Dr. Helen Kim to chair new departmental sustainability task force

UW Radiology Associate Professor Dr. Helen Kim has been selected to lead a new sustainability task force by Department Chair Dr. Dushyant Sahani. The goal of the group is to promote sustainability within the radiology departments across our five hospitals — Montlake, Harborview, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Fred Hutch and Northwest. 

The task force’s mission is to reduce waste, lower costs, and most importantly, decrease carbon emissions created within the department, while continuing to provide quality care. The task force, which was created earlier this year, has local sustainability officers at each hospital who are very engaged in this work. 

Dr. Kim, who is also the Pediatric Radiology Director of Ultrasound for Seattle Children’s Hospital, said, “For our initial project, we’re going to measure the electricity consumption of CT scanners, and then implement a ‘shut-down’ mode and remeasure afterward. The goal is to gather internal data and use it to promote and inspire sustainable practices.”