Focus Area: Research

Emergency departments are vital access points for urgent health care, yet consistently delivering safe, efficient, and equitable care is challenging. This project, Integrating Human Factors and Data Science to Advance Emergency Care, from the Emergency Care Systems Laboratory (ECSL) at UW–Madison aims to significantly enhance emergency health care quality and accessibility across Wisconsin. The project is led by Brian Patterson, MD, MPH, Department of Emergency Medicine, and will address two critical challenges in emergency health systems. In doing so, the project aims to create substantial improvements in emergency health care across Wisconsin, by ensuring faster, safer, and more equitable treatment for everyone who relies on emergency services. In addition, the ECSL model developed through this grant may serve as an example for similar improvements in emergency health care nationwide.

The project, Career Pathway Partnerships: Training the Future Leaders of the Wisconsin Biomedical Workforce, led by Laura Knoll, PhD, will build the capacity and leadership of Wisconsin’s biomedical and health care workforce by preparing graduate students to lead the state’s expanding biotechnology and life sciences sectors. Through the Interdisciplinary Biology and Health Sciences Consortium (IBHSC) Career Path Partnerships (CPP) Program, doctoral students will gain early exposure to biomedical industry careers, structured professional development and hands-on internships with Wisconsin-based companies. By integrating career exploration and industry engagement into PhD training, the program will equip students with the skills, experience and networks needed to transition confidently into the workforce. The project will also build on lasting partnerships between UW–Madison and Wisconsin biotech employers, creating sustainable pathways that retain top scientific talent in the state, support economic growth and prepare the next generation of biomedical innovators and health care leaders.

The project, Healthcare Experience Assessing Resilience, Toxic Stress and Prenatal Quality of Care (HEARTS-PQC), led by postdoctoral trainee Melissa Neal, PhD, MPH, seeks to better understand how to measure resilience, toxic stress and prenatal quality of care. Through clinical and community engagement, this African American/Black health initiative gathers perspectives of birthing people on what supportive, respectful and responsive prenatal care should look like, as well as the barriers and facilitators to assessing these factors in real-world settings. Kara Hoppe, DO, PhD, professor (CHS) and vice chair of clinical research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, serves as the supervising mentor.

The project, Understanding how Aging Affects the Health of Males and Females Differently, led by postdoctoral trainee Cassandra McGill, PhD, investigates how biological sex influences aging and age-related disease risk. By examining patterns of fat distribution and metabolism across mice, monkeys and humans, the study aims to uncover why individuals experience aging differently. Understanding these biological pathways could lead to more targeted strategies to promote healthy aging and prevent chronic illness. Rozalyn Anderson, PhD, professor in the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology, UW–Madison, serves as the supervising mentor.

The project, Regulation of Inflammatory and Wnt Signaling by LncRNA IL6-AS1, led by research associate Xin He, PhD, investigates how a little known molecule called IL6-AS1 regulates two critical cellular pathways: inflammation and tissue growth/repair. By mapping how IL6-AS1 communicates with these pathways, the study aims to clarify why some individuals are more susceptible to severe infections, autoimmune conditions or certain cancers. The project also examines naturally occurring gene variants to understand how they may alter IL6-AS1 activity and influence vulnerability to specific fungal infections. Bruce Klein, MD, professor and division chief, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, serves as the supervising mentor.

The project, Nutritional Influence on Microbiota and Immune Responses During Cryptosporidium Infections, led by research associate Bethany Korwin-Mihavics, PhD, investigates how nutrition and gut microbiota shape the body’s response to Cryptosporidium, a parasite that causes severe gastrointestinal illness. Using experimental models, the study explores how malnutrition-associated changes in the gut microbiome influence susceptibility to infection and alter immune responses. By identifying microbial communities that worsen disease and clarifying the mechanisms behind these interactions, this work aims to inform the development of future therapies for Cryptosporidium and potentially other intestinal parasites. Margaret Alexander, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, serves as the supervising mentor.

The project, Next-generation Radiotherapeutics: ¹⁶¹Tb-ART-101 Toward Curative Therapy for Advanced Prostate Cancer, led by research associate Malick Bio Idrissou, PhD, aims to develop a next-generation radiotherapeutic designed to more effectively treat advanced prostate cancer. Using Terbium-161 (¹⁶¹Tb) paired with a highly targeted agent called ART-101, the approach delivers precise radiation directly to cancer cells while sparing surrounding healthy tissue. This study will test the therapy in advanced disease models that better reflect human tumor biology and immune responses, with the goal of identifying the tumor subtypes most likely to benefit and accelerate progress toward future clinical trials. Reinier Hernandez, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Medical Physics, serves as the supervising mentor.

The project, Modeling the Diabetic Heart in Engineered Heart Tissue, led by postdoctoral fellow Angela Greenman, PhD, aims to improve understanding of how type 2 diabetes affects the heart by developing a new stem cell–based model of diabetic heart tissue. By engineering human heart tissue that reflects the biology of diabetes, this study will provide a platform to examine how the disease develops and progresses. The project also incorporates specialized training in a novel technique for assessing the relaxation phase of the heartbeat, which is a common problem for individuals with type 2 diabetes. J. Carter Ralphe, MD, professor and division chief, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Cardiology, serves as the supervising mentor.

The project, Mechanistic Dissection of Microbiome-mediated Effects of Dietary Arginine During IBD, led by research associate Chi Yan, PhD, investigates how dietary arginine influences intestinal inflammation in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Using controlled animal models and molecular profiling, this study aims to identify the microbial taxa and biological pathways that shape how this amino acid affects disease outcomes. By clarifying the microbiome-dependent mechanisms behind these varied responses, the project seeks to inform the development of personalized, nutrition-based approaches to improve IBD care. Margaret Alexander, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, serves as the supervising mentor.

The project, Improved Detection of Breast Cancer During Imaging and Surgery with a New Contrast Agent, led by research associate S. A. Amali S. Subasinghe, PhD, aims to improve the detection and surgical removal of breast cancer using a new contrast agent that becomes visible only within tumor tissue. The agent is activated by the enzyme cPLA2α, which is more active in cancer cells than in healthy cells, causing the compound to form a natural black pigment that highlights tumors. The study will test the contrast agent using optoacoustic imaging to detect tumors deep within the body and evaluate its ability to help surgeons visually identify tumor tissue during operations. Mark (Marty) Pagel, PhD, professor in the Department of Medical Physics, serves as the supervising mentor.