Category Health & Wellness
UW Health and UW focus on diversity for COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial
As UW Health begins scheduling participants for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine study, experts are focused on equity and inclusion to ensure a diverse population takes part. "People of color are a vital population to making this study a success."
COVID questions: Dog park safety, antibody testing
Is it safe to go to dog parks again? What is antibody testing for? Does a positive antibody test mean I don't need to follow distancing requirements?
UW–Madison and UW Health selected as sites to test new COVID-19 vaccine
They are among the first sites in the country to study whether an investigational vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca can prevent the disease.
Diversity officer at UW Health named vice president
Shiva Bidar-Sielaff was named the first chief diversity officer for UW Health in 2016. "Elevating this position ... acknowledges the importance as well as the foundational nature of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at UW Health," says CEO Alan Kaplan.
UW experts design masks for campus from scratch
The masks were designed by the university’s experts in textiles, filtration and infectious disease, and manufactured by one of Wisconsin’s oldest companies.
Opening dates set for Shell, NTS, Nicholas Recreation Center
The Shell and Nielsen Tennis Stadium (NTS) reopened to students, faculty, and staff on Monday, August 17. The Nicholas Recreation Center is expected to open in a limited capacity on Monday, September 14.
Hand-sanitizer stations installed on campus
Hand-sanitizer pump and refill stations are being installed at key locations across campus as part of the Smart Restart initiative.
At University Hospital, damage and shock in aftermath of 1970 Sterling Hall bombing
The blast shattered most of the hospital's east-facing windows, including those in the intensive care unit. “Our assignment was to pick glass off of patients,” remembers a nursing student.
Chancellor, other top campus leaders to conduct Smart Restart YouTube events
A pair of Smart Restart updates, one focused on graduate students and the second for the full campus community, are set for Aug. 19 and Aug. 21. Panelists will include Chancellor Rebecca Blank and a group of vice chancellors and other officials.
Patients taking opioids produce antibodies that may hinder anti-opioid vaccine
The findings add to a growing understanding of how the immune system can recognize drugs and influence their effects in the body, which may ultimately support the production and delivery of a vaccine that reduces the harm of opioid abuse.
COVID questions: HVAC spread; indoor swimming; national debt
Can COVID-19 spread through a building's HVAC system? Is it safe to swim in an indoor pool? Can people doing work in my house leave the virus for me?
That little voice in your head — if you have it — may be aligning your thoughts
It’s evidence that the differences in visual and “audible” representations in the mind are connected to differences in the way we organize our thinking.
Positive COVID-19 test reporting for UW–Madison employees
As part of our Smart Restart reopening plan, UW–Madison has developed protocols for what to do when individuals working, living or learning on campus test positive for COVID-19.
Simpler COVID-19 test could provide results in hours from saliva
Volunteers are being tested for the virus that causes COVID-19 by spitting in a vial, which may prove faster, cheaper and less complicated than other common tests, according to UW–Madison researchers.
Nanoparticle system captures heart-disease biomarker from blood for in-depth analysis
An effective test of cTnI variations could one day provide doctors with a better ability to diagnose heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S.
COVID questions: Economic recovery, wedding attendance
Are there industries that will never recover from the COVID-19 pandemic? What should you do if you've been invited to a wedding but are nervous about attending?
Badger Talks video: Pandemic is ‘black swan’ for real estate
Summer is peak season for buying and selling homes, but it’s hard to predict the movement of a market in the midst of a global pandemic. In this Badger Talks video, expert Mark Eppli takes stock of the real estate market.
Waisman Biomanufacturing partners with Heat Biologics to manufacture COVID-19 vaccine
The vaccine will target those most vulnerable to COVID-19 — namely, the elderly and those with health conditions that weaken their immune system. Phase 1 trials could begin in early 2021 and UW–Madison may be a trial site.
UW researchers devise approach to treat rare, incurable form of blindness
"Best vitelliform macular degeneration," or Best disease, is an inherited eye condition that typically leads to blindness over the course of a few decades.
COVID questions: AC, superspreaders, herd immunity
Our experts answer: Can an air conditioning unit spread COVID-19? What is a superspreader? How do we achieve herd immunity?