Native American Center for Health Professions staff members
Feature Story
January 24, 2019 VOL 20 NO 4

Native American Center for Health Professions Focuses on Recruitment, Training

The center is chipping away at decades of American Indian and Alaska Natives being under-represented in health professions.

A student conducting stem cell research in a lab
Feature Story
January 24, 2019 VOL 20 NO 4

20 Years of Stem Cells

University of Wisconsin researchers continue work towards new clinical applications, two decades after stem cell research began on campus.

Brita Lundberg
Profile
January 23, 2019 VOL 20 NO 4

Using Expertise for Patient Advocacy

Brita Lundberg, MD ’91 (PG ’94), decided to leave the practice of medicine and return to the classroom for patient advocacy training. Now she's making a career out of it.

Dean Golden and Marc Drezner posing with a plaque
Awards & Honors
January 23, 2019 VOL 20 NO 4

Marc Drezner Earns Belzer Lifetime Achievement Award

During his research, teaching and patient care career — which began with 25 years on the faculty at Duke University followed by 18 years at UW–Madison — Drezner has been recognized as an expert in bone and mineral metabolism.

Sheri Johnson
Profile
January 23, 2019 VOL 20 NO 4

Sheri Johnson Reflects on a Year Leading the Population Health Institute

Sheri Johnson shares her history and explains some of the biggest challenges facing population health in Wisconsin.

Students using great focus to practice applying a cast to a person's wrist and forearm
Student Life
January 23, 2019 VOL 20 NO 4

Procedures Fair Offers Students Valuable Practice

The annual Procedures Fair provides students hands-on experience in many of the procedures that physicians, particularly in primary care, encounter regularly.

An older couple smiling together for the camera
Profile
November 12, 2018 VOL 20 NO 3

Eugene Nordby Turns 100

Abraham Lincoln once observed that, “It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” At age 100, Eugene Nordby, MD ’43, has had the rare good fortune to enjoy both long life and years filled with meaningful achievement. His distinguished career as an orthopedic surgeon, his 72-year marriage and his passion for preserving his Norwegian heritage form the outlines of an admirable life.

Dorothy Farrar Edwards
Profile
November 8, 2018 VOL 20 NO 3

Dorothy Farrar Edwards Leads UW in All of Us Research Program

A professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and in the Department of Kinesiology at the UW–Madison School of Education, Farrar Edwards has focused her research on investigating the cultural, physical, genetic and lifestyle factors that lead to a wide range of health conditions that have disparate effects on different populations.

Julianne Lee
Impactful Giving
November 8, 2018 VOL 20 NO 3

Juliane Lee Establishes Scholarship to Honor Parents and Former Faculty Member

Named in memory of her parents, Kiuck Lee, PhD, and OkSoon Lee, MD, and in honor of Stuart Knechtle, MD, a liver transplant surgeon and former member of the school faculty, Lee says the scholarship is simply her way of “paying it forward.”

Deanna Benish
Awards & Honors
November 8, 2018 VOL 20 NO 3

Deanna Benish Wins Max Fox Preceptor Award

A family practice physician who also does obstetrics at Reedsburg Area Medical Center, Benish has been a preceptor to fourth-year medical students since 2006; she has worked at the medical center since 2001.

Janet E. Mertz, PhD, and Richard Kraus analyze EBV sequences
Feature Story
November 6, 2018 VOL 20 NO 3

Conference Highlights UW Oncogenic Virus Research

The Memorial Union at the University of Wisconsin–Madison was teeming earlier this year with nearly 500 tumor virology researchers from throughout the world — eager to learn from peers, including a collegial group of UW–Madison researchers who are dedicated to investigating cancer-causing viruses.

A researcher posing for a photo in front of an MRI machine
Research
November 6, 2018 VOL 20 NO 3

Institute for Clinical and Translational Research Drives Medical Advances Across Campus

In 2008, Vivek Prabhakaran, MD, PhD, had a vision for his research on post-stroke brain plasticity, but he needed much more to pursue his research.

Maryline Beurg and Robert Fettiplace
Profile
November 6, 2018 VOL 20 NO 3

Robert Fettiplace Wins Kavli Prize

When Robert Fettiplace, PhD, talks about the joy of discovery, he captures the spirit that drove explorers over mountains and into the deepest caves.

Daniel Jackson
Profile
November 2, 2018 VOL 20 NO 3

WMAA Welcomes Daniel Jackson as New President

The Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association’s new president, Daniel Jackson, MD ’03 (PG ’10), is a dedicated Badger who knew, at a young age, that he wanted to attend the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

Two scientists in a lab posing for a photo
Editorial
July 24, 2018 VOL 20 NO 2

Master of Science in Biotechnology Program

A master's degree program designed for professionals is contributing to Wisconsin's thriving biotechnology industry and furthering the School of Medicine and Public Health's commitment to translating research discoveries to practical application.

Susan Isensee
Class Notes
July 24, 2018 VOL 20 NO 2

Know Your Class Representatives

Meet some of the School of Medicine and Public Health graduates who play an integral role in working with the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association to plan class reunions.

A speaker on a panel at the 2018 bioethics symposium
Events & Outreach
July 24, 2018 VOL 20 NO 2

Symposium Examines Ethical Dilemmas in High-cost Medicine

The School of Medicine and Public Health tackled the topic of the price of health care in the United States at its 10th Annual Bioethics Symposium in spring 2018.

Byron Crouse
Profile
July 23, 2018 VOL 20 NO 2

Reflecting on a Career in Rural Medicine

Byron Crouse, founding director of the Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine, may have recently retired but his tireless efforts to improve rural health in Wisconsin will leave a lasting impact.

A student in an exam room environment
Student Life
July 20, 2018 VOL 20 NO 2

Preparing Medical Students for Internships

The School of Medicine and Public Health's ForWard Curriculum includes a required Internship Preparation Course that provides practical know-how and interpersonal communication skills essential for students to assume responsibility for patient care in their internships.

Kevin Thao
Profile
July 20, 2018 VOL 20 NO 2

Focus on Hmong Health

Wisconsin has been home to one of the nation’s largest Hmong communities for more than 40 years. And still, Kevin Thao is struck by how startlingly little is known about the health of this population. As a result, he’s dedicated to building a better body of research, aiming to prevent long-term disease and promote healthy lifestyles for Hmong across Wisconsin and the nation.

Michelle Buelow, Kjersti Knox and Theresa Umhoefer-Wittry
Feature Story
July 18, 2018 VOL 20 NO 2

Training in Urban Medicine and Public Health

New leadership and curriculum have bolstered the legacy of the School of Medicine and Health's specialized training program that prepares future doctors to practice in underserved urban areas.

A doctor holding a young patient
Feature Story
July 18, 2018 VOL 20 NO 2

First Successful Bone Marrow Transplant Led to Today’s Immunotherapies

Fifty years ago, School of Medicine and Public Health Professor Fritz Bach (pictured) and University of Minnesota Professor Robert Good performed the first successful bone marrow transplants, made possible by Bach’s earlier research findings. One year later, Paul Sondel, then a young, inquisitive undergraduate student joined Bach’s lab and, with colleagues, has carried the torch to further the field of immunotherapy ever since.

A rendering of the new UW Center for Human Genomics and Precision Medicine
Feature Story
May 1, 2018 VOL 20 NO 1

New Center Taking Precision Medicine and Genomics to the Next Level

Stephen Meyn, MD, PhD, recently joined the School of Medicine and Public Health to lead the UW Center for Human Genomics and Precision Medicine. Meyn is developing a strategic vision for the center, guiding the formation of its clinical and academic programs and crafting its long-term mission to become an innovative global leader in genome-based precision medicine.

Bruce and Judith Harms
Impactful Giving
April 27, 2018 VOL 20 NO 1

Professorship Bolsters Next Generation of Surgeons

"Someday, these young surgeons may be taking care of us, and we all want great people taking care of us," says Bruce A. Harms, MD, MBA, about the need to support excellence in research, education and patient care in the field of surgery, and particularly colorectal surgery. To that end, he and his wife, Judith, have established a professorship in colorectal surgery.

Two scientists working in a lab
Feature Story
April 27, 2018 VOL 20 NO 1

Supporting Epilepsy Research

Lily's Fund for Epilepsy Research has blossomed from one family's donation into an endowment that has awarded $450,000 in grants to support scientists and studies at UW–Madison. For researchers like Avtar Roopra, the funding has been a game changer.

Casey Reiser
Editorial
April 13, 2018 VOL 20 NO 1

Milestones in Genetic Counseling

In May, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s Master of Genetic Counselor Studies program will graduate its 40th class. It’s a major milestone by any standards, even if you consider that UW–Madison’s program was the first in the Midwest and the eighth in the United States.

Bucky Badger holding a stethoscope
Student Life
April 13, 2018 VOL 20 NO 1

Medical Students Thank Donors, Kick off House Cup Competition

In the days leading up to Valentine’s Day 2018, the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association staff hosted a gratitude-filled event, drawing medical students to write thank-you notes. Enthusiastic students gathered to share words of praise with the many donors who support the missions of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and its alumni association.

Students and physicians around a surgical table
Profile
April 13, 2018 VOL 20 NO 1

Gundersen Physicians Train, Mentor UW Medical Students

Spend a few minutes talking with physician educators Kyla Lee, MD ’98, and Kimberly Lansing, MD, PhD, and one thing becomes abundantly clear: There is a great deal more to teaching medical students than meets the eye. Based at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, they have close ties to the campus in Madison and have been intimately involved in the development and implementation of the school’s new ForWard Curriculum, now in its second year.

Two people talking at an academic conference
Feature Story
April 13, 2018 VOL 20 NO 1

Summit Explores the Black Experience in Academic Medicine

To encourage dialogue about race in health care systems, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health offered an inaugural Diversity Summit in early 2018. The central topic surrounded concerns among academic medical centers nationwide, including the School of Medicine and Public Health and UW Health, which are grappling with recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.