterfield, Ruth Bindler, Thelma Cleveland, Margaret Bruya, Jan Holloway and Barbara Richardson are additional WSU Health Sciences representatives who have also been honored.

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New WSU technology to improve delivery of anti-inflammatory drugs

Portrait image of Zhenjia Wang, associate professor in the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Pharmaceutical scientist Zhenjia Wang was awarded a $1.3M NIH grant to advance his research

A researcher at Washington State University Health Sciences Spokane has developed a new technology that harnesses the immune system to deliver drugs directly to infection sites within the body.

“Most diseases develop in local tissues within the body,” said Zhenjia Wang, an associate professor in the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “That makes drug delivery challenging, because many drugs don’t have targeting properties—they simply go wherever they go. By delivering drugs to the disease site specifically, we can improve treatment while dramatically decreasing side effects.”

Wang’s technology uses neutrophils—a type of white blood cells that play a key role in the body’s natural immune response—to deliver drugs directly to diseased tissue. Neutrophils make up as much as 70 percent of the white blood cells that travel through the bloodstream to help fight off bacteria, viruses, or other pathogens that invade the body and cause inflammation in affected tissue. » More …