The Wisconsin Partnership Program (WPP) at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) has awarded $1.2 million in grants through its New Investigator Program. Given the current funding landscape, WPP is pleased to enhance its continued commitment to grow the next generation of promising junior research faculty through these new awards.
The grants of $150,000 each were awarded to eight SMPH investigators for projects across the spectrum of basic, clinical and translational research and applied public health research. Traditionally, WPP has awarded up to four grants annually through this program, but in recent funding cycles, the number of awards has doubled, underscoring WPP’s growing commitment to advancing health research. This year’s projects focus on topics including mental health, infectious disease, cancer, maternal and child health, cells and immune response, congenital disorders and allergies and pulmonology.
These grants provide a critical foundation for generating preliminary data and securing future funding for research aimed at improving health outcomes for patients and populations across the state.
- Amy Kind, MD, PhD
“WPP has a strong tradition of providing support for SMPH early-career faculty as they advance their research. Now, given the broader funding context, increasing the availability of WPP’s support is more important than ever. Through these awards, we make a commitment to next generation research and recognize its potential to impact health for all,” said Amy Kind, MD, PhD, associate dean for social health sciences and programs at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, and executive director, Wisconsin Partnership Program. “These grants provide a critical foundation for generating preliminary data and securing future funding for research aimed at improving health outcomes for patients and populations across the state.”
Since 2005, the New Investigator Program has contributed to launching the careers of 91 assistant professors across SMPH through grants totaling $10 million. Researchers have produced countless studies impacting health, going on to leverage an additional $56 million in funding to sustain or expand their projects.
The following projects were funded through the New Investigator Program this year:
Adapting and Feasibility Testing an Integrated Exercise Program as Part of First Episode Psychosis Coordinated Specialty Care
Principal Investigator: Shiri Raphaely, MD, assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry
Collaborators: Emilie Pinkovitz, LCSW, Wings Program Director, Wings/Flyy (Forward Learning Youth and Young Adults); Jacob Meyer, PhD, assistant professor, UW–Madison School of Education
Defining the Role of Diabetes and Dysbiosis in Acute Laryngeal Injury After Intubation
Principal Investigator: Ruth Davis, MD, assistant professor, Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
Collaborators: Susan Thibeault, PhD, CCC-SLP, professor, Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery; Federico Rey, PhD, professor, UW–Madison Department of Bacteriology
Disrupting DNA Damage Repair to Potentiate the Efficacy of Radiopharmaceutical Theragnostic Agents in Advanced Prostate Cancer
Principal Investigator: Reinier Hernandez, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Medical Physics
GATA2 Regulated Piezo1 Controls Uterine Serous Carcinoma Invasion
Principal Investigator: Daniel Matson, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Collaborators: Lisa Barroilhet, MD, associate professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Pam Kreeger, PhD, professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Improving Ecological Modeling and Forecasting of Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases in Wisconsin
Principal Investigator: Johnny Uelmen, PhD, assistant professor, Population Health Sciences
Collaborators: Alexandra Linz, PhD, associate research scientist, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute; Jennifer Meece, PhD, chief research officer, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute
Improving NK Cell Immunology Through Metabolic Conditioning
Principal Investigator: Jose Ayuso, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Dermatology
Collaborators: Christian Capitini, MD, professor, Department of Pediatrics; Nihal Ahmad, PhD, professor and vice chair for research, Department of Dermatology
Reducing Donor Kidney Discards and Improve Kidney Failure Outcomes in Wisconsin through Improved Assessment of Deceased Donor Kidneys
Principal Investigator: Jennifer Philip, MD, assistant professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation
Collaborators: Alejandro Roldan-Alzate, PhD, associate professor, UW–Madison College of Engineering; Jacqueline Garonzik-Wang, MD, PhD, associate professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation
Right Care, Right Place, Right Time: Improving Emergency Care for Wisconsin’s Children with Medical Complexity
Principal Investigator: Jillian Gorski, MD, assistant professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
Collaborator: Brian Patterson, MD, MPH, associate professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
View the grant descriptions on WPP’s Funded Projects web page.
The Wisconsin Partnership Program is a grantmaking program within the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health committed to improving health for all through investments in community partnerships, education and research initiatives.
