The University of Washington celebrated excellence in research safety at the 2025 Laboratory Safety Awards & Innovations Event, honoring 21 laboratories, departments and individuals for their outstanding contributions to building a strong culture of safety across campuses.
Provost Dr. Tricia Serio delivered the keynote address, emphasizing the critical role of safety in advancing research. Opening remarks were provided by Katia Harb, senior director of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S), and closing remarks by Dr. Forrest Michael, the chair of the Institutional Chemical and Physical Safety Committee (ICAPS).
Spotlight on Guest Speakers
The event featured inspiring presentations from members of the research community :
- Dr. Tasha Ritchie, the laboratory safety coordinator for the School of Pharmacy, discussed the creation of her job position and the impact on improving lab safety.
- Dr. David Giblin, herbarium collections manager for the Burke Museum, talked about his partnership with EH&S to invest and improve safety for the field researchers and scientists.
- Dr. Phil Cox, senior staff scientist and program manager at the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds, presented on the chemical intake process created for this multi-user research facility to support chemical safety practices and compliance.
Recognizing Innovation
Hosted by EH&S every two years, the Laboratory Safety Awards & Innovations Event celebrates individuals and teams who advance safety through creative solutions and best practices. Innovations submitted by UW researchers and staff are showcased through posters at the event and shared on the EH&S website, inspiring others to strengthen their own safety programs.
Award recipients represented all three UW campuses and are listed on the EH&S website.
The awards include:
- Top Dawgs in Safety Awards – Presented to departments from schools and colleges that lead in meeting safety expectations.
- Pack Leaders in Safety Awards – Given to principal investigators or responsible parties and their research groups who go beyond compliance by proactively addressing safety concerns, responding to inspection reports, reporting incidents, and using campus safety resources.
- Partners in Safety Awards – Recognizing individuals who are not principal investigators but work in or support labs, contributing significantly to improving safety and collaborating closely with EH&S.
Event Highlight
Approximately 120 attendees joined the celebration, including research students, faculty, staff, department chairs, chancellors, administrators, deans, and the provost. EH&S received numerous notes of thanks and positive feedback, reflecting the enthusiastic response from the research community.
Congratulations to all award recipients and innovators!
For more information about laboratory safety or to view innovation posters from previous events, visit the Laboratory Safety page.