Karen Cowgill, Ph.D.
My field is epidemiology, which is the study of the distribution and determinants of disease; it is considered the foundational science of public health and is applied in the prevention and control of disease, identification of risk factors for and causes of disease, and formation of health policy. My particular interests are the health of mothers and children, infectious diseases, and global health.
I am also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the UW Department of Global Health.
My current research addresses the health of mothers and children. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I work with a colleague from the University of Lubumbashi to describe conditions that increase the risk of maternal, infant, and child morbidity (illness) and mortality (death), and to test interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality. In Pierce County, I partner with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department on projects aimed at understanding and reducing maternal morbidity and increasing rates of school-located influenza vaccination.
I currently teach the following courses:
- TCORE 102 Introduction to Science: Parasites, People, and Plowshares
- TBIOL 102 Infectious Diseases in the 21st Century
- TBIOMD 199 Preparation for Careers in Biomedical Science
- TBIOMD 201 Introduction to Public Health
- TBIOL 350 Introduction to Epidemiology
- TBIOMD 490/491 Context for Global Health Experiential Learning Program/GHELP