Grant Program: Collaborative Health Sciences Program

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 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.

This project, led by Dr. Jennifer Weiss, aimed to characterize factors at the system, clinic, provider and patient levels that influence colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates at rural and urban clinics. CRC is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths for adults in Wisconsin, and it the most preventable yet least prevented cancer due to low uptake of screening. Recognizing that many rural, low-income, and racial/ethnically diverse communities have disproportionately low screening rates, the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable announced a campaign to achieve screening rates of 80 percent and higher in every community. Wisconsin has a screening rate of 73.4 percent; however, there is wide geographic variation among rural and urban clinics. The research team successfully developed a novel rural-urban geodisparity model that revealed significant disparities in CRC screening rates between rural and urban clinics. High-performing clinics, particularly those serving subpopulations with historically low screening rates, utilized stool-based screening tests more frequently, likely due to fewer resources and less access to colonoscopy facilities in rural areas. Additionally, the research team conducted interviews with clinic staff who highlighted the critical roles of medical assistants and primary care providers, shared decision-making and the need for stratified screening rate information to inform interventions aimed at reducing disparities and improving CRC screening practices.