Tag Health & medicine
UW to serve as national hub for mentor training as part of diversity consortium
The University of Wisconsin–Madison will serve as a national hub for research mentor and mentee training for the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) recently announced by NIH as part of a national Diversity Program Consortium. The NIH will award the Diversity Program Consortium nearly $31 million in fiscal year 2014 funds to develop new approaches that engage researchers, including those from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical sciences, and prepare them to thrive in the NIH-funded workforce. Read More
See-through sensors open new window into the brain
Developing invisible implantable medical sensor arrays, a team of University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers has overcome a major technological hurdle in researchers’ efforts to understand the brain. The team described its technology, which has applications in fields ranging from neuroscience to cardiac care and even contact lenses, in the Oct. 20 issue of the online journal Nature Communications. Read More
Company developing radio frequency technology to localize breast tumors
Breast cancer may inspire more public discussion, advocacy and charitable giving than almost any other disease besides HIV and AIDS. But people rarely talk about the specific experiences to which cancer patients are subjected. Read More
With NIH New Innovator Award, engineer to study how ovarian cancer spreads
With approximately 22,000 diagnoses annually in the United States, ovarian cancer isn't among the most commonly occurring cancers. Yet, the mortality rate for women who have ovarian cancer hovers above 60 percent. Read More
UW-Madison team developing ‘tissue chip’ to screen neurological toxins
A multidisciplinary team at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Morgridge Institute for Research is creating a faster, more affordable way to screen for neural toxins, helping flag chemicals that may harm human development. Read More
Actions on climate change bring better health, study says
The number of extremely hot days in Eastern and Midwestern U.S. cities is projected to triple by mid-century, according to a new study led by University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers and published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Read More
Ultrasound enhancement provides clarity to damaged tendons, ligaments
Ultrasound is a safe, affordable and noninvasive way to see internal structures, including the developing fetus. Ultrasound can also “see” other soft tissue — including tendons, which attach muscles to bone, and ligaments, which attach bone to bone. Ray Vanderby, a professor of biomedical engineering and orthopedics and rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is commercializing an ultrasound method to analyze the condition of soft tissue. Read More
Researchers study role of cultural diversity awareness in biomedical mentoring
The nation needs a more diverse biomedical workforce. To help advance that goal, a team of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers will assess whether cultural-diversity training of research mentors makes a positive difference for those they are mentoring in biomedical research. Read More
Down syndrome helps researchers understand Alzheimer’s disease
The link between a protein typically associated with Alzheimer's disease and its impact on memory and cognition may not be as clear as once thought, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Waisman Center. The findings are revealing more information about the earliest stages of the neurodegenerative disease. Read More
Yogic breathing shows promise in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder
One of the greatest casualties of war is its lasting effect on the minds of soldiers. This presents a daunting public health problem: More than 20 percent of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a 2012 report by RAND Corp. Read More
Wisconsin scientists find genetic recipe to turn stem cells to blood
The ability to reliably and safely make in the laboratory all of the different types of cells in human blood is one key step closer to reality. Writing today (July 14, 2014) in the journal Nature Communications, a group led by University of Wisconsin–Madison stem cell researcher Igor Slukvin reports the discovery of two genetic programs responsible for taking blank-slate stem cells and turning them into both red and the array of white cells that make up human blood. Read More
University Health Services selects new prevention director
Jeanette Kowalik has been named the new director of prevention services and campus health initiatives at University Health Services (UHS), the student health clinic of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More
UW, Madison schools team up to train mindfulness muscles
Mindfulness practice in the classroom may be one way to help students improve their academic performance, nurture their emotional well-being and bolster their behavior. Read More
Faster, safer method zaps tumors with great success
When Kevin McSweeney was referred to UW Health last year for a tumor in his liver, he had already gone through six rounds of chemotherapy and 13 surgeries over ten years to treat his metastasized cancer. Read More
Genes found in nature yield 1918-like virus with pandemic potential
An international team of researchers has shown that circulating avian influenza viruses contain all the genetic ingredients necessary to underpin the emergence of a virus similar to the deadly 1918 influenza virus. Read More
Mackie to receive highest honor in medical physics
Thomas "Rock" Mackie, director of medical engineering at the Morgridge Institute for Research, will receive the highest honor in the field of medical physics for his far-reaching contributions to medical imaging. Read More
Program matches doctors and rural communities that want each other
For some people, moving away from their small hometown is the ultimate goal. Dave Hubbard wanted the complete opposite. In his search for the perfect career in family medicine, the physician from southwestern Wisconsin wanted to return to his roots. Read More
It’s not all wedded bliss: Marital stress linked to depression
Marital stress may make people more vulnerable to depression, according to a recent study by University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers and their colleagues. Read More