Wisconsin Partnership Program awards $1.05 million through New Investigator Program

The grants of $150,000 each were awarded to seven SMPH investigators for projects across the spectrum of basic, clinical and translational research and applied public health research. The projects focus on topics including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, immune response, cancer, genetics, diabetes and obesity and population and community health.

The funded projects include:

Bridging Cultures: Redefining Registries for Latino Communities Affected by Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia

Principal Investigator: Maria Mora Pinzon, MD, MS, FACPM, assistant professor, Department of Medicine

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Defining New Paradigms for Epithelial-Immune Interactions in Dysbiosis by Understanding the Response of Tuft Cells to Commensal Microbes

Principal Investigator: Claire O’Leary, PhD, assistant professor, Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology

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Defining Vulvar Cancer Subtypes and Implications for Clinical Outcomes

Principal Investigator: Huy Dinh, PhD, MS, assistant professor, Department of Oncology

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Identification of Novel Biomarkers and Pathogenesis of Kidney Transplant Rejection Using Cell-Free DNA Fragmentation and DNA Methylation Patterns

Principal Investigator: Benjamin Spector, MD, MS, assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics

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Novel Approaches to Discovering Rheumatoid Arthritis Susceptibility Genes

Principal Investigator: Steven Schrodi, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Medical Genetics

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Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Kidney Health

Principal Investigator: Matthew Blum, MD, MHS, assistant professor, Division of Nephrology

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Supercharging the Impact of Sleeve Gastrectomy on Postoperative Metabolism

Principal Investigator: David Harris, MD, assistant professor, Department of Surgery