Dr. Helen Chu, associate professor (Allergy and Infectious Diseases) has received the Researcher of the Year Award for her work tracking the COVID-19 outbreak through the Seattle Flu Study.
The Seattle Flu Study is a seasonal flu and respiratory infection tracking framework that helps detect early cases, track spread and prevent transmission.
After the first national case of COVID-19 occurred in the Seattle area, Chu and her team discovered COVID-19 was spreading undetected through the Seattle community. The team quickly created a COVID-19 test and developed the Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network (SCAN), which provided community testing via swab-and-send test kits.
Through SCAN, Chu and her colleagues send tests directly to people’s homes, creating an accessible testing option for people in every part of the county.
Chu and her team continue to serve the community by sending tests to underserved populations in the Seattle area and conducting contact tracing.
The Researcher of the Year Award is one of the Puget Sound Business Journal’s Health Care Leadership Awards, which recognize innovative Puget Sound healthcare leaders whose work has had a lasting impact on the region.
