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Funded Projects

Policy Impacts on Children’s Health and Academic Outcomes

Awarded in 2025
Postdoctoral Grant
Updated Dec 3, 2025

At a Glance

The project, Policy Impacts on Children’s Health and Academic Outcomes, led by postdoctoral trainee Youngjin Stephanie Hong, PhD, MSW, examines how health and income policies influence the health and academic outcomes of children in low-income families. Using national data on school-age children, the study investigates how certain policies interact to impact indicators such as health care utilization, parental financial and time investments and broader family functioning and children’s health and academic outcomes. Understanding the effects of these policies will help inform future decisions to strengthen stability and promote the well-being of Wisconsin families and children. Maureen Durkin, PhD, DrPH, department chair and professor, Population Health Sciences, UW–Madison, serves as the supervising mentor.

More Funded Projects

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Postdoctoral Grant

Examining Health Policy Effects on Maternal Health Outcomes in Wisconsin and Nationally

Awarded in 2025
The project, Examining Health Policy Effects on Maternal Health Outcomes in Wisconsin and Nationally, led by research associate Taehyun Kim, PhD, examines how recent changes in reproductive health policy affect maternal health outcomes in Wisconsin and across the United States. Using a large national electronic medical records dataset, the study will compare trends across states with differing policy environments to generate new evidence on how these changes influence maternal health risks, care experiences and pregnancy-related outcomes. Findings will help inform evidence-based decision-making to support the well-being of pregnant individuals and families. Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, professor and director of the Population and Reproductive Health Division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UW–Madison, serves as the supervising mentor.
research icon: microscope and stethoscope
Postdoctoral Grant

Development and Optimization of Cat Intestine Microphysiological Devices to Study T. Gondii Sexual Development

Awarded in 2025
The project, Development and Optimization of Cat Intestine Microphysiological Devices to Study T. Gondii Sexual Development, led by postdoctoral fellow Andrew Gale, PhD, aims to develop a miniature cat intestine in an organ-on-a-chip approach to enable the study of Toxoplasma gondii sexual reproduction outside of feline hosts. Because T. gondii can infect humans but completes its sexual cycle only in cats, research on this stage has been limited. Creating a microphysiological device that mimics the cat intestine would provide a new model for studying the parasite’s life cycle, accelerating the development of treatments and vaccines that could reduce oocyst production and prevent the spread of T. gondii. Laura Knoll, PhD, professor and associate dean, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, UW–Madison, serves as the supervising mentor.