Written by Sarah Halpern-Meekin, a Professor of Public Affairs with the La Follette School of Public Affairs and the Vaughn Bascom Professor of Women, Family, and Community in the School of Human Ecology.
Scientific research has consistently shown that video games do not make people more violent. Playing games can, however, improve perceptual and cognitive functions, says Dr C Shawn Green, professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Office of Naval Research funded Green to research how certain games (mainly shooters) improve warrior performance. “These games have lots of speed in them,” he says. “There’s lots of what we call ‘transient events’ – things pop up on the screen and disappear.” He says this can improve basic visual perception as well as heighten levels of cognition (such as working memory).
The facility will be home to two-dozen specialties and will open in three phases. UW Health said most areas will be operational by mid-November. The medical center, located across from East Madison Hospital, will be a 470,000-square-foot, seven-story building.
Whether you love beets or hate them, you probably haven’t given them as much thought as Irwin Goldman.
A professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Goldman is also former chair of the department of horticulture. The Goldman Lab there is even named after him. He and colleague Nick Breitbach spent decades trying to breed a better beet. Now the Badger Flame Beet is getting attention nationwide from growers and chefs as it becomes increasingly available.
“Two weeks after I was in my fulltime faculty position with my own lab, I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer myself, underwent chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation while I was seeing patients in clinic and doing my own colorectal cancer research,” said Deming, who serves as a medical oncologist at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center.
Smith residents received an email Feb. 1 from Jake Baggott, UW-Madison chief health officer, and Andrew O’Donnell, UHS interim director of health services, urging them to get tested for tuberculosis. The email said there is “no cause for immediate concern.”
UW School of Medicine and Public Health professor of microbiology Caitlin Pepperell said that although the disease is seen less in the United States than in other regions, the spread of tuberculosis is an extremely common global phenomenon.
A University of Wisconsin-Madison student recently tested positive for tuberculosis, prompting campus health officials to notify more than 700 people who may have been exposed to the student.
Column by Dr. Patrick Remington, professor emeritus at the School of Medicine and Public Health at UW-Madison.
Smith residents received an email Feb. 1 from Jake Baggott, UW-Madison chief health officer, and Andrew O’Donnell, UHS interim director of health services, urging them to get tested for tuberculosis. The email said there is “no cause for immediate concern.”
We learn about a UW connection to experimenting with growing tomatoes beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Next we talk about the art of doing nothing in particular. Then we hear what to know about the rise of the respiratory virus RSV. And we explore the problems American parents face compared with those in other countries. Interviews with Simon Gilroy and Dr. James Conway.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are one step closer to understanding how and when cleft lip and palates form during pregnancy.
The discovery, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could mitigate the risk of the birth defect that affects about 1 in every 1,700 babies born in the United States.
“It can tell us about the virus without us needing to stick anything up anyone’s noses or even know who was in a space,” said Dave O’Connor, a UW-Madison researcher involved in the surveillance. “Air sampling should be something that lots of schools bring on board to understand what the respiratory virus transmission risk is.”
Monitors have been at seven schools in the Oregon School District for two years, where air sampling last school year tracked flu and COVID-19 activity as reliably as student absences, rapid tests at school and regular tests from samples collected at home, UW-Madison researchers recently reported. That research was part of a UW study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that has analyzed respiratory illness at Oregon schools since 2015.
The recent death of Herb Kohl concluded our association of 70 years as mutual friends and ideological colleagues. We began to interact as University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate fraternity brothers living together at our frat house. We frequently discussed maximizing opportunities to achieve what our democracy provided for us to attain professional prominence as minorities.
Fiore, a professor of medicine, founder and director of the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said there are about 650,000 smokers in Wisconsin. If those smokers don’t quit tobacco products, Fiore said about half will die prematurely of a disease caused by smoking.
“There’s nothing a person can do that will improve their current and future health as much as quitting smoking,” he said.
Near the start of a Jan. 23 presentation by the director of Wisconsin’s signature cancer research center, I asked those attending how many had family members who had been touched by the disease over time. Nearly every hand in the room went up.
That speaks to the insidious nature of a disease that in some ways remains a mystery to researchers such as those who work at UW-Madison’s Carbone Cancer Center. It also illustrates the need for continued progress in finding better approaches to prevention, diagnosis and therapy surrounding one of mankind’s oldest scourges.
“Using the same magnet for 20 or 30 years is not unheard of,” said Dr. Scott Reeder, chair of the University of Wisconsin’s radiology department.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison study attributed this difference to the fact that rural residents were older, sicker, and less vaccinated.
The American Red Cross is partnering with University of Wisconsin Madison for the Share Your Big Heart Blood Challenge- which pits the university against some of its biggest rivals. UW-Madison will be up against Michigan State, Penn State and the University of Michigan to see which school can donate the most blood in a month.
“If we’re thinking about how we want to manage or protect groundwater resources in the future, we really need to be thinking about what’s happening on the land surface. And if you look at Wisconsin, greater than 90% of the land is, really, rural land,” said Michael Cardiff, a professor in the department of geoscience at UW-Madison. “Rural water users are probably most connected to the largest area of land in Wisconsin, and could probably tell us about what sort of concerns they’re seeing.”
A $150 million dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be used by UW-Madison to fund nationwide research that investigates the neurobiology of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Dr. Nate Chin is the medical director for that study which will involve all 37 of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers in the U.S.
Julie Stamm researches CTE at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and authored a book called, “The Brain on Youth Sports: The Science, the Myths, and the Future.” During a recent interview with WPR’s “Central Time,” Stamm said the new Boston University study adds to other research undermining a misconception that CTE is only a concern for professional athletes.
“We know that’s not the case,” said Stamm, a clinical assistant professor in the university’s Department of Kinesiology.
UW Health’s website lists 20 hospital-owned locations — including the main UW Hospital complex, East Madison Hospital, the Digestive Health Center and University Station Clinic — for which clinic visits might include a facility fee. The amount, which UW says is updated yearly, is currently $235.
UW Health patients of all ages are able to test for strep throat, influenza, COVID-19 and RSV. Officials say patients under five and older than 69 years should consult their primary care provider regarding testing.
New research finds that early exposure to lead pipes can reduce an American man’s lifespan by an average of almost three months. Those are the findings from a paper co-authored by a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The results are part of a broader body of research examining conditions in childhood that may affect the longevity of Americans.
Jason Fletcher, a professor with the university’s La Follette School of Public Affairs, said researchers compared U.S. Census records of men living in cities that had lead pipes to those living in cities that used non-lead materials in the early 20th century. Fletcher said they then linked the names and addresses of those individuals to their death records from 1975 to 2005. Fletcher said the paper did not examine women because of difficulties with linking data due to name changes when women married.
Knowing what TV shows a dog likes could help assess their vision, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s (UW-Madison) School of Veterinary Medicine.
In the study, researchers sought to determine what factors influenced a dog’s interest in engaging with videos, said Freya Mowat, veterinary ophthalmologist and professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine’s department of surgical sciences. Those factors included age and vision.
Nearly 15 percent of Wisconsin children ages 2 to 17 years are obese, according to data from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health. The data show rates of obesity continue to climb until middle age, peaking at 47 percent of residents age 55 to 64.
“(Nicotine) literally alters the makeup of the brain as it’s developing,” explained Chris Hollenback, the communications director for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention. “You have these receptors saying ‘more, more, more.’ When you’re under the age of 17, it’s easier to get addicted and harder to quit.”
The National Institutes of Health is investing $150 million in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s research on Alzheimer’s disease — the largest award from the federal agency in the university’s history.
With predictions for a doubling of U.S. dementia patients by 2040, the need to better understand Alzheimer’s and its debilitating “relatives” has intensified. That’s why the five-year, $150 million federal grant awarded to the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health is critical to learning more about root causes, possible disease pathways and better clinical care.
Steve Vavrus, director of the Wisconsin State Climatology Office, said Wisconsin tied 1987 to become the fourth-warmest year on record since 1895. The statewide average temperature for the year was 46.3 degrees Fahrenheit, which was roughly 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the long-term average. Only 2012, 1998 and 1931 were hotter.
Data from UW Health urgent care centers indicates a 4.5 percent increase from 2022 in visits for acute respiratory infections during a 9-week period spanning June and July last year.
States and the federal government have made efforts to increase the number of health care providers. Wisconsin has a rural residency program and a loan assistance program to draw medical students to rural and other shortage areas. The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health developed an urban program and a rural program, called the Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine, to increase enrollment to address shortages. And there’s the effort of the Medical College of Wisconsin to open up two satellite campuses with 50 enrollment spots.
Wisconsin lawmakers are considering ending “gain-of-function” research at all higher education institutions in the state.
The rare practice of modifying risky pathogens to make them more harmful to people during research has become political and controversial since the COVID-19 outbreak.
The current increase in COVID-19 cases is a continuation of an increase in the illness that began in August and started to take off after children returned to school in September, said Ajay Sethi, an epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The surge also follows along with other respiratory viruses, although its pattern is not identical, he added.
“For someone who has symptoms for a respiratory virus infection, they may not have COVID-19 — it could very well be influenza or could be RSV,” Sethi said Thursday. Wherever they are given, “COVID tests are still useful, because it would be nice to know what virus you might have.”
Studies show that early intervention and integrated, team-based mental health services are an effective way to treat schizophrenia. However, many patients still can’t access the new approach to care. We talk to Ronald Diamond, a professor emeritus of psychiatry at UW-Madison and former medical director of the Mental Health Center of Dane County, about what’s standing in the way of patients getting the treatment they need.
The National Institutes for Health is awarding a $150 million grant to UW-Madison researchers to study how Alzheimer’s and other dementias are affecting the brain. We talk with the study leader about Alzheimer’s and the future of dementia research.
Despite documented systemic barriers, a new UW-Madison study shows mothers with low incomes find the credit system in the United States legitimate. We speak with Sarah Halpern-Meekin and J. Michael Collins, two of the researchers.
This week, Republican legislators unveiled a proposal to legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin. We get reaction to the proposal from Lucas Richert, a pharmaceutical historian at UW-Madison.
A bill that would prohibit higher education institutions in Wisconsin from conducting “gain of function” research on “potentially pandemic pathogens” received a public hearing on Wednesday.
The bill — AB 413 — was introduced by Rep. Elijah Behnke (R-Oconto) and Sen. André Jacque (R-DePere), who cited several incidents at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and controversy over the origins of COVID-19.
Dr. Paula Cody, medical director of adolescent medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, warned about the dangers of diet pills and supplements more than six years ago after hearing enough patients ask about supplements to lose weight or gain muscle — and the issue has only grown.
“The incidence of eating disorders has increased pretty dramatically after the pandemic. We’ve seen the numbers skyrocket,” she said. “So I do think that the concern I had before, which was not a small matter then — I’m even more concerned now.”
Stem cell biologists are gaining new insight into the human brain — thanks to technology developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Randolph Ashton is the associate director of UW-Madison’s Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center and says they can use that research to screen for numerous conditions like spina bifida and autism; and, according to Dr. Ashton, RosetteArray technology could eventually help scientists develop more specific medical treatments – and perhaps even a cure. When it comes to medical ethics, he says his primary concern is the prohibitive cost of such treatment.
UW-Madison is heading up a $150 million study at Alzheimer’s disease centers around the country that seeks to shed more light on mixed dementia, or having more than one kind of the neurological disease.
CEO Dr. Alan Kaplan said that despite the challenges facing health care providers, UW Health saw a “very strong” year. “Our vision at UW Health is providing remarkable care to our patients and our community,” he said. “Our more than 24,000 providers and staff made that vision a reality for a record number of patients over the last year.”
Simon Goldberg, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studies the effects of meditation, including research among people who have psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. He noted that because of Dunn and Folk’s strict criteria, they omitted hundreds of studies on meditation’s benefits. “It’s, in the spirit of rigor, throwing lots of babies out with the bathwater,” he says. “It’s really very obvious that meditation training reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression.”
If you resolve to stay healthy, Madison, Wis., is a good choice. With five general hospitals — including UW-Madison School of Medicine — and more than 20 medical clinics, finding healthcare is accessible in Madison. The city also boasts a low percentage of uninsured residents and a high doctor-patient ratio.
Megan Moreno is a University of Wisconsin adolescent medicine physician and co-medical director of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health. She often warns parents against romanticizing their own methods of socialization as adolescents over what their kids do to make and keep friends.
“I have a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old, and one thing I think a lot about is checking my own biases of how they’re supposed to be spending their time,” Moreno said.
Covering Wisconsin, a program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, helps people sign up for and understand their health insurance.
The program’s GetCovered Connector Tool can connect you with a local health insurance expert via Zoom, phone, or in person. The experts can provide advice on applications, appeals, coverage issues and more.
Similarly, inherited microchimerism might help explain why some studies have found that people are better at accepting organs from their mother than from their father, says William Burlingham, a transplant specialist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
In an opinion column in the Wisconsin State Journal, two University of Wisconsin-Madison professors wrote that the additional births caused harm to Wisconsin communities.
“Dobbs is just the latest abortion restriction to harm Wisconsinites, especially low-income Wisconsinites,” wrote Tiffany Green, associate professor of population health sciences and obstetrics, and gynecology, and Jenny Higgins, director of the Collaborative for Reproductive Equity. “In our role as scientists and public health professionals, we conclude that the evidence is clear: Restrictions and policies in our state that make abortion inaccessible and unaffordable harm the health and well-being of Wisconsin families
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many health experts were concerned about the new disease’s impact on older adults and people who are immunocompromised.
Jenna Nobles, sociology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was interested in another potentially vulnerable group – pregnant people.
“We know that emerging infectious diseases can be extremely consequential for pregnancies, both people who are carrying the pregnancies and the infants who are born from them,” Nobles said.
Quoted: “There can be some ability to trace that, because each company would be producing, potentially, different types of PFAS that could be linked back to them,” said Steph Tai, a law professor and associate dean of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an expert on environmental law.
A new book explores the life and career of Wisconsin Badgers hockey legend Blake Geoffrion, including his decision to retire from the NHL.
University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics are also asking that people wear masks in its medical buildings, including University Hospital, American Family Children’s Hospital and East Madison Hospital.
The Collaborative Care program helps patients get mental health treatment quickly, without having to possibly wait months to obtain an appointment at a specialty clinic. Patients can talk to their primary doctor about any issues they are experiencing and can see a clinician right away.
“In all cases of amblyopia, there’s a stronger eye and a weaker eye. And it’s winner-take-all in the cortex. And the cortex learns to ignore the signals from the weak eye,” says Elizabeth Quinlan, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
A new study by a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that a lack of nurturing as a child is associated with accelerated aging later in life. The research looks at changes to a person’s genome that have been linked to their environment or behaviors — what’s called epigenetics. These markers can indicate a person’s biological age, or how much their body has aged physically.
Lauren Schmitz, professor at UW-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs, said the field of research around these epigenetic changes is still new because data is limited. Studies require both survey data on people’s health experiences and a blood sample.
Lead researcher Bryan Heiderscheit, a UW-Madison orthopedics professor, said the main goal is to advance the understanding and prevention of hamstring injuries that are the most common ailment for NFL players.
UW Hospital’s charity care was 0.9% of revenue last year after dipping to 0.7% in 2021, with the hospital helping 44,109 patients last year, up from 32,017 the previous year.
Widely used chemotherapy drugs don’t attack cancer the way doctors thought, according to a UW-Madison study that identifies a new mechanism that could improve the search for new drugs and help tailor treatments for patients,
“It’s a totally different mechanism than the field had been thinking about for the last several decades,” said Beth Weaver, a UW-Madison professor of cell and regenerative biology who is senior author of the study, published recently in the journal PLOS Biology.
Two UW Hospital surgeons who performed gender-altering surgeries on a woman who now claims the procedures were done without proper informed consent have denied her claims, and UW Hospital has asked a judge to dismiss her lawsuit against the doctors and the hospital.
