Focus Area: Research

Using the COVID EHR Cohort at the University of Wisconsin (CEC-UW), this project aimed to analyze the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic minority groups in Wisconsin, compare disease outcomes between UW Health and other health systems and test associations between risk factors, treatments and vaccine status with disease outcomes. CEC-UW has been collecting electronic health record (EHR) data from all COVID-19 patients across 21 participating health systems and, as of September 2021, has compiled more than 250 EHR elements from 1.1 million COVID-19 patients. This data has the potential to help target high-risk individuals, improve treatment, guide variant management and enhance response to future disease outbreaks. The results revealed that Black and Hispanic communities, along with low-income groups, faced significantly higher infection rates and more severe COVID-19 outcomes. Comparison of outcomes between health systems showed that UW Health patients had better recovery rates and lower mortality due to more effective health strategies, including advanced treatment protocols and higher vaccination rates. Finally, the project found that early treatments and full vaccination greatly improved outcomes, while those with underlying conditions or lack of vaccine access faced worse outcomes.

Filiz Yesilkoy, PhD, assistant professor, UW–Madison College of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and co-principal investigators Irene Ong, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Miriam Shelef, MD, PhD, associate professor, Department of Medicine, developed a user-friendly, cost-effective, point-of-care serology test for monitoring protective immunity against COVID-19. By developing this biosensor platform, investigators can more easily assess vaccination status, past infection status and protective immunity to inform communities in Wisconsin of the risk of COVID-19.

The goal of this project was to increase compliance in postpartum care among Black women by incorporating community partnerships into the “Staying Healthy After Childbirth” (STAC) care model, which is a telehealth hypertension management program offered by UnityPoint Health-Meriter. Hypertension disorders affect around 22 percent of pregnancies in Wisconsin, with preeclampsia and eclampsia being 60 percent more common and substantially more severe in Black women than white women. While the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends early outpatient follow-up for postpartum women with hypertension disorders, up to 40 percent do not attend. Initial data from the STAC program showed that it was successful in obtaining blood pressure readings from 94 percent of women, compared to 60 percent in standard follow-up, however, compliance with remote blood pressure monitoring varied 23 percent between Black and white women. The project successfully enrolled 48 out of 55 planned participants and integrated community-based, racially concordant doulas into their postpartum care. Preliminary findings revealed a significant improvement in health care engagement for Black mothers with doula support, as evidenced by their total blood pressure readings during the 42-day postpartum period. Qualitative feedback from study participants emphasized the program’s live-saving impact, particularly in postpartum recovery and medication management, with emotional support from doulas contributing to positive well-being and overall experience.

The Vascular Effects of the Precision Interventions for Severe Asthma (VASC-PreCISE) led by Matthew Tattersall, DO, MS, associate professor, Department of Medicine, aimed to investigate biomarker-guided treatments for asthma and their impact on arterial injury and cardiovascular risk, focusing on improving blood vessel function and reducing inflammation through novel therapies. Asthma affects over 500,000 individuals in Wisconsin, with higher hospitalization and mortality rates among ethnic minorities. Certain asthma types, particularly persistent or late-onset forms, are linked to increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk due to shared inflammatory pathways. This connection represents a knowledge gap and a need for targeted approaches in treating both asthma and CVD. The VASC-PreCISE successfully enrolled 25 participants and collected 75 blood serum samples along with 75 ultrasound scans of participants’ carotid and brachial arteries to evaluate blood vessel health and inflammation. Data analysis was scheduled for February 2024 post-randomization to maintain trial integrity. Ultimately, this project fostered partnerships and led to a KL2 Scholar Award to continue research on precision asthma anti-inflammatory therapies.

Emerging and recurring viral infections remain a threat to public health and personal well-being. This innovative project proposes to “rediscover” rheumatoid factor (RF), a naturally occurring autoimmune antibody generally considered a hallmark of rheumatoid arthritis, as a unique, universal antiviral agent. The primary goal of this proposal is to learn more about the role of RFs in COVID-19 in order to inform the development of a universal antiviral treatment for rapid deployment during seasonal, endemic and future viral pandemics. The findings have the potential to inform the development of novel therapeutics for treating wide range of viral infections.

This research team will investigate a novel potential mechanism underlying interstitial lung disease (ILD), a collection of diseases that produce progressive scarring, or fibrosis, of the lung. ILD, which remains largely untreatable and poorly understood, impacts more than 250,000 patients in the United States and causes a staggering 40,000 deaths each year. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, incidence of ILD has risen sharply. Nearly all patients intubated for COVID-19 have evidence of ILD. This study focuses on understanding how epithelial injury remodels its extracellular matrix microenvironment through the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway. The findings have the potential to advance the mechanistic understanding of how lung injury triggers scarring and identify therapeutic targets for stabilizing this progressive and intractable disease.

High stress levels and obesity both have consequences for immune cell function and inflammation. This project, led by David Beebe, PhD, professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, aimed to explore the intersection between lifestyle factors, like diet and meditation, and inflammation. High stress levels and obesity both have consequences for immune cell function and inflammation. Previous work at UW–Madison has shown how immune cells respond to injury and help resolve inflammation and that the immune response can be influenced by stress and meditation. However, little research has focused on linking these findings. The research team investigated the links between sugar consumption and stress on immune response by studying blood samples before and after sugar intake. Within one hour of ingestion, the immune cells exhibited heightened activity, suggesting that sugar intake can significantly impact the function of these cells. The team studied mindfulness practices in lupus patients and found initial evidence that these interventions may influence immune response and offer non-pharmacological insights for managing autoimmune conditions.

This project, led by Dr. Jasmine Zapata, aimed to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of the Today Not Tomorrow Pregnancy and Infant-Support Program (TNT-PISP). TNT-PISP is a collaborative community-based prenatal care and support group in Dane County that was uniquely designed to serve Black women and infants. Wisconsin’s Black infant mortality rate is the highest in the nation and there is increasing evidence that models of prenatal care that are community-driven, group-based, culturally-relevant and family-centered have the potential to significantly improve maternal and infant health outcomes. The TNT-PISP generated significant short-, medium- and long-term impacts. The program provided valuable peer support and resources for Black mothers, with 98 percent of participants sharing that they would be willing to return. Thematic analyses highlighted positive effects of the program, including providing peer support, a safe space for Black mothers to share their experiences and valuable information about resources for parents, breastfeeding and community-based doula programs.

Birth Cost Recovery (BCR) holds unmarried, non-custodial fathers liable for Medicaid birth costs in Wisconsin, yet there is little known about the impact of this policy on Black birthing people in Wisconsin. This project, led by Tiffany Green, PhD, assistant professor in the departments of Population Health Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology, will work to better understand how BCR and other similar social policies impact inequities in health outcomes among low-income Black birthing people in the state of Wisconsin. Dr. Green and a team of interdisciplinary experts in the fields of economics, population health, pediatrics, social work, clinical/social psychology and community engagement will create an evaluation framework for BCR as a way of measuring the impact of this policy and collect evidence that can be useful in informing future policies and improving health outcomes statewide.

There are 7,000 different rare genetic disorders that impact approximately 450,000 people in Wisconsin. Gene therapy has the potential to treat these diseases if two major limitations can be addressed: better targeting of the therapy agent and affordability. This project, led by Kinjal Majumder, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Oncology, seeks to address these limitations by improving the nuclear targeting of gene therapy vectors. The team will use a combination of CRISPR/Cas9 technology, Big Data and high-resolution imaging to study the molecular mechanisms of Recombinant Adeno-Associate Virus (rAAV) vectors for gene therapy delivery and provide insights into engineering better rAAV gene therapy vehicles. Their findings will inform future studies and collaborations in the field of gene therapy, with the potential to improve treatments for rare genetic disorders and develop cancer-targeting gene therapies.