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Funded Projects

Healthcare Experience Assessing Resilience, Toxic Stress and Prenatal Quality of Care (HEARTS-PQC)

Awarded in 2025
Postdoctoral Grant
Updated Mar 9, 2026

At a Glance

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.

More Funded Projects

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Strategic Research

Career Pathway Partnerships: Training the Future Leaders of the Wisconsin Biomedical Workforce

Awarded in 2025
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 SMPH doctoral students to lead the state’s expanding biotechnology and life sciences sectors. This innovative biomedical workforce development proposal in partnership with the master of science in biotechnology program and the Wisconsin BioHealth Tech Hub provides additional experiences and robust training to PhD students each year to prepare them to join Wisconsin’s biomedical research workforce. By integrating career exploration and industry engagement into doctoral training, the program will equip students with the skills, experience and networks needed to transition confidently into the workforce.
research icon: microscope and stethoscope
Postdoctoral Grant

Understanding How Aging Affects the Health of Males and Females Differently

Awarded in 2025
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.