Fred Hutch Cancer Center’s Community Grants Program has recently awarded 10 cancer prevention projects across Washington state up to $15,000 each, for a total of $145,500. These dollars will support community-led solutions for cancer prevention, screening and education, particularly for historically underserved populations.

Since it began in 2014, the Community Grants Program, overseen by Fred Hutch’s Office of Community Outreach & Engagement (OCOE), has awarded 71 grants totaling nearly $700,000. 

Record interest highlights growing need

This 2026-2027 grant cycle drew a record number of project proposals for the second year in a row, reflecting both a growing awareness of the program and the continued need for locally driven cancer prevention initiatives. 

The awardees come from all regions in Washington state, ranging from Whidbey Island in the west to the Spokane region in the east to the Yakama reservation in Central Washington.

The year’s funding focuses on projects designed to address socio-economic drivers of health, or SDOH, such as housing instability and transportation access. 

“When you’re worried about paying rent or finding transportation, getting a cancer screening is often the last thing on your mind,” said Katie Treend, MPH, community benefit manager for OCOE. “That’s why these projects are so important — they support cancer prevention and whole-person health by meeting people where they are at.” 

By Abby Harlan
April 13, 2026

Soo Yon Ryu, assistant professor of business administration at Washington and Lee University, recently published a research article in the Journal of Advertising.

Ryu’s paper, “Simple is Eco-Friendly but Complex is Effective: Inferences from Visual Complexity in Package Design,” found that people interpret the complexity of a product’s packaging as a cue for both environmental friendliness and product effectiveness. Consumers tend to prefer simple package designs when eco-friendliness is important, as less complex designs signal lower resource use. Conversely, they favor more elaborate designs when they focus on product effectiveness, interpreting complexity as a sign of higher quality or stronger performance.

The research’s findings offer managers valuable insight on how strategically adjusting the visual complexity of product packages can influence consumer perception.

Ryu is in her first year as a faculty member at W&L. She earned a dual bachelor’s degree in business administration and culture & design management from Yonsei University (South Korea), a Master of Arts in art management from Seoul National University and a Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Florida, where she was recognized with the Warrington College of Business Ph.D. Teaching Award and a Marketing Science Institute Research Grant.

If you know a W&L faculty member who has done great, accolade-worthy things, tell us about them! Nominate them for an accolade.

Game Notes

Quick Hits

1) Evgeni Malkin has 82 points (27G-55A) in 67 career games against the Capitals. It’s the third-most points he’s scored against any one team.

2) Defenseman Sam Girard has five points (5A) and is plus-7 in his last seven games. Only three players have a better plus/minus than him (+7) since Mar. 30.

3) Since March 22, no player in the league has more goals than Rickard Rakell (10).

4) Elmer Soderblom has seven points (3G-4A) over his last eight games. He has nine points (4G-5A) in 18 games with Pittsburgh after recording three points (2G-1A) over 39 games with Detroit this year.

5) Egor Chinakhov has 21 points (8G-14A) over his last 19 games and has picked up 36 points (18G-18A) in 42 games since joining the Penguins. Since his Penguins debut on Jan. 1, only Rickard Rakell (20) has more goals than him on the team.